Chance the Rapper Reveals Why Kanye West Didn't Show Up to the Grammys

Chance the Rapper Kanye West, Grammys, new ink, and touring with Katie Couric.

Nearly four years after being referenced on Acid Rap, Yahoo's Global News Anchor Katie Couric sat down with Chance the Rapper for a long overdue soul-to-soul chat. The interview, filmed at Harold's Chicken Shack in Chicago, sees Chance touching on everything from his lone tattoo to his forthcoming tour to his Grammys dominance. Chance also briefly discussed his ongoing working relationship with fellow Chicago icon, Kanye West.

"I only have one tattoo," Chance told Couric. "No one has seen it." The ink in question was procured in Germany on a whim. "It's a backwards tattoo," he explained, lifting up his shirt to give Couric an exclusive. "It says 'get back to work.' It's a mirror tattoo, which is a concept I created. Basically, it's a reminder that I'm not doing enough." But don't expect more ink in the future: "It's so stupid. I hate it now. It's, like, why would I get this? It's my only tattoo. I got it when I was 21."

Asked about his 40-city tour that kicks off in April, Chance kept it simple and thanked the fans. "I almost hyperventilate talking about it for too long 'cause it's insane," Chance said. "Shout-out to all my fans that have been there since day uno—for making us to get to this point."

The historic Grammys moment, Chance said, is a sign that the idea of validation for artists is finally getting divorced from the traditional model of record labels and contracts. "For a long time, I think I missed out on a lot of opportunities, because I was kinda in a rat race where everybody else just had a boost," he told Couric. "But it's becoming more and more recognized that everyone starts out as an unsigned artist and being signed doesn't necessarily make you more validated as an artist."

When asked about his relationship with West, Chance said the last time he saw him was about a month ago. "The last time I saw him, he was good," Chance said, adding that he took his daughter over to play with West and Kim Kardashian's son Saint. "We talked about the Grammys for a long time," Chance said. On West's decision to skip the ceremony, Chance said West told him it "didn't make sense" for him to show up this year. "I think it's the reason why a lot of people didn't show up," Chance said.

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In other Chance news, the Grammy winner confirmed this week that he would be meeting privately with Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner to talk about education funding in Chicago: 

Peep the full Chance x Couric chat above.

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