Even if they don't always sound good on paper, Chance the Rapper is always looking to collaborate with new and talented people. That's how he packed Coloring Book with such an eclectic group of features, bouncing from calls for a "Smoke Break" with Future to half-gospel anthems like "How Great" with Jay Electronica.
And now it looks like he's lining up a feature from a frequent hip-hop collaborator: John Mayer. The two artists were spotted on stage together on Dave Chappelle's Aug. 17 show at Radio City Music Hall, alongside a group including Jon Stewart, Hanibal Buress, and Chappelle himself. Of course, this sparked a question about collaboration among inquiring minds, and everyone wanted to know if Chance and Mayer would link up. Chance came out and offered an unequivocal yes.
A few hours after his proclamation, Mayer came out and doubled down on Chance's answer, leaving almost no doubt that a record between the two is going to happen.
CO-SIGNED
From there, the excitement level went through the roof, and fans could hardly process the idea of one of hip-hop's rising stars joining forces with Mayer.
I AM SO HERE FOR THIS
The excitement is more than justified. Mayer is not just some dude passing through hip-hop and trying to make a quick buck, he has a storied history of making music with prominent artists in the game, including a few Chicago legends. Most people know about his collaboration with Kanye West, "Bittersweet," which ended up as one of the Japanese bonus tracks on Graduation, but he was also the voice in the background on Common's "Go." Mayer has even lent his guitar-playing talent to live hip-hop and R&B shows, like when he assisted a Jay Z performance of "D.O.A." at Madison Square Garden, or when he aided Frank Oceanduring an SNL performance.
In fact, Mayer has a pretty great reputation among musical artists of all kinds, and he's a lot more accomplished than his critics would give him credit for. He's a regular at major rock-and-roll festivals, and when he's not busy trying to serenade your girl, he can bust out a pretty mean guitar solo.
So consider at least this writer excited about the prospect of Mayer and Chance working together. They're both excellent at making team-ups work, even if it means letting someone else shine, and odds are they'll bring the best out of one another.
