Chance the Rapper won the Innovator Award at the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards.
Pharrell Williams, who announced the award during the ceremony, also praised Chance for being an incredible father and breaking the negative stereotype of a young father before the montage.
Let's all congratulate @chancetherapper who was just honored with the #InnovatorAward at the #iHeartAwards2018 pic.twitter.com/0r0AnIAY5A
"I'm lucky to be in a generation where we kind of have an understanding of self," his narration recited.
The montage then explained his independent success. The 26-year-old Chicago native grew his fan base "releasing one mixtape at a time" without signing to a label and already has three Grammys—including the first Streaming-Only Grammy—under his belt. In addition to speaking out against gun violence, he has also donated $1 million to support arts and enrichment programming for Chicago Public schools.
That's not the only thing he has done for his hometown, either. Overall, in 2017, Chance raised over $3 million for Chicago Public Schools. Additionally, he hooked up Chicago students with free Air Jordans.
Plus, Chance stands with women of color. A few weeks ago, he expressed his solidarity with Mo'Nique, who publicly blasted Netflix for allegedly trying to lowball her during negotiations for a comedy special.
During his acceptance speech, Chance praised and mentioned inspiring female artists Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift, and Beyoncé.
While we await a new album, we can congratulate Chance on his significant achievements towards social progress. Cheers, Chance!
