Chance the Rapper honored his mother with an Instagram tribute after the two attended a Lauryn Hill concert on Saturday.
Following The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill show at Chicago's United Center for the album's 25th anniversary, Chance reflected on his mother's former hair salon and barbershop, along with her connection to Hill's 1998 song "To Zion." An accompanying photoset shows the Grammy-winning rapper joined by his mother, Lisa Bennett, and the likes of Hill, Wyclef Jean, Vic Mensa, and more.
"In the 90s my mom owned Touches, an incredibly successful hair salon and barbershop on the South Side of Chicago, (ask Yehia, Ossama or any of the Egyptians in hair about Lisa Thompson). She employed a lot black folks and got a lot of people started in the industry," Chance began in his Instagram caption.
Chance went on to share that his mother faced the difficult decision of starting a family with her husband, Ken Bennett – whom she met at Touches – after discovering she was pregnant with the "YAH Know" artist.
Opening up about his mother's “new path of motherhood and family for herself," Chance revealed that Lisa decided to sell Touches. “My mama chose me. She was at the top of her field, a black woman in her 20s with ownership and investment in her community, but she chose the difficult yet beautiful path to family,” he continued. “My mom sold the salon and spent all her time raising me and teaching me so many of the things i love about myself. She taught me so much about love and faith and kindness and most importantly music.”
The key song to Lisa's decision to become a mother was "To Zion," which Hill wrote after the birth of her first son, Zion David Marley, with former partner Rohan Marley. Together, the two share five children, including model Selah Marley.
Chance went on to share lyrics from "To Zion," calling them him and his mother's "soundtrack," followed by a thank-you to Hill's fellow Fugees members Jean and Pras Michel, who is now convicted. The group made their final reunion as a trio in June at Roots Picnic in Philadelphia.
