Chance the Rapper talks about life after divorce ahead of ‘Star Line' release

Los Angeles Times

19 hours ago

Chance the Rapper is opening up about co-parenting with his ex-wife as he prepares to release a new album and go on a national tour.
The rapper from Chicago stopped by the 'CBS Morning' studio on Monday to discuss the release of his second studio album, 'Star Line.' Chance, whose real name is Chancelor Bennett, described the new EP as his 'most expansive work.'
'It covers a lot of different areas in my life,' he said.
Chance etched his way into the music world after recording a mixtape during a high school suspension. He self-released '10 Days' in 2012 and began his career as an independent artist, a path that he continues to follow.
He followed up his debut LP with 'Acid Rap' a year later, and 'Coloring Book' in 2016. In 2023, Chance celebrated the 10th anniversary of his second mixtape by performing the entire tape at the Kia Forum.
'I wrote [Acid Rap] when I was opening up for artists playing 300-cap rooms. I'm rapping about doing open mics but closing my eyes and seeing arenas. Going back and playing arenas for that project just makes me proud,' Chance said in a 2023 interview.
Now, the rapper behind tracks like 'Cocoa Butter Kisses' and 'No Problem' said his new album reflects the change his personal life has gone through in the last six years, including his divorce from Kirsten Corley, with whom he shares two children.
'It's always just a good thing to, as an artist … release and to like, you know, just share with the world,' he added.
The couple married back in 2019 and announced their separation last year on their Instagram. Corley filed for divorce in December 2024. They continue to raise their two young daughters together.
'You know, family is like one of the biggest things for me, for [Corley], for my kids, for my mom and dad, so I think the most important thing for anybody that's ever navigating [parenting after a divorce] is making sure that you keep an environment for the kids where they understand that [family is] the priority,' Bennett said.
His last album, 'The Big Day,' was released in 2019. Chance the Rapper is releasing his follow-up on Friday and will go on tour starting in September, with a stop in L.A. on Oct. 20.