Coloring Book
- Grammy Award, Best Rap Album — Winner (2017)
- Grammy Award, Best Rap Performance ('No Problem') — Winner (2017)
Classic
Gospel
Hip-Hop
Crowd-Pleaser
Uplifting
IndieThe review
Coloring Book is where Chance the Rapper commits fully to gospel-rap — and it paid off spectacularly. Critics greeted it as the richest hip-hop record of its year, an album that makes the gospel choir the backbone of the music the way soul samples anchored classic Kanye records. The standout strengths are the fusion itself, Chance's charisma and gratitude-soaked writing, and the astonishingly deft handling of a star-heavy guest list (Kanye West, 2 Chainz, Lil Wayne, Justin Bieber, Future, Young Thug, Jay Electronica, T-Pain, and gospel icon Kirk Franklin among them) — every one of them is slotted in to serve the song, not the other way around. The celebration is grounded, not weightless: the joy is built against the backdrop of his home city's violence, and its portrait of Chicago gives the uplift real stakes.
The album is deliberately, often literally religious — full of testimonies, prayers, choirs, and direct praise of God — and that's both its defining triumph and its most common point of friction. Even many admirers called it uneven: a roller-rink nostalgia jam and a club parody drew "corny" verdicts from critics who otherwise raved, a couple of rough production edges (most notably the murky mixing on an otherwise great opener) were singled out, and a handful of dissenters found the record a "stepping stone" rather than a peak. There was also a pointed irony some reviewers flagged: an album preaching artistic freedom arrived as an Apple Music exclusive.
Critics largely agreed on the core achievement — a secular artist making faith feel inclusive rather than exclusionary, an atheist-friendly celebration of gratitude — but split on how well the earnestness sustains across fourteen tracks, and on whether it tops the druggy, brilliant Acid Rap it followed. Whatever the reservations, the consensus verdict was resounding: a landmark, occasionally flawed, overwhelmingly joyful record that sat near the top of nearly every year-end best-of list and made history as the first streaming-only Grammy winner.
Who it's for
Listeners who want hip-hop that's celebratory, communal, and affirming — gospel choirs, fatherhood, gratitude, and hometown pride. Fans of faith-inflected rap (Kanye's "Jesus Walks," the "Ultralight Beam" ethos), people who loved Chance's earlier mixtapes, and anyone after an uplifting, summer-ready record with real emotional weight. Also a great entry point for listeners who find mainstream rap's toughness off-putting — this is hip-hop that hugs you.
Who it's not for
Listeners who bounce off overt religious content in secular music, fans of Acid Rap's edgier, drug-soaked, skeptical persona who wanted more of that, anyone expecting hard-edged street rap or confrontational energy, and people who find relentless earnestness cloying. The album's positivity is the point — if that's not your wavelength, the middle stretch will drag. — Mild strong language (a few profanities, mostly in guests' verses) · References to gun violence in Chicago (discussed in memory and social commentary, never depicted or glorified) · Mild substance-use references (drinking, a "smoke break") — notably cleaner than his earlier work
Birds of a feather...
- MusicI Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967)
Gospel-trained vocals and a testifying delivery give secular love songs the sacred weight of a church service, just as Coloring Book makes every boast a hallelujah. Both are rooted in African American gospel tradition and radiate raw, empowering sincerity.
80% - Music3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
Both treat joy and positivity as radical alternatives to hip-hop aggression, using playful, inclusive, and eclectic sounds to celebrate individuality and community. While Coloring Book builds on gospel, 3 Feet High builds on daisy-age peace, but both reward listeners who want warmth and uplift.
75% - MusicSnowdrop (2026)
Uses a ten-piece orchestra and eight-voice choir to make grief communal and wordless, refusing to let the band's lines stand alone -- exactly the way Coloring Book treats the choir as a load-bearing wall. The uplifting, major-key swells also mirror Coloring Book's gratitude-led joy, though Snowdrop is instrumental.
70% - MusicAt Folsom Prison (1968)
Like Coloring Book, it's a communal, spiritual document that moves from testimony to redemption to faith, turning a live audience into a congregation. Both use gospel elements and empathy for the marginalized to make joy and hope feel earned.
70% - MusicLivin In The USA (2026)
Both make joy and communal release a form of resistance against grim circumstances -- Coloring Book against gun violence, this album against political threats -- through celebratory, danceable arrangements rather than dirges. The live, unpolished ethos also echoes Coloring Book's indie, human immediacy.
60% - MusicThen Again (2026)
Both are built on gratitude and acceptance rather than drama, with Then Again reflecting on mortality and continuity in a warm, unhurried way. The spiritual undertone and lack of melodrama echo Coloring Book's perseverance-through-joy, though the genres differ.
60% - MusicAlone Together (2026)
Centers on chosen community and 'strength through love' as a response to grief and a harsh world, paralleling Coloring Book's collective praise as survival. The hardcore delivery is more aggressive, but the emotional core of solidarity and tenderness links them.
55% - MusicSo Help Me God (2026)
Both are recovery arcs framed with gospel-adjacent language and a personal, non-dogmatic relationship to faith. The collaboration-heavy production (choirs, horns, multiple voices) mirrors Coloring Book's communal musicality, though the mood swings toward reckoning rather than praise.
55% - MusicShallow Hits (2026)
Sacralizes secular sounds by layering church-style choirs over club rhythms, a structural move close to Coloring Book's gospel-rap fusion. The album also pairs maximalist joy with existential dread, making its gratitude harder-won than Coloring Book's, but the choral devotion is a real link.
55% - MusicDoctrine of Love (2026)
Treats love as a near-religious discipline with warmth and devotional language, similar to Coloring Book's undogmatic but sincere spiritual framing. Both use gospel/soul rooted delivery and appeal to listeners who want music that feels like a comforting, communal ritual.
55%