The Big Day

A master lyricist, a musical omnivore, Chance and his family of producers and instrumentalists channel all the big emotions of the big day in a swirl of bliss, marital and otherwise.

Unlike other lengthy recent rap albums (*cough* Scorpion), The Big Day has enough ideas, sounds and flows to justify its vast breath. What's more: it finally gives us a glimpse at Chance's multitudes, letting us accompany him to the altar and the confessional, instead of restricting him to the pulpit.

It’s an introspective body of work, delivered by an extrospective figure who always has something to say about the state of the world we live in.

Occasional nearsighted lyrical perspectives and three or four excellent but inessential tracks keep The Big Day from quite reaching masterpiece status, but it's still the most grown up (and the most polished) rendering of Chance's eternally bright spirit in his catalog.

There’ll be some who listen to this debut album (whatever that term means any more) and hope for more invention and variation in his next steps, when the star’s til-death-do-us-part commitment to cheery, church-rap cutesiness begins to tire. For fans though, The Big Day will endure well past any seven-year itches.

Not quite a classic, it’s nonetheless a welcome statement from one of the decade’s most important hip-hop artists.

It’s inconsistent and far from the perfection Chance probably has in him, and which the world somewhat unfairly expected from a first album.

The Big Day is like attending a friend's wedding. It goes on way too long and you endure plenty of self-indulgence from the married couple. But you'll also dance and leave feeling happy.

The worst thing about most of these tracks ... is not simply that they underperform or fail to impress, it is that they contribute to the long, dragging end that unfortunately makes up a large chunk of this album.

At its best, the album perfectly incorporates the plight of the American Dream for an African American. It’s a theme not too often explored in hip hop nowadays. Thankfully, Chance is finally living that dream. And for the most part, it’s a wonderful thing to be a part of.

Chance’s sprawling, 77-minute “debut” is an exuberant and often wonderful celebration of love and family that struggles to bring depth to his newlywed dad-raps.

Even with all its bright spots ... The Big Day still doesn’t do all that much, especially in the shadow of classics like Acid Rap and Coloring Book. The Big Day is one neverending dad joke.

While the album definitely has some real high points, the whole endeavour may come off like a mixed bag depending on how much of a Chance fan you are.

There are strong highlights across the set, despite this, the failure to be concise forms part of the force's biggest downfalls.