Chance The Rapper is in mourning following the loss of his aunt, who he considered his favorite person in the world.
Taking to Instagram on Sunday (September 15), Chance revealed his Aunt Carolyn passed on the same day his youngest daughter, Marli, turned five. The service landed weeks later on the same day his oldest daughter, Kensli, was celebrating her ninth birthday. In his post, Chance shared a carousel of moments from both celebrations, as well as moments with his beloved aunt.
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“I am in deep and profound loss,” he began. “My favorite person in the world, my Auntie Carolyn passed away on August 29th, which was also the day my youngest turned 5 years old. As you’d imagine I dealt with the hard task of masking my emotions to give the best birthday party I could. Yesterday was Auntys service and it so happened to fall on the same day as my oldest daughters birthday party.
“I didn’t bring my children to the funeral because they’re young, unfamiliar with funerals and I didn’t want them to see me so broken and and full of tears in a day that was meant to be celebratory. But I really wish I had. I want them and everyone else to know what lineage I come from. Never in all my days of attending my childhood church have i ever seen so many people. 3 parking lots full and cars illegally lined up and down halsted all to see CJ. She was their aunty too.
“Carolyn Jenkins was a warrior for the youth, an advocate to all those left behind. Since I was young I watched her run (an illegal) daycare out of her house, legally adopt children from her block in need of guidance, and even take in adults who were sick, in need of a job or fresh out of jail. Complete strangers became her family and by extension a member of my family. I have so many cousins because of Auntie.
“This was the woman who built Kids of the Kingdom vacation bible school for over 30 years and tasked me with reviving it and adding other church campuses. She fought schools and teachers and even parents, anyone who mistreated or talked down in children was stopped in their track by Sister Carolyn. Everything you ever seen me do as a supporter or advocate of the youth was influenced by her and in tribute to her. She showed me and every niece and nephew she had blood or not that we were special and belonged to her.
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He concluded: “I am in grief. Deep grief. I once heard that grief is love with nowhere to go. But aunty showed me where my love should go. And I will continue to love on my children and all Gods children in her legacy. And these tears will be in joy because I know the Lord told her JOB WELL DONE MY GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT.”
The news arrives as Chance The Rapper is preparing his new album Star Line – though he recently threatened to delay it due to the way that fans are talking about the project.
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In a video posted on Instagram last month, the Chicago rapper laid out his issues with his followers referring to his upcoming project as “the album” and not its official title when interacting with him on social media.
“Alright, so this was the main point I was trying to make: stop calling it ‘the album,’” he said while riding on his tour bus. “And I don’t mean that in an ungrateful way. I’m grateful that people are putting in my comments, ‘Drop the album.’
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“I’m not finna drop the album until y’all start calling it Star Line. I’m not gonna drop the project, I’m not gonna do these installations — I got so much shit ready. But I hope that y’all understand that.”
Chance continued: “‘Drop the album’ — that’s for all the other artists, for everybody else whose work I also appreciate. But what I’m doing is something different. It’s something very specific. It’s called Star Line.
“So if y’all gonna press me for the project, don’t put ‘drop the album’ in my comments ’cause it makes me feel like y’all don’t know what’s going on. I’ve been saying one specific phrase for like two, three years now. I’ve been saying Star Line.”
Star Line appears close to release as Chance has been hosting multi-sensory listening events for the album, which will be his first-full length offering since his polarizing 2019 debut album The Big Day.
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The Grammy-winner has been teasing Star Line for a while, sharing a video earlier this year that hinted at features from the likes of Lil Wayne, Lil Yachty, Jermaine Dupri, T-Pain, Jazze Pha and Vic Mensa.
