Roots of Chance the Rapper

Francis and the Lights is an American music project created by Francis Farewell Starlite. The term "and the Lights" refers both to the lights on a stage and pixels on a computer screen. Francis Farewell Starlite is an American musician, record producer, singer, songwriter, and dancer. He is primarily a vocalist and pianist and is often credited by the Francis and the Lights name for his solo work. He is a frequent collaborator of artists and producers such as Kanye West, Justin Vernon, Cashmere Cat, Chance the Rapper, Nico Segal, Frank Ocean, and Banks.

Twin Peaks is an American indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 2010 and consists of Cadien Lake James, Clay Frankel, Jack Dolan, Colin Croom, and Connor Brodner (drums).

Christopher Smith Jr., better known by his stage name Smino, is an American rapper and singer. He is the founder of the musical collective Zero Fatigue with Bari, Monte Booker, Jay2, and Ravyn Lenae. He is one third of the supergroup Ghetto Sage, with Saba and Noname. Smino is signed to Downtown Records and Interscope.

Jayson Andrew "Mick" Jenkins is an American rapper based in Chicago and signed to Cinematic Music Group. His mixtape, The Waters, was released in 2014, followed by the Waves EP in 2015.

Jamila Abidemi Woods is an American singer, songwriter and poet based in Chicago, Illinois. Woods is a graduate of St. Ignatius College Prep and Brown University, where she received a BA in Africana Studies and Theater & Performance Studies. Her work focuses on themes of Black ancestry, Black feminism, and Black identity, with recurring emphases on self-love and the City of Chicago.

Pia Mia Perez is a Guamanian singer, actress, and author. She began her music career posting song covers on YouTube; after being discovered by Babyface, she moved to Los Angeles in 2010 at age 13 to pursue a music career. In 2013, she signed with Interscope Records and worked with producer Nic Nac on her debut extended play (EP), The Gift (2013), which included her viral cover of Drake's 2013 single, "Hold On, We're Going Home".

Jason Won Chung, better known as Nosaj Thing, is an American artist, record producer, and DJ based in Los Angeles, California. He has produced tracks for Kendrick Lamar, Chance the Rapper, Kid Cudi, Tinashe, Toro Y Moi, serpentwithfeet, Eartheater, Julianna Barwick, and is the founder of Timetable Records.

Bryan James Sledge, better known by his stage name BJ the Chicago Kid, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Chicago, Sledge is best known for frequently collaborating with Top Dawg Entertainment recording artists Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Kendrick Lamar, and Jay Rock. He has also worked with several other prominent rappers, such as Freddie Gibbs, Warren G, Nekfeu, Chance the Rapper, Big K.R.I.T., GLC, Kanye West, Anderson .Paak, and Joey Badass, among numerous others.

Lakeyah Danaee Robinson, known mononymously as Lakeyah, is an American rapper, singer, and television personality. Born and raised in Milwaukee, she began recording at the age of 15. At 18, she moved to Atlanta and was signed to Quality Control Music. She was part of the XXL magazine 2021 freshman class, as the first inductee to hail from Milwaukee.

Donald McKinley Glover Jr., also known by his musical stage name Childish Gambino, is an American actor, rapper, singer, comedian, and filmmaker. While he studied at New York University and after working in Derrick Comedy, a comedy group, Glover was hired by Tina Fey to write for the NBC sitcom 30 Rock at age 23. He gained fame for portraying college student Troy Barnes on the NBC sitcom Community from 2009 to 2014. He created the FX series Atlanta (2016–2022), which he starred in and occasionally directed. For his work on Atlanta, he won various accolades including two Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as two Golden Globe Awards.

Victor Kwesi Mensah, known professionally as Vic Mensa, is an American rapper and activist. Born and raised in Chicago, he was a member of the regional hip-hop groups Kids These Days and Savemoney prior to releasing his debut solo mixtape, Innanetape (2013). As a solo artist, Mensa has been signed to Virgin EMI Records, Def Jam Recordings, Capitol Records, and Roc Nation.

Anna Saba Lykke Oehlenschlæger, known simply by her birth name Saba, is an Ethiopian-Danish singer, musical theatre actress and model. She represented Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song "Sand".