High school suspensions always have a “Think about what you’ve done” subtext, even if nobody says it out loud. Slapped with a ten-day suspension, high school senior Chancelor Bennett, aka Chance the Rapper, took the opportunity to reflect upon more than his rebellious impulses—his education, his love of weed, his compassionate mother—and then channel those thoughts into rhymes. Bennett wound up with a concept album inspired by and named after his period in exile: #10Day. It’s a thoughtful, endearing, and enjoyable collection, and it’s helped make him one of the most exciting new faces in the city’s burgeoning hip-hop scene. Given how much he accomplished in his “14,400 Minutes” as an outcast, I’m eager to see what he can do with the career that’s now stretched out in front of him.

Twitter: @imLeor