Chance the Rapper

I’m not sure exactly what it means that Chance the Rapper wrote the only original song on Lil Wayne’s new mixtape, Dedication 5, which is otherwise full of recycled industry beats, but it seems significant. Last Wednesday, Wayne’s camp apparently reached out to Chance requesting he send a track over. So he hit the studio with Nate Fox, Peter Cottontale, and Cam to produce “You Song,” a sunny, nostalgic bit of romance that’s easily the most interesting moment on Wayne’s mixtape—the Dedication series is long past its expiration date. Chance raps sweet nothings into the ear of a girl who is “like Kool-Aid in a wine glass,” along the way dropping references to the Fresh Prince, Ruby Dee, and Pam Grier. It’s Chance doing what he does best: slippery, gleeful wordplay that sounds like he’s doing it just for the fun of it. Lil Wayne’s verse is as good as Lil Wayne verses get in 2013, though that’s a minor detail—the point of “You Song” is clearly to spotlight the rookie. Wayne may intend this move as an emphatic cosign, or he may just be latching on to Chance because he’s hot right now, but either way it’s a great look for the still-unsigned Chicagoan. It’s only a matter of time before Chancelor Bennett gets his A$AP Rocky money.