Chance the Rapper is considering switching his stage name to just The Rapper.
The 33-year-old hip-hop star – whose real name is Chancelor Jonathan Bennett – has long been told to just be known as Chance, but now he’s decided he’d like to be known as The Rapper.
Speaking on Raven-Symoné and Miranda Maday’s Tea Time podcast, he said: “I’m gonna take off the Chance. I just wanna be The Rapper. It’s been something that I’ve been thinking about a lot. I just really love the art form. I really love words. I think the greatest rappers like myself are etymologists and linguists at heart, people that really just love language.”
Chance’s plan to switch up his name comes after another big music star, The Weeknd, recently revealed he decided not to retire his moniker.
The Blinding Lights hitmaker declared he is “not going anywhere” after abandoning plans to ditch his world-famous stage persona.
The Canadian singer, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, 36, had previously suggested Hurry Up Tomorrow could bring the curtain down on The Weeknd identity after a five-year creative period encompassing three albums, television, film and his sprawling After Hours Til Dawn stadium tour.
He told GQ Hong Kong: “I’m not stepping away from anything. I’m just hibernating.
“I’m not going anywhere. My fans know I’ve shed my skin multiple times throughout my career. I was telling one story from 2020 until now, and that story has reached its conclusion. But that’s only the 2020 story.”
A name change for Chance could give him the opportunity to wipe the slate clean and embark on a fresh chapter, after he won a long-running court fight with his former manager Pat Corcoran.
A Chicago jury rejected Corcoran’s multimillion-dollar commission claim in March, following a trial lasting more than two weeks.
The dispute began all the way back in 2020, when Corcoran claimed he was owed $3.8million in commissions following the end of their working relationship.
Corcoran argued he should have continued receiving money at a 15 per cent rate, along with additional payments through a three-year “sunset clause.” The jury found no grounds to support those demands.
Jurors also considered Chance’s countersuit, which accused Corcoran of failing in his duty as a manager by putting his own business interests first. They agreed with Chance’s position but issued only $35 in damages – nowhere near the $1million Chance requested.
Corcoran’s attorney Jay Scharkey responded to the verdict, telling Billboard: “We respect the jury’s decision, but the message to music managers is clear: Get it in writing. The jury award of $35 speaks to how seriously the jury viewed Chance’s case.”
During the trial, Corcoran’s team highlighted his involvement in Chance’s early career, including work around the Grammy winning Coloring Book era. Chance’s lawyers argued that problems emerged later, citing issues such as unfulfilled merchandise orders and claiming Corcoran shifted focus to other work. They also said the “sunset clause” was never part of any agreement until Corcoran raised it in his lawsuit.
Chance’s last studio album was 2025’s Star Line.
