Chance the Rapper made his “Ellen” debut Thursday and he brought some special guests along with him.
Chance, Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz performed their hit song “No Problems” off Chance's latest mixtape “Coloring Book” while the trio destroyed a mock set made to look like a record label office.
Chance tweeted Thursday that the stage design and performance was something he “pitched to a few Award & Tv shows.”
“They all said no so THANKS ELLEN LOVE YOU,” he wrote.
While the performance itself was already notable, Pitchfork pointed out that Lil Wayne even changed a couple of lyrics in his verse.
“And if that label try to stop me, I’m gonna let them rob me, yeah, right, like Ryan Lochte,” he says.
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The song and set were a segue for what Chance, whose real name is Chancelor Bennett, would ultimately discuss with Ellen DeGeneres later on the show.
“It’s amazing, you’re 23, you’re one of the hottest rappers and you could sign anywhere you want and you’re saying, 'No I’m not going to sign,'” Ellen said during the interview. “Tell everyone why that is.”
Chance said the answer is that he wants to “be an example for all young artists that are becoming artists every day and working on their craft and trying to help them avoid the pitfalls of the upper management in music and the non-music side of music.”
“When it’s in your hands you're just self-motivated and have all the tools that are there. I just want people to avoid the convo,” he said.
He added that the only profit he makes from his music is through merchandise and touring.
“Merchandise and touring has been the thing that has kept me and my girl and my daughter afloat,” he said.
Ellen added that she invited the 23-year-old Chicago rapper to be a guest on her show after she met him at President Barack Obama's birthday.
"We saw each other at the president’s birthday party and I walked up to Chance and I was like, 'You’ve got to be on the show,'" she said. "You’ve got to be on the show and I’m so thrilled because I’m just a fan and you’re amazing."
Chance then revealed that he was "drunk" at the party and couldn't remember if Ellen had actually said that to him.
"I couldn’t remember if when you said that to me I was telling stories like 'Yeah man Ellen said she was gonna have me on the show' and I’m like did she say that?" he said.
The full episode airs at 3 p.m. CT Thursday on NBC.
