Chance The Rapper is well known for his acts of charity in his hometown of Chicago, but what if he did you a personal favor by giving you a ride to work? That’s exactly what he did for a few lucky Lyft users recently as the latest partner of the ridesharing service’s Round Up & Donate feature, which allows passengers to round up their ride fare and donate it to a cause of their choice.
Chance himself added his own fund to the service’s list of options called The New Chance Fund. It ensures arts enrichment education for Chicago schools in need, something that Chance feels very strongly about as an alumnus of the YouMedia open mic nights — which he’s continued through his SocialWorks group — that honed his rap skills, along with other well known participants, like Vic Mensa, Saba, and Noname.
The outspoken Chi-town rapper has embraced activism as a huge part of his platform, but what’s been even more impressive is how he’s done so by remaining completely independent and reshaping industry rules on the fly to accommodate his unusual way of doing things. Not only did the Grammys change the award rules to allow his innovative Coloring Book album to be considered, but his groundbreaking deal with Apple Music set a new precedent for indie rappers to break into the game without signing away their rights to major labels.
“Together, Lyft and I have been giving back with Round Up & Donate for SocialWorks’ New Chance Fund,” Chance said of the partnership. “Now, we’re having some fun in my hometown, Chicago, as I go undercover as a Lyft driver. I hope this video encourages even more folks to give back just by taking a Lyft.”
