If there was a Venn diagram representing ‘fans of Chance the Rapper’ and ‘fans of Alec Baldwin’ I suspect there would almost be perfect overlap of the two circles. The former has always been on the more intellectual side of hip-hop, and the latter has always been on the more urbane side of celebrity. Both have large cult followings.
So naturally an instragram video of Alec Baldwin rapping over a beat provided by Chance The Rapper has greater viral potential than a packet of Nana’s Frozen Berries.
Chance explains that Baldwin is a long-time patron of YCA, the Young Chicago Authors. The YCA is an organisation aimed at helping urban youth develop as artists and individuals through writing, publication, and performance. Chance credits the YCA with his own artistic development.
There is a principle of social science that states that the older, and whiter a man is – the funnier it is to see him freestyle rap. Generally, this rule is without exception. But Baldwin keeps it classy. Instead of out-dated slang and hand gestures that would be offensive to all involved, Baldwin is right at home with the poetry of Carl Sandburg. But Baldwin has so much cred from years of commitment to the arts in underprivileged communities that a video of him dunking on Kobe might still be tasteful.
Baldwin is a philanthropist, liberal and general sicko who has enjoyed a brief but dazzling fling with hip hop. He is the subject of an amazing Yeezy lyric – “got caught with 30 rocks, the cop looked like Alec Baldwin.” And Jack Donaghey even employed Ghostface Killah as a spokesman for his wine label, which he hoped to turn into “the next Cristal.”