On a recent stop at the Bootleg Kev podcast, Chance the Rapper reflected on his bond with the late Mac Miller and revealed that Mac was the reason behind his trademark ad-lib.
Around the 21-minute mark, Chance was asked to share memories of Miller, who had taken him on tour early in his career. He recalled first meeting Mac when Vic Mensa opened for him in Chicago, but it was a studio session in L.A. that left the biggest mark.
“I’m so glad you brought up Mac,” Chance said. “I never get to tell this story. The way that my ad-lib, my ‘aghk,’ that came from a session where I was supposed to be with Chuck [Inglish]. Chuck brought me to the studio. I’m standing in the booth, this is like my first time in a real studio in LA… While I’m recording, Mac Miller came into the control room… I’m trying to like charge up, and I’m going, ‘Aghk, aghk, aghk!’ Like, I don’t know, [a] nervous tick. I got ADHD, I’m a special kid.”
He revealed that just as he was about to record, Miller stepped in. “Mac told somebody to tell me through the intercom to keep that shit at the beginning,” Chance recalled. “I don’t even know why I forget that, or why I never told that story. I thank Chuck for bringing me to the studio… And also, like, Mac for interjecting and being like, ‘That shit hot.'”
Chance’s revelation about how his signature ad-lib was born comes shortly after the release of his newest album, Star Line. The project, his long-anticipated second studio album, features guest spots from Lil Wayne, Young Thug, Vic Mensa, and more. It debuted at No. 22 on the US Billboard 200.
