Chance the Rapper Reveals Big Misunderstanding on Set of ‘The Voice’

Heavy/NBC Chance The Rapper

When Chance The Rapper agreed to join the Season 23 cast of “The Voice,” he misunderstood what his role would be. The Grammy-winning artist revealed in a new radio interview that he thought he was going to be a celebrity judge like on other talent competitions, so he was shocked to realize his role was actually to be a coach and spend time advising the contestants on his team.

But happily, Chance said he wound up loving the opportunity to counsel and “jam” with the artists, including Sorelle, the trio of sisters on his team who placed fourth. He had so much fun, in fact, he’s hinted at wanting to return in the future.

Chance the Rapper Says Much of His Experience on ‘The Voice’ Was Unexpected

When Chance sat down with host Julia on the Audacy Check In on June 5, 2023, she asked him to name the most unexpected aspect of joining the cast of “The Voice.”

“Being honest, I didn’t know that you got to be with the artists like this,” he admitted. “Because I did a show before and, you know, it was amazing because there’s so much original music but you don’t (spend time with the contestants).”

In 2019, Chance was a judge on Netflix’s “Rhythm and Flow” alongside Cardi B. and Tip “T.I.” Harris, in which 30 aspiring and unsigned hip-hop artists competed for their votes, taking on challenges like starring in a music video, doing a rap battle, and collaborating with another artist, according to the Chicago Tribune. The judges didn’t typically work with the artists behind the scenes; they just judged their final products each week.

“In (‘The Voice’), they call them coaches as opposed to judges,” Chance said on the Audacy Check In. “You really are like, coaching these artists and working with them and finding out their inspirations and music they grew up listening to.”

“It’s like a real connection that you have, that was different,” he continued, sharing how much he liked the process. “So getting to work with them on, like, new pieces of music and, like, arranging songs and really just, like, getting to enjoy music, like having fun and jamming? It’s like a thing that I grew up doing!”

Chance also told Indianapolis news station WTHR that he never expected to be called to appear on “The Voice” in the first place nor that it would wind up being such a good time.

“It was pretty surreal. I didn’t expect it,” he said. “And once I started doing the show, I didn’t expect it (to) be so fun and so cool. Blake is hilarious, and Kelly’s always been cool. Niall is awesome.”

Will Chance the Rapper Return to ‘The Voice’?

NBC“The Voice” Season 23 coaches Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton, Niall Horan, Chance The Rapper

The coaching panel on Season 24 of “The Voice” won’t include Chance, given that his summer is booked full with projects, including a concert tour celebrating the 10th anniversary of his breakout mix tape “Acid Rap,” according to Consequence Sound.

Rather, the next season’s coaches on “The Voice” will be Reba McEntire, who’s taking over for longtime coach Blake Shelton, as well as past coaches Gwen Stefani and John Legend, plus Season 23 winning coach Niall Horan.

However, Entertainment Tonight reported that Chance said before the May 23 finale that he’d “love” to return in the future. And he also told WTHR that he’d like to invite some of his own friends in the music business to join him on the show, including Justin Bieber and Quavo, who co-founded the group Migos.

Meanwhile, when Julia at Audacy asked which song he’d choose if he had to audition for a show like “The Voice,” Chance laughed and suggested “The Thong Song” by Sisqo, adding, “You have to do something you know the words to, you know what I’m saying?”