Chance The Rapper solidified his lifetime membership in the Beyhive during his commencement speech at Dillard University. While speaking to the college graduates on Saturday (May 12), Lil Chano declared that Beyoncé’s acclaimed set at Coachella 2018 had surpassed all of Michael Jackson’s legendary performances.
“Beyoncé’s performance was better than any performance Michael Jackson ever did,” he said, recognizing some people wouldn’t like his opinion. “That woman, better than Mike. Black woman, better than Mike. I said it! I understand that’s upsetting to a few people here, probably … We have to erase the fear and stigma behind eclipsing our heroes.”
Before he made the bold statement, Chance recounted his adoration for Jackson. He then spoke glowingly about the Coachella performance.
“Generations of little black kids have been mesmerized before the TV screen or YouTube, watching as Mike seemed to do the impossible. One of those little black kids would grow up to be someone especially amazing,” he said. “She would do more than just copy Mike. She would surpass him. And now, I’m going to tell you about the greatest performance put on by the greatest performer of all time, and it wasn’t Mike.”
He continued, “Beyoncé … in real time, in one fell swoop, she eclipsed every Grammy performance, every Super Bowl halftime show, every talent show. Literally, any performance from the beginning of time, in contrast, became outdated and obsolete. This was Coachella.”
Chance’s take was part of a larger point about how the next generation should always strive to be better than the one that came before it.
“I realized that all of us have a responsibility to be greater than the people who came before us,” he said. “We have a responsibility to be not as good as them or live up to their example, but to actually surpass them, even when it seems scary. We have to overcome that fear and be greater than our role models. We have to erase the fear and stigma behind eclipsing our heroes.”
To this point, Beyoncé’s show was an eye-opening moment for Chance.
“With that performance, I realized that greatness can never be stagnant,” he noted. “To quote Bruce Lee, we must be like water, adapting to our container, always changing with the times. And that means being better than the people that came before us. Some people might find this type of talk disrespectful, but it’s exactly the opposite.”
He added, “The highest form of respect that we can pay to the people who came before us, the people who sacrificed for us and gave us everything, is to be better than them … Our parents, grandparents, ancestors sacrificed, not so that we can keep doing the same thing that they were doing but so that we can be better. To simply copy them would be almost an insult to their sacrifice.”
Watch the entire speech above.
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Chance is out of his fucking mind. “Beychella” was better than any MJ performance? Lay off the coco, frog face.
This is what happens when you give out honorary degrees. Beyoncé is talented, but nowhere near the level of Michael Jackson. Smh…young folk these days…
Chance, I like you but you sound stupid to say she is better than MJ. Just because she had a million people on stage with her does not make her the best. Also, we have no problem letting people surpass our heros but when we do it, it will be EARNED.
He’s allowed to say that. He knows her and he’s experiencing her greatness first hand. It’s not history it’s a matter of opinion. I don’t agree but I also think she is second of all time
I’d say if he’s seen a MJ preformance then he’s allowed to say that. Otherwise he’s just talking out his ass. How can you compare if you havnt witnessed both. That’s like saying captain crunch is better than coco puffs. But I never tasted coco puffs.
He didn’t experience her greatness. He like so many others were fooled by Beyonce’s mastery of not singing live but using prerecorded vocals and pretending to be singing live just like at Obama’s inauguration. Do you think Chance would have said this if he knew that virtually all songs at Beyonce’s supposedly greatest performance was lipsynced?
Michael Jackson was truly a Super Star the King of Pop during his reign other artist would not drop their album when his dropped because he dominated look at his concerts over seas grown men falling out Mike wasn’t lip synching either like todays artist the artist who came before had real talent ,Bey is ok for today but she doesn’t stack up to Mike in the performance or showmanship Mike videos came out on prime time television stations like CBS or ABC ,NBC album number 1 all over the world ,Chance the rapper you are D minus rapper and not even in nobody’s top 10 save that lame comparison stuff for some teenagers who don’t know no better
Chance is using the Smooth Criminal and Bey to throw a subliminal at Ye…I see what you did right there.
Damn just when I thought Chance had some intelligents. MJ has be platinum since the age of 5. FYI no one has ever topped Thriller. And he could sing and dance. Jay must have slip Chance some money to say this bold lie.
“Intelligents”
The irony hurts.
Has he been to a mj concert ??? To compare or is he just yapping
Wasn’t he still in diapers when MJ was touring? What does he know? SMH
I can’t stand this dick riding clown.
Who’s that? Some delusional twat? Sorry, you are deeply confused and what you say is absurd. I have no idea who are you but I DO know who Michael Joseph Jackson was – the Greatest Performer Who Ever Lived, the King of Pop, Rock and Soul, The Lord of the DANCE and the Greatest Humanitarian among the so-called superstars. He had more class and talent in his little toe than 1 000 000 of your clones in their whole body… Duh! Back off. So fed up with superficial, mediocre wannabe ‘celebrities’.
Beyonce isn’t even a better performer Tina Turner. FOH, Chance.
Beyone doesnt write, play any instrument, brings concepts by herself of have any vocal range, She is basically a booty shaking bitch pushed by the machinery of hellywood
lay off the acid Chance
No wonder he calls himself chance,I guess it’s by chance that he had to say such words…in which life will Beyonce ever surpass MJ?Mr Chance are you ok?
Did anyone else read the rest of his speech or only up until he compared Beyonce to Michael Jackson?. He said that we MUST be better than the people before us because the people before us didn’t sacrifice their lives for us to be mediocre. The fact that was lost in translation for EVERYONE in the comments is the exact reason why we are still exactly where we are today. DO BETTER FOR YOURSELVES. read to learn not to engage in debates.
If that’s what he really wanted to say, then he should’ve said just that without the whole Beyonce’s better than MJ crap. But I get it, say some attention grabbing shit to get your name in the headlines. Seems to be the norm today.
But that is the point… these young people are living in a real world not some entertainment fantasy he is trying to be in. He could have used someone such Harriet Tubman whose work actually attributed to greatness …singing a damn song is not technically making yourself better..that is entertainment…he also used LeBron and Jordan. He could have used someone out of entertainment…half of these fools got stacks of loans to pay back they dont want to be entertained with Beyonce and MJ BULLSHYT on the day of commencement…that is what these gossip boards are for… useless talk…I bet this will be his last commencement too… this whole key note was self entitled to promote HIM and HIS friends not those he spoke too. which is WACK!
And he name a mediocre lipsyncing performer singing about “hot souce in her bag” as someone who surpassed the guy who made people faint with his incomparable dancing and live singing? Seriously.
Beyonce is a Michael Jackson disciple. Who is Chance better than since he is into comparisons.
Most overrated rapper currently living.
Beyonce can’t even dance better than Ciara when you take away the 100 other people. MJ performances were about him performing. Her performances are about the whole stage show everything those hundreds of thousands of dollars can buy as window dressing. Take away her backup dancers and nothing impressive to see.
Chance the rapper put it out in open compares the artist todays didn’t do anything back then Michael Jackson did alot when young a platinum artists come to Compre focus on the past status cause Michael Jackson futures now is in that generations to come now that past on his past now listen to music the youth I mean younger generation to come
as for as a entertainer she has not pass Janet….or Chris Brown…I don’t know what cHance is smoking……MJ cant be touch..beyonce????
what do she do …Tina Turner move better than her at age 80 and she was-not a great entertainer.
Nawll bruh
First of all fuck Chance. Michael is the platinum standard when it comes to performance (This Is It) ask around no one has yet surpassed his level. Second we are talking about MJ the guy who would beat box/hum a whole hit record in minutes and whose music made sense from Billy jean all the way to the Earth song he tackled everything! AYO Fuc this lame ass new rappers and their trollmatic dick riding
okay kanye the rapper. Just because Beyonce chimed in on ur lil interveiw and touch your shoulder don’t mean to gas her. calm tf down
Don’t have to shit on MJ to big Beyonce up, damn.
Beyoncé never made anything else groundbreaking as thriller ever and I don’t think it’s gonna happen
Says the one hit wonder who is propped up by …. You know who…
Why do we have to shit on someone else to prove how good something else is? Cant they both be great? Its the mentality of today. Like both black artists cannot be great?
Like the same mentality of people today feeling the urge to mention skincolor to make an argument that has nothing to do with skincolor
This dude wasn’t even born during MJ’s prime so he can’t even speak on it.
See this is one of the reasons why I don’t support this fool. Why did he feel a need to tear down Mike to boost up Beyoncé. Beyoncé has a few things working in her favor to put on such a performance. Great as it was, it will never eclipse any of the groundbreaking performances Mike did. Mike’s Performances were about him, not about how many people you could get to dance the same way for a number of minutes. Beyoncé’s performance was great and it should be left to that. I think someone is attempting damage control. When was his last hit?
that’s why I cant stand this fucking cornball. I don’t care how many people she got to dance unison on stage to her ratchet ass songs. she will NEVER eclipse Mike in any form or fashion artistically. maybe record sales but that has nothing to do with how you should rate an artist.
Michael Jackson is an OVERRATED artist and entertainer. There are so many artists who are better than him
Like who?
You really sound dumb. You are either young or retarded or both
I have to believe that you just dont know his work well enough. Michael Jackson is by far the greatest entertainer of all time.
How do you overrate it when he is the only performer in history who could sing live and dance so well for full concerts that he could sell out stadiums all over the world? Name any artist who could do that. And I mean sing live from start to finish or at least 90 percent and sell at least 4.4 million tickets. Go watch Man in the mirror on YouTube, tell me how you overrate that.
Actually he is ridiculously underrated as a songwriter and vocalist because most people focus on his incredible dancing, fashion, videos and performances. But the guy was a brilliant composer who wrote most of his classic songs, songs which to this day are selling. Look at Billboard 200 it has two Jackson albums right now. 30+ years after those songs were released! His music is timeless. Unlike Beyonce’s
Actually he is underrated as a songwriter and vocalist because most people focus on his incredible dancing, fashion, videos and performances. But the guy was a brilliant composer who wrote most of his classic songs, songs which to this day are selling. Look at Billboard 200 it has two Jackson albums right now. 30+ years after those songs were released! His music is timeless. Unlike Beyonce’s
lol damn..why all the chance hate though– why can’t someone state their opinion without getting shitted on? #Y’allSheep
I think you need to learn the meaning of sheep. Just like he had his opinion they have theirs. Simple.
lol it’s called mob mentality..I wasn’t referring to the opinion– reference was to the unrelated hate…learn context and stay blessed.
All I know is when Mike hit the Moonwalk for the first time in one of his performances the WHOLE WORLD lost their collective minds. I’m still waiting on that moment from Beyoncé. Albums about industry dudes cheating on her that other people wrote is not reaching the mark.
Chance the Rapper must be out of his mind. Beyonce’s good for what she does but she will never be better than Michael Jackson. So funny this came up now. I was just watching a concert on dvd that he did in Bucharest in 1992. The man was flawless. Why judge one black performance against the other? They’re both great in their own way. By the way, when did you give a mind blowing experience on stage Chance. Just asking??
I have the DVD tooo bro. Its one of MJ’s best TOURS! Just the whole entrance when he stands on the stage & dosen’t move at all is better than Beys performance at Coachella.
Problem with this statement is that Beyonce has technology on her side. If you were to strip away the background, dancers, etc, Michael would blow her away with vocals, dancing, passion, precence just by himself. No comparison. Michael Jackson was, is, and will always be the greatest performer ever. Put Michael with the same technology as she has the advantage of having, put them on different stages. People would be flocking to Michael, with or without the background, effects, or flares. People are ignorant to think other wise.
Michael in his day and age had the best technology with him. He was way ahead of his time. Technology is much better now but saying that bey is better than MJ is flat out nonsense.
Ain’t he Trump’s lil’ homey? I get what dude was TRYIN’ to say…strive to be BETTER than those who came before you, I get it. And that’s a positive message for the youth today…but to pit Bey against Mike though?! He trippin’, son…word up. Mike was an ICON. By his talent, personality, & humanity alone. Bey’s Coachella joint was aight…but just because you hire 800 people to dance with you don’t make you doper than Mike. Y’all remember when Hammer said the SAME thing back in the day?? He was probably the FIRST Hip-Hop/R&B artist to have more like 5 or 6 dancers on stage & he thought that meant that HE was better than Mike. Just “Thriller” ALONE sold more than Bey’s whole career, son!! That even includes her Destiny’s Child sales!! His performances for presidents, kings & queens, & royalty in multiple countries mean nothing in comparison to Bey at Coachella? Not to mention his stadium sellouts, humanitarian contributions, & worldwide unconditional love pales in comparison to “Lemonade” & some twins?? C’mon, son…you whylin’.
GTFOH chance.. Beyonce is an ok singer, a great live performer and dancer, but she’s no Mike.
Yo, Chance… Bro… Come-on…. Come-on… MJ had dance moves and talent flowing from him like no one else. He didn’t have the internet so drop singles, sell records, and gain publicity. All of his publicity was strictly people wanting him for shit. The guy inspired and shape music and music videos. If you want to see a great performance, check out Queen’s set from Live Aid ’85. It’s one of the greatest performances ever recorded.
Bro he said overcomming “fear and stigma” like saying Beyonce is better than MJ is a heroic act on his part. He’s the one who needs to overcome the mentality of comparing black artists. Nobody asked his ass to compare Beyonce’s performance to MJ.
Beyawnce isn’t even better than Janet, let alone Michael. Fuck outta here with that bullshit.
What is this fagot talking about? These guys make a little money and get a small platform to speak and now they are geniuses. Little Fag give me a break. Better than Michael Jackson! Are you fuckiing kidding me? Really! I do not even know his music or who this nukka is! Let alone his worthless voice or opinion. Get the F out of here you little punk!
Know there was a reason I hated this guy, Matter of fact, never come across anyone who thinks this guy is any good. Mumu Boy
What a joke. 80 percent of Beyonce’s performance at Coachella was lipsynced to prerecorded vocals. She can’t sing and dance at the same time but she is somehow the greatest performer? Chance should watch the first leg of the Bad tour. 100 percent live singing and prefect dancing. That’s what the greatest performer can do. Beyonce has been lipsyncing through her dance songs for two decades.
Let the record sales comparison be the ultimate judge of that.
sales???????? lmaooooooooo
I mean looking at the comments the mentality that Chance talks about keeps coming up. Yeah we should still acknowledge musicians like Michael Jackson as being legends but that shouldn’t stop us from discussing modern artists who are just as talented and game-changing if not more so. To simply dismiss any kinda debate or argument that someone has reached or surpassed the musicians of the past is just dumb.
Except Beyonce is not as talented and certainly not as game changing as MJ was. We dismiss Chance’s absurd claim because the facts don’t support his BS. MJ was a musical genius, one of the greatest dancers that ever lived, the biggest megastar that ever lived who still hold the record for the first and second biggest solo tours and someone who was already an amazing performer when he was 8 years old! NINE! How do you beat that with Beyonce’s constant lipsyncing songs about sex and her constant twerking? Without all those backup dancers nobody would even considere Beychella anything special. She lipsynced through the whole thing like she always does. Go watch MJ’s Bad tour, that’s how the real greatest performer of all time sings and dances and drives the audience nuts.
See I agree with you that Beyonce probably isn’t the contemporary musician to compare to MJ, though talking about Beyonce twerking and songs about sex could be compared to MJ also doing tracks about sex and the constant crotch grabbing. However while I disagree with who Chance suggests, I still think there is a valid point in what he says, like yes MJ is fucking incredible but there shouldn’t automatically be mass backlash when someone suggests that a modern artist is equal or surpasses one of the historical greats. The examples I’d give would be Childish Gambino and Janelle Monae. I think in discussion like this record sales should take a back seat to the impact that the individual and their music brings. Chance is right, we should be able to challenge the legacy of some of the greats, just because of how phenomenal MJ was in his era doesn’t mean that another artist hasn’t already or won’t surpass that legacy.
There is a difference between challenging and shittin on someone saying “Better Than Any..” is not challenging but being disrespectful and that is why he’s gettin backlash because he isn’t even a remarkable performer. You don’t hear other greats making such ludicrous claims do you. Its always the no talent mediocre butt kissing trolls that do (Kanye)
See I agree with you that Beyonce probably isn’t the contemporary musician to compare to MJ, though talking about Beyonce twerking and songs about sex could be compared to MJ also doing tracks about sex and the constant crotch grabbing. However while I disagree with who Chance suggests, I still think there is a valid point in what he says, like yes MJ is fucking incredible but there shouldn’t automatically be mass backlash when someone suggests that a modern artist is equal or surpasses one of the historical greats. The examples I’d give would be Childish Gambino and Janelle Monae, Both of whom I’d place as contemporaries to either MJ or Prince. I think in discussion like this record sales should take a back seat to the impact that the individual and their music brings. Chance is right, we should be able to challenge the legacy of some of the greats, just because of how phenomenal MJ was in his era doesn’t mean that another artist hasn’t already or won’t surpass that legacy.
How is Beyonce as “game-changing” as MJ? There is no “mentality” when it’s people like Chance who quickly decide to compare Beyonce to MJ instead of just enjoying her performance for what it is. MJ singlehandly got MTV to start playing black music on television and was the first black artist to fully crossover into a white and global audience. He revolutionized the music video and he wrote and composed the majority of his hits. Beyonce needs a team of 20 writers, producers, and choreographers for every song. Everything about her is manufactured by a multi billion dollar music industry including her performances. You can go into a store in Vietnam and they’re playing MJ. Even his This is It tour in 2009 sold 1 million tickets in just a couple hours. Beyonce on the other hand gets outsold by Rhianna and Taylor Swift. Thriller alone has sold as much as Beyonce’s entire career and has had a bigger impact on music. The average person outside of a Beyonce fan can’t even name a Beyonce album.
The only artist that could give MJ a run for his money was Prince, whether live or on album.
Go away, white man.
The irony of the comparison of this boy’s speech was he disrespected Michael Jackson so as to elevate his beloved, Beyonce. There is something wrong with that especially glaring was coming from a boy who has not even matured as an artist, and black at that. A Fool he is. If he thinks his artist is so great, let her make/ create her lane and history will be the judged.
Hmm. I’m just now seeing this. I used to stream his music legally. No more.
He wasn’t even old enough to see Michael tour. He has no idea what he’s talking about. Jamie Foxx once stated that MJ made grown men faint at his shows. Let me go a step further and say that grown straight men with their wives would be crying during his performance, especially some of the songs that were about the human condition.
Chance is cool, but MJ’s work has not been eclipsed. He also mentioned Bey’s work surpassing Prince’s.
Man. This guy.