In a recent podcast, Chancelor Jonathan Bennett, better known as Chance the Rapper, shared that his wife’s personal decision to get baptized and become celibate until marriage saved his life.
Recently, the rapper appeared on Apple Music’s Beats 1 on Queen Radio, hosted by Nicki Minaj, to talk about his new music. In the interview, the Chicago native talked about his new album The Big Day and discussed his relationship with his wife, Kirsten Corley.
Chance opened up about the decision Corley made to get baptized and abstain from sex before marriage, and how it saved his life.
“I need you to hear one song on my album that has my best verse that I have written in my life,” he told Minaj. “It’s called ‘We Go High.’”
Chance and his wife Kirsten have been dating since 2013 and had a daughter in 2015 named Kensli. Kirsten’s decision to become celibate until marriage came well into their relationship, but according to Chance, it had a large impact on his life.
“I explain that my wife literally saved my life by becoming celibate and going and getting baptized,” he said.
Chance further detailed that his wife’s commitment to her faith made him wonder where his own strength came from.
“It changed her life, obviously. But we talking about me right now. It changed my life, for real. Now I know exactly where my strength comes from,” he stated.
The verse Chance was referencing from “We Go High,” is the following:
“My baby mama went celibate/ Lies on my breath, she say she couldn’t take the smell of it…/She took away sex, took me out of my element/I tried to do the single-dad mingle-dance,” Chance raps on “We Go High.”
“But He go high (We love you, God) /And we go high
They go low, we go … Higher, higher.”
Like many, what drew Chance so close to God was a period of time in which he and Kirsten were separated, following his Grammy-Award winning album Coloring Book.
“This is all after Coloring Book, after I proclaimed that I love Jesus, and all that stuff,” he shared with Minaj. “You’re never fully, fully sanctified, so I had to keep figuring it out. I had to do the Grammy’s by myself. I had to do a lot by myself. Then when my girl was gracious enough to have me back, it changed my whole life.”
The whole experience has centered Chance and showed him who the one person is that he should look to every single day: God.
“The other day I was lower than I ever been. I know the caricature of me is super positive. I was lower than I ever felt in my life, and I really had to get down on [my] knees and be like, ‘I know I can’t solve this problem by myself.’ So I’m here right now happier than I ever been.”
Chance and his wife are expecting their second child, and he said they are happier than ever.
In the interview, Minaj also applauded both Chance and fellow rapper, Kanye West for using their platforms to talk about their Christian faith. She also shared that Kanye recently told her he is a born-again Christian.
“Sometimes in the music business, we think that other artists don’t believe in God or aren’t spiritual as we are,” she explained. “Then when you find people – because I was just with Kanye, and he told me he’s a born-again Christian now.”
“Like, my first instinct was, ‘I’m so proud of you,’ because I could see there’s a peace that he has now that just surpasses everything,” she said. “And that’s what I find God gives you. And I love when I see men that are man enough to embrace God.”