[WATCH] Chance The Rapper Honors Black Revolutionaries In Powerful Black History Month Tribute

Chance The Rapper just released an alternate video for his single “YAH Know” as a celebration of Black revolutionaries who have been trailblazers in history.

The new video opens with a message that reads: “This Black History Month we want to celebrate some of the most important progress we have made as a People. This video highlights some revolutionaries and their revolutions.”

Chance’s project places the spotlight on prominent figures in Black history such as Sarah Elizabeth Ray, Kwame Nkrumah and Nandi Azikiwe alongside Marcus Garvey, Fred Hampton and Mohandas Ghandi.

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The video also offers fans the opportunity to unearth even more historical context by incorporating multiple clips from the PBS miniseries History of the Negro People: The New Mood, which first aired in 1965; the 1967 documentary Black Liberation; and The Warren Years: The Great Decisions, a film which examines the 1960s Supreme Court rulings brought on by the Civil Rights Movement.
The video also includes scenes from the Black Star Line Festival, which Chance The Rapper organized with Vic Mensa.
The two Chicago natives announced the Black Star Line Festival in July 2022, explaining that the event’s name was a tribute to pan-African activist Marcus Garvey’s shipping company.

“Founded in 1919, and operated by Black people, the [Black Star Line] would link America, the Caribbean and Africa, to global shipping and tourism opportunities,” a press release for the festival explained. “The Black Star Line was a symbol of pride, not only for Africans, but also for Black people in all ports of call. After nearly 40 years, the Ghanian government launched their fleet with the same name, in homage to Garvey, and even added a black star to the country’s new flag.”

In addition to the concert at Black Star Square on Friday night, the Black Star Line Festival included a week’s worth of special events and panels, including a fireside chat between Chance The Rapper and Dave Chappelle, who discussed bringing new attention and business to local comedy clubs and his dream of one day living in Ghana, inspired by a conversation with JAY-Z.
Watch the video below.