Chance The Rapper "3" Hat, What Does It Mean?

Chicago native Chance The Rapper’s rise to stardom began in 2012 with his first mixtape, 10 Day. A year later, he dropped Acid Rap, a mixtape that led to his popularity in the mainstream. This was due to Chance’s whimsical, lyrical style, his ability to rap about a myriad of topics, and his distinctive voice. Additionally, Chance the Rapper has also created a distinctive look for himself. He has become synonymous with his “3” hat. It is a rare occurrence for artists to become so identifiable by a single article of clothing, yet Chance’s “3” hat is perhaps as well known as the rapper himself. Let’s discover why the “3” hat is so significant to the Chicago icon.

In an interview with GQ in 2016, Chance noted that he has always loved wearing baseball caps. The hats were a form of rebellion for him in his formative days. Chance stated, “I used to always rock a cap when I was in high school and get them taken away. It was an excessive amount. Like, so often that at the end of each school year, there would be a box of all the confiscated caps. After they gave back a few caps to other kids, they would just give me the box because the rest were all my hats. So I think, in one part, it’s a rebellion.” The Windy City native’s rebellious nature has been at the forefront of his creative motivation. The title 10 Day was about a ten-day suspension Chance served for possessing marijuana on his high school campus.

Before the “3” hat, Chance often repped his hometown baseball team by wearing a White Sox hat. He even released a few of his redesigns in 2016. However, with the release of his third mixtape, Coloring Book, the rapper decided to put his own signature symbol on a baseball cap, which led to the creation of the “3” hat.

Chance the Rapper explained the significance of the “3” hat in the same interview with GQ. When discussing the hat’s meaning, the Chicago rapper stated, “I wanted to put something else on the hat. And so I decided to do 3. I just thought that that made the most sense because it was the third project. Also, I was having a lot of trouble figuring out what the title of the project was going to be and what typography to put the title in. The original title for the project was, uh, The Magnificent Coloring Book. But that’s just so many words, and it looks so shitty, no matter how I put it on the hat.”

Coloring Book was also released three years after Acid Rap and the mixtape propelled the rapper into the upper echelon of Hip-Hop. Iconic artists such as Kanye West, Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Jeremih, Future, Young Thug, Justin Bieber, Lil Yachty, T-Pain, and Jay Electronica were featured on the project. Since designing and wearing the hat, Chance the Rapper has also found multiple meanings for the number three. He stated, “I’ve rationalized it to myself that it stands for the third mixtape, the Holy Trinity, and the three-pronged family of myself, my daughter, and my girl.” Chance's fourth project The Big Day's main topic was the rapper’s family, and much of his music contains religious connotations.

Chance has also turned quite a profit from the “3” hats. In a 2018 interview on The Joe Budden Podcast, the Chicago rapper stated that he had already made $6 million off the hats after only one year. They are for sale on Chance the Rapper’s website for $45; yet, Chance mentioned that they only cost $3 to produce, proving that sometimes, simplicity sells. This has also led to the production of a number of knockoffs, as the variations of the hat are available on numerous websites. The “3” hat is now a cultural phenomenon that has transcended the original meaning of its creation, and possibly, Chance the Rapper himself.

The hat also seems to be a good luck charm for Chance the Rapper, as he wore the hat to the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in 2017. He won three Grammys: Best New Artist, Best Rap Album (for Coloring Book), and Best Rap Performance (for “No Problems”). Chance’s winning three Grammys could also add another meaning to the hat for the rapper and fans alike.

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