Dionne Warwick questions Chance The Rapper’s name in amusing Twitter exchange
Dionne Warwick engaged in a friendly back and forth with Chance The Rapper on Twitter this weekend, after asking the Chicago MC about his stage name.
Last night (December 5), the legendary singer tweeted Chance about the redundancy of his rap alias.
“Hi, @chancetherapper,” Warwick wrote. “If you are very obviously a rapper why did you put it in your stage name? I cannot stop thinking about this.”
She followed it up with another tweet that said: “I am now Dionne the Singer,” before adding that ‘Holy’, Chance’s recent collaboration with Justin Bieber, is one of her current favourite songs.
Hi, @chancetherapper. If you are very obviously a rapper why did you put it in your stage name? I cannot stop thinking about this.
— Dionne Warwick (@_DionneWarwick) December 5, 2020
I am now Dionne the Singer.
— Dionne Warwick (@_DionneWarwick) December 5, 2020
“Holy” by Justin the Bieber @justinbieber and @chancetherapper is one of my favorite songs right now.
— Dionne Warwick (@_DionneWarwick) December 5, 2020
Chance, evidently taken aback by the tweet from Warwick, replied: “Sorry I’m still freaking out that u know who I am. This is amazing!” before adding: “I will be whatever you wanna call me Ms Warwick. God bless you.”
I will be whatever you wanna call me Ms Warwick. God bless you ??
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) December 5, 2020
“Of course I know you. You’re THE rapper. Let’s rap together. I’ll message you,” Warwick replied to Chance, seemingly implying that she would like to collaborate with the ‘Coloring Book’ rapper.
Of course I know you. You’re THE rapper. Let’s rap together. I’ll message you. ??♀️ https://t.co/7ku9SMNUMB
— Dionne Warwick (@_DionneWarwick) December 5, 2020
In a 2017, Chance revealed the origins of his stage name in an interview with GQ. He explained that growing up, he expressed his dream of becoming a rapper, but felt there was a stigma behind the “rapper” label. So, instead of introducing himself as a “musician” or an “artist”, he chose to fully embrace being a rapper and included it in his name.
“I remember that shit used to bother the fuck out of me, because I thought Kanye West was the smartest man in the world,” Chance said. “The best poet in the world. The freshest-dressed in the world. That’s what a rapper was to me, and I wanted everybody to feel that way about the word ‘rapper.’ And ‘rapper,’ to me, is pretty much synonymous with the word ‘black.’”
Warwick also poked fun at The Weeknd’s name during her night on Twitter. “The Weeknd is next. Why? It’s not even spelled correctly?” she tweeted.
She then proceeded to say that anyone with the word ‘the’ in their name, she was “coming” for them. “If you have ‘The’ in your name i’m coming for you. I need answers today,” she wrote.
The Weeknd is next. Why? It’s not even spelled correctly? @theweeknd
— Dionne Warwick (@_DionneWarwick) December 5, 2020
If you have “The” in your name i’m coming for you. I need answers today.
— Dionne Warwick (@_DionneWarwick) December 5, 2020
The Weeknd responded to Warwick’s tweet, writing: “I just got roasted by Dionne Warwick and I feel honored! You juts made my day.”
I just got roasted by Dionne Warwick and I feel honored! You just made my day ?❤️❤️❤️ https://t.co/uO9e0h067q
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) December 6, 2020
Last month, The Weeknd called out the Grammys after he failed to receive any nominations for the 2021 awards for his latest album, ‘After Hours’.
In a tweet posted on November 25, The Weeknd – aka Abel Makkonen Tesfaye – said the Grammys “remain corrupt” and that the organisation “owe me, my fans and the industry transparency”.
Responding to The Weeknd’s tweet, in a statement provided to Rolling Stone, Recording Academy Chair Harvey Mason Jr. said, “We understand that the Weeknd is disappointed at not being nominated. I was surprised and can empathise with what he’s feeling.
“His music this year was excellent, and his contributions to the music community and broader world are worthy of everyone’s admiration. Unfortunately, every year, there are fewer nominations than the number of deserving artists.
“All Grammy nominees are recognised by the voting body for their excellence, and we congratulate them all,” Mason Jr. concluded.
Meanwhile, Chance The Rapper has revealed that his father initially disapproved of his rap career.