F3PR: Chance The Rapper to co-host Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve live from Chicago

PRESS RELEASE

CHANCE THE RAPPER TO CO-HOST
DICK CLARK'S NEW YEAR'S ROCKIN' EVE
LIVE FROM CHICAGO

GRAMMY®-Winning Chicago Native to Lead
the Central Time Zone Countdown on
ABC’s National Broadcast Wednesday, Dec. 31
at 8/7c on ABC, Next Day on Hulu

Global superstar, GRAMMY®-winning artist, and proud Chicago native Chance the Rapper has been announced as the Chicago co-host of ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026, airing live on Tuesday, December 31 at 8/7c on ABC and streaming the next day on Hulu.

Chance will represent Chicago on the national stage, hosting the Central Time Zone countdown live from his hometown as part of the iconic broadcast that spans New York, Las Vegas, Puerto Rico, and beyond. He joins co-hosts Ryan Seacrest, Rita Ora, Rob Gronkowski, and Julianne Hough for the biggest night in televised celebration. In addition to co-hosting duties, Chance will be performing right before midnight to bring in the New Year, live from Wacker Drive.

This marks the first time a major segment of the show will be hosted live from Chicago by a Chicago native, and Chance plans to bring the city’s pride, energy, and culture directly into millions of living rooms across the country.

The announcement follows a standout year for Chance, who completed his “And We Back” North American tour and released his critically acclaimed album Star Line. The new album stands as one of Chance the Rapper’s greatest and most visionary projects to date — a career-defining release that debuted at #2 on Spotify’s Top Albums Debut USA Chart and #3 globally to widespread acclaim. Across 17 tracks, Chance blends sharp lyricism, cultural reverence, and bold sonic experimentation into a cohesive Black diasporic narrative, joined by collaborators including Joey Bada$$, Lil Wayne, Smino, Vic Mensa, BJ the Chicago Kid, Young Thug, Jamila Woods, Do or Die, Jazmine Sullivan, and more, with production from luminaries like Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Peter CottonTale, and Nico Segal. Inspired by travels to Ghana, Jamaica, and global art fairs, Star Line channels Marcus Garvey’s pioneering vision of the Black Star Line into a modern reflection on resilience, diasporic pride, and community, while the album’s striking visual identity, helmed by Brandon Breaux, the creative mind behind Chance’s iconic early artwork, cements this era as both a personal and cultural milestone.

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026 airs LIVE on ABC, Tuesday, December 31, beginning at 8:00 p.m. EST / 7:00 p.m. CST.

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F3PR: Chance The Rapper & Vic Mensa return home in "Back to the Go" video

PRESS RELEASE

CHANCE THE RAPPER AND VIC MENSA
RETURN HOME IN “BACK TO THE GO” VIDEO

CHICAGO, IL (NOVEMBER 7, 2025) – Chance the Rapper unveils the visuals for “Back to the Go,” reuniting with longtime collaborator Vic Mensa for a homegrown moment from his critically acclaimed new album, Star Line.

Directed by Chance the Rapper, the “Back to the Go” video details his six-year journey traveling overseas from art fairs in Venice, Italy, to his own historic Star Line festival in Accra, Ghana, set to a live rendition of the standout track from his new album Star Line. The performance not only showcases their heartbreaking lyrics and showmanship, but the close bond Chance and Vic have shared over the years in the creation of this album.

The video also showcases the recently wrapped “And We Back” tour, blending candid behind-the-scenes moments with dynamic on-stage performance footage. Produced by Stix and Ephra, “Back to the Go” stands out as a quiet reflection on change, capturing the emotional weight of returning home to Chicago.

The song moves through heartbreak toward healing, returning with a clearer sense of self and a better understanding of what’s worth carrying forward. NPR cited “Back to the Go” as one of several songs on Star Line reflecting on memory and loss, noting that “the verses are imbued with an impressive, almost mournful knowingness.”

Star Line stands as one of Chance the Rapper’s greatest and most visionary projects to date — a career-defining release that debuted at #2 on Spotify’s Top Albums Debut USA Chart and #3 globally to widespread acclaim. Across 17 tracks, Chance blends sharp lyricism, cultural reverence, and bold sonic experimentation into a cohesive Black diasporic narrative, joined by collaborators including Joey Bada$$, Lil Wayne, Smino, Vic Mensa, BJ the Chicago Kid, Young Thug, Jamila Woods, Do or Die, Jazmine Sullivan, and more, with production from luminaries like Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Peter CottonTale, and Nico Segal. Inspired by travels to Ghana, Jamaica, and global art fairs, Star Line channels Marcus Garvey’s pioneering vision of the Black Star Line into a modern reflection on resilience, diasporic pride, and community, while the album’s striking visual identity, helmed by Brandon Breaux, the creative mind behind Chance’s iconic early artwork, cements this era as both a personal and cultural milestone.

The Movie Report wants to attend all your music events! Please send any and all invitations to this address. Thanks!

Please help support this site through a generous donation
via Buy a Me a Coffee!