• Record Label: N/A
  • Release Date: Jul 26, 2019
Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 21
  2. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. Jul 31, 2019
    60
    There are strong highlights across the set, despite this, the failure to be concise forms part of the force's biggest downfalls.
  2. Jul 31, 2019
    60
    The Big Day contains about as much tonal variation as a leather-bound wedding photo album. Chance is more interested in celebrating the miracle of love than examining love’s warts, or the labor required to build and sustain a lasting marriage.
  3. 60
    The Big Day is like a lot of weddings: too long and occasionally a little dull – with one or two unforgettable moments.
  4. Jul 29, 2019
    60
    With 22 tracks over 80 minutes (including a few skits you’ll skip after the first listen), it’s way too long. It’s themed around Chance’s wedding to his longtime partner, Kristen Corley – a rite of passage that mirrors the “big day” of his debut album release. And like a wedding in which the priest’s sermon is getting in the way of the dinner buffet, you can really feel it drag.
  5. 60
    Stuffed with superfluous features, the Chicago rapper's 22-track debut studio album sags somewhat, but is almost saved by his infectiously optimistic outlook.
  6. The Wire
    Sep 13, 2019
    50
    This album finds itself wandering far too into pop territory, without the accompanying substance and adventure that made his preceding releases so refreshing. [Oct 2019, p.67]
  7. Jul 30, 2019
    50
    There’s an abyss between the kid on Acid Rap and the man on The Big Day. And while you can’t blame a man for growing up and aging out of those topics, you can blame him for not being able to communicate in a way that still resonates with his fans.
  8. Jul 29, 2019
    50
    It feels no more fleshed out than “Coloring Book,” from 2016 (which was nominated for a best rap album Grammy), and is less sonically consistent than “Acid Rap,” from 2013. And it’s less impressive than either of them. At 22 tracks, it’s overlong and scattered.
  9. Jul 29, 2019
    48
    An unwieldy, 80-minute record that was barely promoted and likely rushed to release. It's not 22 tracks of straight garbage, but the idea that Chance had three very viable debut album candidates but chose this as his big day would be funny if it wasn't so deeply frustrating.
  10. Jul 29, 2019
    46
    The fact that it’s 22 songs only highlights how disorganized the project is. There are some tracks that I actually like scattered throughout, but none that really compare to the best from his previous projects. His two mixtapes were also similarly eclectic, but these collaborations feel less exciting and more calculated. ... The Big Day will go down as one of the biggest disappointments in rap in recent memory, in no small part because Coloring Book was so great.
User Score
3.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 325 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 84 out of 325
  1. Jul 26, 2019
    6
    Pretty disappointing entry from Chance.. Seems to have included a lot of mediocre songs for streams, not the highest highs, and pretty lowPretty disappointing entry from Chance.. Seems to have included a lot of mediocre songs for streams, not the highest highs, and pretty low lows. I expected more after being a big fan of acid rap, and coloring book as well.

    Album's theme is all over the place, boring songs ruin this, as well as childish tracks like "Hot Shower". Could've been a 7 or weak 8 with fewer and focused tracks. But clocking in at 19 songs + 3 skits, it's overstaying its welcome, especially in some parts of the second half.

    Favorite tracks: All day long, do you remember, roo, big fish- maybe: get a bag

    Least favorite: Hot shower, big day(second half), sun come down
    Full Review »
  2. Jul 27, 2019
    1
    Not good. Boring, too long, and insufferably preachy. It's amazingly pretentious and, despite overflowing with talent, lacks any real purposeNot good. Boring, too long, and insufferably preachy. It's amazingly pretentious and, despite overflowing with talent, lacks any real purpose beyond stroking an already inflated ego. Cringe. Full Review »
  3. Jul 28, 2019
    3
    The Big Day is about Chance the Rapper's big day: his marriage, his debut album release, and so on. It serves as a celebratory purpose.

    The
    The Big Day is about Chance the Rapper's big day: his marriage, his debut album release, and so on. It serves as a celebratory purpose.

    The Big Day brags striking production, for the most part. And yes, still, has a lot of fillers going on.

    The Big Day has a statement. The statement sprawled out and gave a vague conclusion.

    Besides, it's still on point, remarkable, and will be a new start for Chance the Rapper to once again disclose his own uncharted musical prowess.
    Full Review »