Derrick Rose Praises Chance the Rapper for Making a Difference in Chicago

Derrick Rose hasn’t spent much time around Chance the Rapper in the past. Even though they both hail from Chicago, Rose and Chance have only met once, and according to Rose, they didn’t talk much during that meeting. But while speaking with the New York Daily News over the weekend, Rose said he has appreciated everything Chance has done for the city of Chicago from afar. Specifically, he was blown away by Chance’s decision to donate $1 million to Chicago Public Schools last week.

“It’s always great to hear, especially with someone that’s in his position, coming from Chicago and knowing what’s going on internally and [being someone] that’s willing to do something about it,” Rose said. “It’s always great to hear when somebody steps up and takes the challenge… I love everything that he’s doing and the way that he’s doing it.”

Rose went on to say that Chance “can only do so much” on his own and that there is a “lack of passion when comes to the CPS” that will take major work at the highest levels to fix. But Rose—who told the Daily News that he has donated money to various education projects in Chicago in the past—also said that Chance’s involvement in his hometown brings an awareness that is even more valuable than his monetary help.

“It’s huge,” he said. “We’re bringing awareness to it. That’s something that gets overlooked. You look at the school system being shut down in Chicago, the amount of schools that’s being overlooked. And I think it’s because it’s public schools. Kids are having to bus from different neighborhoods to other schools. And you talk about gangs, that’s another thing in Chicago where it’s a problem. It’s a problem. And when them kids get bussed, they have nobody to protect them at the school or before school. And that’s something that they have to deal with. If they were to go and change the inside of the CPS, I think it would help a lot of kids. And that’s what I mean by being passionate about it. At least act like they care about it. I think a lot can change.”

You can see what else Rose had to say about Chicago city schools by going here. You can also watch and read Chance’s The Complex Cover, which dropped today, here.