Chance the Rapper's Kids Are His First Priority — Meet His Daughters
“They make me laugh so often,” Chance said.
Published April 4 2024, 11:14 a.m. ET
As we grow older, we learn more and more about “The Highs & the Lows” of life, something Chance the Rapper explores in his music. The three-time Grammy Award winner is not just a genre-breaking musician, but he’s also a father.
During his marriage to Kirsten Corley (the two announced their divorce in April 2024 after five years of marriage and 10 years together), they welcomed two daughters.
Chance’s relationship with his kids has positively superseded his career. In his more recent albums and songs, he references his family throughout his lyrics and even talks about his kids in various interviews. So although they’re not quite old enough to have their own careers, there’s plenty he’s said about them over the years for us to get a better understanding of who they are.
Chance the Rapper has two kids, Kensli and Marli.
While we all know him as Chance the Rapper, the legal system recognizes Chance as Chancelor Bennett, making his daughters Kensli Bennett and Marli Bennett. Kensli was born in September 2015, while Marli was born in August 2019, shortly after Chance’s marriage to Kirsten.
The girls are both the spitting image of their father, and they appear regularly in ads for BOBY, Kirsten’s “lifestyle childrenswear brand designed to empower kids, build community, and support parents,” according to the brand’s Instagram bio. But Kensli and Marli aren’t just photogenic — they’re also talented and intelligent, according to stories told by Chance himself.
Chance has shared that both his daughters have an interest in music, among other things.
Since he started his career in music, Chance has become quite the family man. In fact, when he won his 2017 Grammy awards, he added his then-2-year-old daughter, Kensli, to his acceptance speech. But she’s grown a bunch since then. In 2020, he shared with People how he was enjoying the extra time with his daughters during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They make me laugh so often,” he said. “Kensli says really funny stuff and she’s very, very advanced for her age. I know all parents say that about their kids, but it’s ridiculous. She’s so intelligent and she just speaks. She’s very opinionated too. She says exactly how she feels about stuff. She’s 4, but she acts like a 7-year-old that’s acting like she’s 13.”
In fact, she graduated kindergarten a year early with an accelerated learning program and in the 99th and 97th in reading and math, respectively, which Chance shared proudly in an Instagram post. In addition, she performed onstage with Chance for one of his songs in Mexico. On the other hand, Chance’s younger daughter, Marli, also has musical chops, which he shared in a post for her 4th birthday in which she sings “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid.
But it hasn’t always been easy. When Kensli was first born, there were some complications. “When Kensli was born she had a heart arrhythmia that kept her in NICU for a week and a half and [the Ronald McDonald House] provided my fiancée and I with a place to stay,” Chance tweeted a couple of years later.
When will we see Kensli and Marli become stars in their own right? It doesn’t seem like fame is at the top of their to-do list, but if they follow in their father’s footsteps, we wouldn’t be surprised.