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Chance often speaks about Michael Jackson’s influence on him growing up (e.g., this 2013 interview with GQ magazine):
The first time in front of people in a crowd was when I danced in my kindergarten graduation dressed as Michael Jackson. For the third grade talent shows that was a thing for me.
Clearly Chance’s skills have come a long way – just check his footwork in Towkio’s “Clean Up” video.
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I never practice, I only perform Chance the Rapper (Ft. Anderson .Paak, BJ the Chicago Kid, Raury & Ty Dolla $ign) – Blessings (Reprise)
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I'm in love with my city, bitch, I sleep in my hat, uh Chance the Rapper (Ft. Eryn Allen Kane, Kirk Franklin, Noname & T-Pain) – Finish Line / Drown
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Chance lived out in Los Angeles for a moment, but came back to Chicago since it’s the only place he can feel at home. While out there, he briefly lived with the British artist James Blake. That year, they worked on a remix of Blake’s “Life Round Here.”
All settled in the new crib. And there’s a fire pit on my balcony. @jamesblake
This wasn’t the first time Chance got homesick. When he was much younger, he almost had to move to Washington D.C. when his father worked on Obama’s campaign – a sentiment he discussed on one of his earliest songs “Beddy Bye.” On the follow-up track, “Home Again,” Chance expressed happiness at staying home in Chicago, rapping:
Oz ain’t got shit on Kansas!
The “Sox” hat Chance wears so often he even sleeps in it represents both the Chicago White Sox and The Social Experiment.
The “I’m in love with my city bitch I sleep in my hat” is taken directly from the original version of “Famous”, in which Chance was featured as revealed in an interview with Zayn Lowe. He uses some wordplay in this line since he’s saying he loves Chicago so much that he sleeps with his Chicago hat similar to how someone sleeps with a lover.
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No hog, no meerkat
Hakuna matata by day, but I spent my night-time fighting tears back Chance the Rapper (Ft. Jay Electronica & Nicole Steen) – How Great
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https://twitter.com/JayElectronica/status/730969819672023041
Jay compares himself to Simba from The Lion King who flees to the jungle after his father, Mufasa, is killed. Simba remains lost and lonely until he happens across a friendly warthog (Pumba) and meerkat (Timón) who teach him to live by the motto “Hakuna Matata”—meaning “no worries.”
Jay, on the other hand, didn’t have anyone to help him when he was lost. Rather, he relied on keeping a strong faith in God and fighting to maintain a strong disposition while keeping his true feelings buried. “No hog” also plays on the fact that Jay is a Muslim and doesn’t eat pork.
Chance himself has also been heavily influenced by The Lion King. His Family Matters tour was largely inspired from the Lion King musical and he has previously referenced the characters in his music. As he raps on “Blessing (Reprise)”:
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When Chance’s partner asks him why they only have a queen-sized bed instead of a larger one, he tells her it’s all hers since he’s too busy to have time for anything more than catching his breath; he has to support her and his newborn daughter by spreading his music to the world. And since he believes that he and his music belongs to everyone, he has tattoo of the world instead of, say, his home state.
His girlfriend, being incredibly supportive, says that’s all good and fine – just bring me some food when you get home. This could also be her way of saying that it’s cool for him to go on tour, so long as he puts food on the table for his family.
These lyrics are reminiscent of Chance’s verse on “Family Matters”:
The line “I’m just here to catch my breath” is reminiscent of what Chance rapped in verse 2 of “Summer Friends”:
Chance is so dedicated to making the best music possible, he often forgoes sleeping at his house, in order for him to spend more time in the studio making dope ass music.
“I said it’s yours don’t worry little bean head” could also be a reference to the children’s fairytale the princess and the pea, re-referencing that she’s royalty to him.