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Why Does Chance the Rapper Wear ‘3’ On His Hat? The Unexpected Answer Will Surprise You

Chance the Rapper is bringing his signature style to season 23 of NBC’s “The Voice.”

Acting as a new coach of the show along with former One Direction member Niall Horan, Chance is taking the Kelly Clarkson approach to help persuade contests to join his team. While the “Stronger” singer is gifting her teammates with personalized jackets, the rapper is offering one of his hats with the “3” number on it. 

Chance has had a “3” on his hat for several years now, however, the style was adopted later in his career. According to High Snobiety, Chance wanted to create a new hat for his 2016 mixtape, “Coloring Book.” Initially, he had some trouble deciding on the best typography, and the original title for the album was going to be “The Magnificent Coloring Book,” which would have been too long to put on the front of a hat. The album would be his third mixtape, represented by the “3” detailing on his hat. The look has become a signature for the “Cocoa Butter Kisses” singer. The style also became a part of his brand because he associates it with the Holy Trinity, and his family of three which has since grown to four.

Chance the Rapper for "The Voice" season 23.
Chance the Rapper for “https://footwearnews.com/t/the-voice/"; id="auto-tag_the-voice" data-tag="the-voice" >The Voice” season 23.
CREDIT: Art Streiber/NBC

These days, the performer is rarely seen without a baseball cap, the headwear becoming a part of his “uniform” in a sense. In an interview with GQ back in 2017, Chance spoke about his love of baseball caps, explaining he started wearing the style in high school. “I used to always rock a cap when I was in high school and get them taken away. It was an excessive amount. Like, so often that at the end of each school year, there would be a box of all the confiscated caps. After they gave back a few caps to other kids, they would just give me the box because the rest were all my hats. So I think, in one part, it’s a rebellion.”

Niall Horan, Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton and Chance the Rapper for "The Voice" season 23.
Niall Horan, Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton and Chance the Rapper for “The Voice” season 23.
CREDIT: Evans Vestal Ward/NBC

“The Voice” season 23 premiered on March 6 and it marks Blake Shelton‘s last season as a coach. The country singer is the only original judge that remained on the show since its premiere in 2011.

PHOTOS: See all the best shoe looks from season seven of “The Voice.”

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