Chance the Rapper Once Thought He Saved His Marriage Before His Divorce 

Music artist Chance the Rapper and his wife Kirsten Corley recently announced their divorce after five years of marriage. Before their shocking statement, Chance confided that they were already going through a rough patch. But the Chicago native figured they repaired their marriage and avoided a possible break-up the first time.

Chance the Rapper and his wife already almost broke up a few years ago

It took a lot of effort for Chance and Corley to make their relationship work the first time. The two officially started dating in 2013. By 2015, they’d given birth to their first daughter, Kensli. But a year later, reports indicated that the two planned on separating. Documents revealed that Corley asked the court to have Chance pay child support and recognize the rapper as Kensli’s father and caretaker. 

Other signs in the document pointed to the two preparing for a costly split. But Corley and Chance rescinded their documentation in 2017, and resumed their relationship.

The pair eventually got married in 2018 and had another child shortly after. Things might’ve gone well for the couple at the time before the coronavirus pandemic struck. In an interview with Desus & Mero, Chance revealed how the pandemic nearly cost him his marriage the first time.

“Me and my girl, we basically went apartment to apartment — probably, like, six different apartments — and then we had two kids, and the pandemic happened, and we just could not make it in our marriage if we had stayed in that apartment,” Chance said.

The emcee thought he saved his marriage simply by moving to a much larger area.

“I got the message from her after a while. She was kinda, like, hinting at like, ‘This s*** is too small!’ And I realized we wanted a backyard,” Chance continued. “And also I was living in Downtown Chicago by a bunch of hotels, so, like, you’re seeing random people all the time. Now there’s nobody out there. Where we live, it’s just quiet all the time; there’s trees and s***.”

But it seemed there might’ve been other problems in the relationship that the two couldn’t reconcile. 

“After a period of separation, the two of us have arrived at the decision to part ways. We came to this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together,” Chance posted on social media. “God has blessed us with two beautiful daughters who we will continue to raise together. We kindly ask for privacy and respect as we navigate this transition.”

Chance the Rapper once credited Kirsten Corley’s celibacy for saving his life

Despite their divorce, it’s clear Corley and Chance had a positive influence on each other’s lives. Besides starting a family and sharing two children, Chance felt his wife was partially responsible for helping him recognize his faith. Speaking with Nicki Minaj on Queen Radio (via E! News), Chance revealed he dedicated an entire song to Corley’s influence on him.

“I need you to hear one song on my album that has my best verse that I written in my life,” Chance explained. “It’s called ‘We Go High.’ I explain that my wife literally saved my life by becoming celibate and going and getting baptized.”

But the influence wasn’t one-sided, and the famous artist asserted that his wife experienced a similar awakening.

“It changed her life, obviously, but we talking about me right now. It changed my life for real. Now I know exactly where my strength comes from,” Chance said.

Chance the rapper recently spoke about meeting his wife at 9 years old

Although the pair started dating in 2013, Chance and Corley knew each other long before. They became well-acquainted with each other when they were just nine years old. Back then, Chance quipped he already knew he wanted to be Corley’s husband.

“My mom worked at a real estate agency with her mom,” Chance explained on The Ellen Show. “Her daughters love to dance, so they did a choreographed dance at this real estate party that I was at when I was 9. I saw her dancing and I was like, ‘Let’s get married!’”