A 23-year-old rapper who refuses to sign a record deal is tearing up the hip-hop world all by himself

Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for vitaminwater

Chance the Rapper performing in New York

Chance the Rapper is the most talented rapper of his generation and a pioneer in the music industry. His latest album, "Coloring Book," released in May, is one of the best-reviewed albums of the year and debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200 list. It's the first streaming-only album to chart on Billboard's ranking.

Now the Grammys is making streaming-only albums available for awards consideration. Chance, whose real name is Chancelor Bennett, could make history again if "Coloring Book" is nominated for an award.

Miraculously, Chance has done all of this without a label supporting him. He's turned down record deals from numerous labels, and depends on word-of-mouth and his Soundcloud account for distribution.

Meet the most successful fully-independent musician of our era: