Minnesota

Review: Sparse crowd doesn’t detour Chance the Rapper at Minnesota State Fair

Published

2 years ago

August 24, 2024

Review: Sparse crowd doesn’t detour Chance the Rapper at Minnesota State Fair

A little slow to catch on to trends in music, the Minnesota State Fair grandstand finally discovered the popularity of hip-hop in 2012 with Wiz Khalifa.

Since then, hip-hop has become something of a staple as reliable as country and classic rock. Pitbull and G-Eazy drew sellout crowds and vociferous responses. This year, Ludacris, who grandstands on Tuesday, has sold more tickets than any other act.

On Friday, Chance the Rapper, a household name from his recent stint as a coach on NBC’s “The Voice,” became the first hip-hop artist to make a second grandstand appearance, after he opened for a sold-out Macklemore & Ryan Lewis in 2013.

The scene: Where was everybody? Chance, the pride of Chicago who sold out Xcel Energy Center in 2017, wondered about ticket sales this week when he dropped a new track, “3,333″ (3 is his favorite number; it’s emblazoned on his familiar ball cap). He questioned with 3,333 tickets sold in a place that holds nearly 14,000, if should he cancel. Heck, no.

For the record, he drew 4,110 fans. And they stood for all 75 minutes, taking over a few choruses such as on “Cocoa Butter Kisses” and waving their arms like windshield wipers when prompted. Many of the guys at the grandstand sported ball caps emblazoned with Chance’s signature “3.” The star, however, wore a multicolored bucket hat and a Bob Marley T-shirt.

The music: Chance the Rapper, 31, who famously won the Grammys for best new artist and best rap album for a streaming mixtape (“Coloring Book”) in 2017, has not released a full-length album since his 2019 debut, “The Big Day.” Since last year, he’s been promising the new “Star Line,” and on Friday night, he played a handful of new songs. Some, such as “Stars Out” and “Bad Boys 2,” have been released, but he offered the unreleased “The Negro Problem,” which details problems associated with Black people, and he concludes anybody’s problems are everybody’s problems.

The music: Backed by three musicians and three singers, Chance delivered a performance rich in musicality. He covered a range of his catalog, from 2013′s “Everybody’s Something” to his smash hit pop collabs, 2020′s “Holy” with Justin Bieber (a disembodied voice) and 2017′s “I’m the One” with DJ Khaled and others.

Biggest takeaways: With a welcomed helping of new material as well as crowd-pleasing favorites, Chance bolstered his reputation as a deft wordsmith with a fast flow and vibrant stage presence. While his ego was sincerely bruised that he didn’t sell more tickets, he seemed genuine in his commitment to give it his all no matter how many people showed up. But he wasn’t completely familiar with his five-day-old “3,333″ because he began one bar a couple of beats too early and then caught himself.

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Minnesota

Iran conflict: 250 Minnesota National Guard member serving in Middle East

Published

11 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Iran conflict: 250 Minnesota National Guard member serving in Middle East

(FOX 9) – The Minnesota National Guard tells FOX 9 there are currently 250 guard members on regularly scheduled deployment at the United States Central Command areas of responsibility as the United States leads strikes in Iran.

Guardsman in Middle East

What we know:

The Minnesota National Guard says the deployed airmen and soldiers are serving from Duluth’s 148th Fighter Wing, the Marshall-based 1-151 Artillery, and the Stillwater-based 34th Military Police Company.

What they’re saying:

“While their missions and duty locations vary, all are grateful for the strong support of those back home,” writes Army Maj. Andrea Tsuchiya, State Public Affairs Officer for the Minnesota National Guard.

What we don’t know:

The guard did not disclose the exact bases or countries where the soldiers and airmen are serving.

CENTCOM covers 21 countries including: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

Pres. Trump says Iran operations likely to last 4 to 5 weeks

Big picture view:

In his first public remarks since the launch of the attack on Iran, President Trump said he expected operations to last four to five weeks, but he was prepared “to go far longer than that.”

The president also laid out his objective for the mission: to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, to “annihilate” their navy, to ensure the country doesn’t obtain a nuclear weapon and that the regime “cannot continue to arm, fund and direct terrorist armies outside of their borders.”

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Minnesota

U.S.-Israeli strikes spark dueling rallies in Twin Cities

Published

23 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

U.S.-Israeli strikes spark dueling rallies in Twin Cities

Iranians in Minnesota react to Khamenei death

Iranians in the Twin Cities gathered in downtown Minneapolis on Sunday to celebrate major developments in the Middle East following the death of Supreme Leader Khamenei. While many Iranian-Americans expressed hope for regime change, anti-war protesters also took to the streets to condemn the military strikes, with some members of Minnesota’s DFL delegation calling the operation “unlawful” and “illegal.”

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Iranians in the Twin Cities gathered in downtown Minneapolis Sunday to celebrate major developments in the Middle East. Anti-war protesters also took the streets of Minneapolis Saturday.

Plus, Jewish communities say they are on high alert over concerns of potential retaliatory acts in major cities across the U.S.

‘Massive moment’

What we know:

Following a joint U.S. and Israeli military operation in Iran, Khamenei was killed in an attack, Iranian state media confirmed early Sunday.

What they’re saying:

Iranian community groups rallied at Nicollet Mall and 11th Street on Sunday to express hope for regime change.

Dozens of Iranian-Americans said they are celebrating the news.

“We are here to support Iranian people. Today, everybody is happy, very happy,” said Beheshteh Zargaran, an Iranian-American.

“Killed Khamenei, which was the supreme leader, and hopefully they will continue this action and help Iranians finally topple the Islamic regime,” said Faraz Samavat, an Iranian-American.

“That means a lot. We are fighting for almost half a century to destroy this cruel regime against people of Iran,” said Ali Mohammad, an Iranian-American.

Iranians in MN celebrate strikes by Pres. Trump

Iranians in the Twin Cities are gathering in downtown Minneapolis to celebrate major developments in the Middle East following a joint U.S. and Israeli military operation. Community groups rallied at Nicollet Mall and 11th Street to express hope for regime change after news that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, was killed in Saturday’s airstrikes.

The other side:

Protesters also took to the streets in the Twin Cities over the weekend condemning the strikes.

Some people are criticizing the military operation including members of Minnesota’s DFL delegation. Congresswoman Betty McCollum called the strikes “unlawful” and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar called the war “illegal and unjustified.”

Heightened security:

Jewish communities in Minnesota say they are also on high alert following security guidance across the country to prevent potential retaliatory violence.

“A heightened sense of vigilance making sure that everybody is aware of their surroundings and that all of the protective measures are in place,” said Steve Hunegs, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas.

There are currently no known specific threats against local Jewish communities.

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Minnesota

Here’s how much snow parts of Minnesota got on Saturday, Feb. 28

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Here’s how much snow parts of Minnesota got on Saturday, Feb. 28

article

Storm reports in from Minnesota on Saturday, Feb. 28.

LANESBORO, Minn. (FOX 9) – Impressive snow totals were reported in parts of Minnesota after a narrow band of heavy snowfall worked its way across the state.