On Dec. 6, 2016, the 27-year-old manager of Chance the Rapper awoke to news that his client, who has never signed to a major label nor sold a physical album, had nabbed seven Grammy nominations, including best new artist and best rap album for his third record, Coloring Book. “I texted Chance, ‘OMG six!’ And he goes, ‘Seven,’ ” remembers Pat Corcoran a few weeks later, one soggy afternoon at a Los Angeles honky-tonk. Corcoran, who lives in Chicago but is in Malibu for a few days, looks comfy in an oatmeal-colored pullover, his crimped, strawberry-blond hair tied back. “I had no idea. I was so nervous that we were going to be overlooked. I just don’t know how those types of things work.”
If Chance — an independent rapper…
