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Martellus Bennett celebrates with his brother on the field after the Patriots beat the Falcons in Super Bowl LI.

HOUSTON -- When Martellus Bennett spoke Thursday about the effect of someone bringing a light change of pace to long-standing norms, he wasn’t talking about the quote-machine persona he’s brought to a Patriots organization known for sticking to the script. He was talking about his hat. 

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Bennett, as he has on multiple occasions this season, was wearing a “3” hat, representing Chance the Rapper’s third mixtape, the Grammy-nominated “Coloring Book.”

“I’ve loved Chance for a long time,” Bennett said. “I’ve been listening to [him since]…”

Then he broke into song.

“Cigarettes on cigarettes, my mama think I stank,
I got burn holes in my hoodies, all my homies think it's dank,
I miss my cocoa butter kisses”

As it turns out, the Patriots tight end, who lives in Chance’s hometown of Chicago, is friends with the ever-popular musician. Their daughters have playdates. Bennett is trying to get Chance to work with him on a cartoon project. 

“I’ve got a little friendship with Chance. Me and Chance are cool,” Bennett said. “I’m doing something right now where I’m trying to talk him into the music for a cartoon and doing one of the voices, but he’s super busy. Hopefully we can make it happen.”

It makes sense that Bennett, a children’s book author, musician and head of The Imagination Agency in addition to his day job as a pro football player, would admire Chance’s work. Not signed to a record label, Chance has shown an ability to take hard left turns in his work, most notably making a Christian album one of the most buzzed-about records in the rap genre. 

“In hip-hop, you expect the rap to be some way; like it’s a certain way you’d expect some guys to rap,” Bennett said. “Every once in a while, a guy comes in that’s an anomaly and is a little different from everybody else, and he doesn’t act like everybody. He mixes gospel in with his hip-hop. He’s got guys that sing songs about girls twerking rapping about God on his album. That kind of stuff is super cool.” 

Bennett and Julian Edelman were among those in attendance for the sold-out Magnificent Coloring World Tour at Blue Hills Bank Pavilion in September. The veteran tight end says he appreciates Chance’s music because his parents can listen to it, but that’s not the only thing Bennett likes about the 23-year-old. 

“You know what’s awesome about him, though?” Bennett said. “His last name is Bennett. I don’t know if we’re related. We could be, because people think we look alike, but I don’t think that’s true."