ACID RAP
Following the mixtape "10 day," which I held near-and-dear to my heart as the branded album of Summer 2012, Chance the Rapper's "Acid Rap" will most definitely be the album of this summer, as well. To those of you who don't know too much about Chancellor Bennett, the 20-year old Chicagoan is making a name for himself quickly amongst hip hop heads, and his recently released mixtape "Acid Rap" is already being claimed as a CLASSIC by many religious fans.. including me. A release that I had been anticipating for several months, "Acid Rap" is a smoothly-produced, energy-laced project that brings together numerous sounds and genre styles in a seamless manner. This 13-track LP discusses a variety of at-large issues in Chance's life, including nostalgia, drug-use, paranoia, and stardom. Read my track-by-track review, and download/stream the tape while reading for full effect......*IGH* (Chance adlib).
01. "Good Ass Intro" : For me, this was the worst part of the tape (granted, I LOVED the album as a whole). This was a song that I had seen a live performance video for prior to the song actually being released (This performance) and I was entranced by the up-beat energy that Chance displayed while rapping it. Through this video, however, I didn't get a real gage on how over-produced this instrumental is. I feel like there are way too many noises going on that it almost makes the vibe of the track a little corny. There are some memorable lines in this song, and I love Chano's first verse, but in my opinion the song should have ended at the 1:30 mark, and the second verse and extended bridge are just a waste of minutes after that. You know when you used to brace yourself to go into a pool, and decided to take a baby step in before fully submerging yourself in water? This intro is a swandive into the cold waters, as far as introducing a fanbase to the energy that the rapper will bring goes. I enjoyed the song, but I wouldn't choose to play it again.
Best line: "Did a ton of drugs and did better than all my alma mater" (flex)
Song Rating: 6/10
02. "Pusha Man": This was a song that I was anticipating the most off of the album, after seeing the Chance Does Acid in Mexico video a few months prior. This song is divided into two VERY DIVERGENT portions, the first of which portrays chance as a drug dealer, and has a very uptempo beat with a catchy chorus that I've tweeted more often than I'm proud to say. After about a 12 second segment of white noise, the beat then transitions into a much more mellow, slower-moving melody, accompanied by Chance's self-reflective and paranoid verses. The second half of this song is incredible. The hook on the second half of this song, meshed with the up-and-down beat is incredible, and this is Chance getting very deep following the first half of the song that seemed a lot less introspective and explanatory.
Best line: "Somebody will steal daddy's Rolly, and call it the neighborhood Watch"
Song Rating: 9.5/10
03. "Cocoa Butter Kisses": The subject matter of this song is something that we've seen a lot from Chance, especially if you've followed him since 10 day. Chance discusses nostalgia a lot, however this song takes a new turn, portraying nostalgia in a more sentimental and melancholy form, as he's looking back on his innocent days and noticing how much he has changed and fell out of touch with that past. The chorus on this song is extremely catchy, and the two verse features are also awesome; Vic Mensa's verse is possibly the best verse on the whole album, and Twista decided to slow down his pace a little bit and give us some rhymes we can actually decipher. Although the subject matter of this song is a little on the sad side, the instrumental choice definitely contradicts that, and creates a song that can be listened to while alone or while at a party. This is the song that stuck out to me most based off my first listen through.
Best line: "smoke Chloraphyll, til they can't feel shit, shit faced, face this, 15 hits on this El, elevated train, and the craziest thing, got me feeling like Lauryn Hill; miseducated"
Song Rating: 9/10
04. "Juice": My roommate and I had been bumping this song even before it was released as a single and only able to be seen on this video. This is a song that has drawn a lot of attention to Chance, as it really displays his weirdness (for lack of better word) and all of the high-energy that he can bring to a song. Unlike Good Ass Intro however, Juice involved a much smoother and laid back instrumental that works well with Chance's style. This is a song that won't do much for you if you're looking for significant subject matter, but Chano is basically flexing, saying he has the "juice" (power, wealth, respect) in his city and amongst his peers... which is hard to argue.
Best line: "Jugoooo, you never tasted paper, tripped"
Song Rating: 8/10
05. "Lost": Following the speedy tempo of the last song, Lost takes a step back as Chance takes his...chance... at making a love song. This song consists of my favorite beat, and a tremendous feature from some random female rapper named "Noname Gypsy." Chance's chorus is perfect and first-time listeners get the sense of feeling baffled by how such a strained-voice can produce real pretty melodies in song. I love the vibe of the beat, and the song as a whole, and this is one of those songs that can be played numerous times without becoming old.
Best line: "IGH it made her love it, her pussy like me, her heart like fuck it"
Song Rating: 9.5/10
06. "Everybody's Something": I was amazed that Chance decided to use a beat that sampled J Dilla, but it worked out for the best for everybody involved, as he definitely did justice to the sample. This is possibly the best song off the album, and has a very uplifting message, explaining that everybody has loved ones who want to see them succeed and get through their tough times. What I was most impressed with with this song was the feature... I don't have a clue who "Sabo" is, but he may have topped Chance on the song, which was a hard feat. Chance interestingly enough also discusses how he has battled with being seen as "too white," in the second verse, but contrasts that with his tendencies to misbehave and engage in criminal acts. I really enjoyed the song, and the hook is as catchy as ever. This is a song that everyone from 12 year olds to soccer moms can listen to.
Best line: "Gravity had me in a submission hold, like I'm dancing with the devil with two left feet and I'm pigeon toed"
Song Rating: 10/10
07. "That's Love": This interlude is a nice way to segway between the first half of the LP and what is a very different second half. There are a few catchy lines in this interlude, accompanied by Chance exploiting his ability to sing as well. I really loved the instrumental on this, and it served its purpose.
Best Line: "What's better than leaning and needing a Xan, is hitting your an dreaming a dream could mean leaving the land"
Song Rating: 8/10
08. "Favorite Song": This is the point in the project where you have to realize Chance is making a MIXTAPE and not an album. The next three songs, each featuring guest verses from well-known emcees, seemed like Chance just trying to get people on to his tape, as he moves off subject from the rest of the LP and just makes some good songs to vibe and party to. I really liked this song when I first saw the live perfomance here , and got even more excited for it when I saw that it would have a guest verse from one of my favorites, Childish Gambino. Gambino disappointed. Chance didn't. It's a good song, and I've danced to it a few times... and I'm white and don't dance unless I'm drunk... but yeah, you'll like this one.
Best Line: "Back to back, backpacking bags back and forth with fifth and Jack"--I'm a sucker for assonance
Song Rating: 8/10
09. "NaNa": When the video for this first released, I was hoping that this wasn't a leak off of Acid Rap; turned out it was. Despite the fact that the song has grown on me a lot since my first listen, I think that this song is entirely pointless and I wasn't super stoked about it, even after seeing Action Bronson had a feature. This beat really bores me, even though I usually like that low bassline. I think Chance's second verse is really great, but Bronson kind of blows him out of the water entirely. This song was basically an excuse to over-adlib and half-ass a chorus.. I wasn't impressed by basically any part of this. I'll listen to it when I'm not sober.
Best Line: "I got a team of hoes like Pat Summit"---i LOLed
Song Rating: 5/10
10. "Smoke Again": I will not accept any criticisms about this song, as it is one of the high points of the whole album. The night of this video dropping, I probably replayed the song about 25 times. I love the chorus, and Chance's little "ooooo oooo ooooo", the first verse and a half of Chance's display a really slow-moving flow, but that's okay. Chance's second verse is the highlight of this, and Ab Soul is always great to hear. I expect even more collabs between these two as they definitely do a good job of accenting eachother's styles. This is a perfect song to play on max volume in the Jetta while driving to the beach. The beat is incredible.
Best line: "lean all on the square; that's a fucking Rhombus"--- don't put lean on your square though.
Song Rating: 9/10
11. "Acid Rain": This song is the most lyrical that I've seen Chance get, and the subject matter is very dark and somber, as he recollects the events and mood memory of witnessing his friend die: "i seen it happen i seen it happen i seen it always, he still be breathing i see his demon in empty hallways," refers to his experience of watching his friend Rod get stabbed. Still haunted by these memories and this gruesome past, Chance seems to be relying on acid to distort the painful memory and help with the suffering. I love the visuals I get with this verse, and the violin on this beat is perfect with the subject matter. Tremendous song, and I've loved it ever since it released early.
Best line: "I trip to make the fall shorter."
Song Rating: 10/10
12. "Chain Smoker": This song is a great way to wrap up the approaching-end of this album. I think that this is my favorite beat and hook, and Chance matches the tempo and mood perfectly, exhibiting a speedy flow contrasted with the slower, heavier, melody that the instrumental displays. Not really sure the subject of this song (or if there is one) but it's a great one to ride to at night. This is one of those songs that I will be playing for the next 5-10 years.
Best line: "Why toss my filter, when she saved my life? Same shit that kills us, always tastes so right"
Song Rating: 9.5/10
13. "Everything's Good": This song, the outro to the project, begins with a phone conversation between Chance and his father which I think serves to make the song, and the whole mixtape, a lot more personable and intimate. This is a good way to wrap up Acid Rap, and the beat switch half way through does an awesome job, too. In all honesty, I love this song when I listen to it, but never CHOOSE to listen to it on my ipod. It's just always a good surprise to come on shuffle. I think many people will enjoy this, and feel a certain excitement towards his next project drop... it's almost like a cliffhanger on a Netflix series. Can't wait to hear what's in store for Chance.
Best line: "I ain't really that good at 'goodnight', I ain't really that bad at sleeping"
Song Rating: 8.5/10
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