Chance The Rapper’s 2013 mixtape Acid Rap celebrated its 10-year anniversary earlier this year. I remember first being turned onto Chance after his initial mixtape 10 Day by two old friends who run Oxalis restaurant in NYC. One of the founders had spent a lot of time in Chance’s hometown of Chicago (where Chance was in the process of blowing up locally), and introduced me to that mixtape. The unique blend of gospel, acid jazz, and Chance’s unique flow (na-na-na-na-nayyy) immediately hooked me. It was clear from day one he had a vision and sound as an artist that set him apart from a bunch of his contemporaries, and when Acid Rap dropped the next year featuring other Indie MC’s like Action Bronson, Childish Gambino, BJ The Chicago Kid, and Ab-Soul it was over. Chance of course completely took off after 2016’s Coloring Book dropped and became a star in his own right, but I’ll always hold Acid Rap above all of his work due to it being my first introduction to him.
Acid Rap is a great mixtape filled with unique sounds that push the envelope of what hip hop can be. Most importantly, it’s delivered by an MC who clearly believes in his message, a man of substance who eschews the trappings of fame to deliver something of a higher meaning. And I think we can all get behind someone like that.
Standout Songs: “Acid Rain”, “Favorite Song”, “Lost”, “Pusha Man”, “Cocoa Butter Kisses”
