Acid Rap is a masterpiece, let’s just get that out of the way. It’s a mixtape from Chicago based Chance the Rapper and it’s my introduction to the guy; he’s previously put out another mixtape, but I haven’t heard this one. But this is just one of the best hip hop albums I’ve ever heard, full stop. Every song on it is great. Chance has a really strange voice and an off-kilter delivery and the subject matter is often striking and unique. Juice has a retro, thirties-style swing to it. Cocoa Butter Kisses is a vulnerable lament about how his girlfriend won’t kiss him anymore because he smokes too much; it has an interesting hook based around a cough. Let’s Get Lost is a strange sex song. Paranoia is an angry protest song about inner city violence, while Pusha Man is an ode to inner city cool. Even the Interlude is fantastic, an off-beat song about love that is somehow genuinely moving and not hokey at all. I just really loved this album and, of course, it’s free. Click the link above and download it. You won’t be sorry. And here’s hoping we hear a lot more from Chance in the days to come. Highly recommended. 4 stars.
tl;dr – adventurous, brilliant mixtape signals a fully-formed talent that has yet to break fully onto the hip-hop scene; get in on the ground floor with this guy. 4 stars.