''Acid Rap'' is the second mixtape by American rapper

Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he released his debut mixtape '' 10 Day'' (2012) during one of his high school suspension ...

. It was released on April 30, 2013, as a free digital download. In July 2013, the mixtape debuted at number 63 on the ''Billboard''

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

, due to bootleg downloads on

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and

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

not affiliated with the artist. The mixtape has been certified "diamond" on mixtape site Datpiff, for garnering over 1,000,000 downloads. It was rereleased on streaming services on June 21, 2019, alongside his 2012 mixtape '' 10 Day''. A 10th anniversary ''Complete Edition'' was later released, including the full version of "

Juice Juice is a drink made from the extraction or Cold-pressed juice, pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat ...

", which previously wasn't available for streaming due to sampling issues.

Background and production

Chancelor Bennett has admitted that

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...

was used during the production of this mixtape. Bennett has said, "

here Here may refer to: Music * ''Here'' (Adrian Belew album), 1994 * ''Here'' (Alicia Keys album), 2016 * ''Here'' (Cal Tjader album), 1979 * ''Here'' (Edward Sharpe album), 2012 * ''Here'' (Idina Menzel album), 2004 * ''Here'' (Merzbow album), ...

was a lot of acid involved in ''Acid Rap''. I mean, it wasn't ''too'' much – I'd say it was about 30 to 40 percent acid... more so 30 percent acid." He has also made it clear that LSD's involvement was just a small factor in the making of the mixtape. Bennett has said that, "It wasn't the biggest component at all. It was something that I was really interested in for a long time during the making of the tape, but it's not necessarily a huge factor at all. It was more so just a booster, a bit of fuel. It's an allegory to acid, more so than just a tape about acid." Bennett used artists and producers from Chicago who he had also worked with before. The

acid jazz Acid jazz (also known as club jazz, psychedelic jazz, or groove jazz) is a music genre that combines elements of funk, soul music, soul, and hip hop music, hip hop, as well as jazz and disco. Acid jazz originated in clubs in London during the 1 ...

sound of the mixtape can be attributed to the collaboration of artists and producers from multiple genres. Bennett has said, "People that I worked with on other projects from multiple genres just came together to make a dope tape." Bennett attributes most of the funky or jazz sound to Peter Cottontale saying, "Peter Cottontale is a really sick jazz pianist." Bennett describes ''Acid Rap'' as more of a music based album and less of a story-based album when compared to his previous mixtape. When asked to compare ''10 Day'' to ''Acid Rap'' Bennett said, "''Acid Rap'' is just a whole different monster; it's me as an adult making great music instead of a kid trying to explain a story. It's less of a conceptual project. It's still very cohesive, storytelling-wise, and its own project. But it's more music-based than story-based this time. I'm still telling the story of what it's like coming out of high school, not going to college and my experience with LSD. The new music that I started listening to has got a really heavy Acid Jazz base to it. It's just really good songs; it's a collection of great songs, which is exactly what ''#10Day'' is. But it's more of just a really good album than a story." The cover art for ''Acid Rap'' was based on a real picture taken at

South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

, an annual conglomerate of film,

interactive media Interactive media refers to digital experiences that dynamically respond to user input, delivering content such as Text (literary theory), text, images, animations, video, Sound, audio, and even Artificial intelligence, AI-driven interactions. O ...

, and

music festival A music festival is a festival, community event with music, performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock music, rock, blues, folk music, folk, jazz, classical music), nation ...

s and

conferences A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...

that take place in mid-March in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

. The picture was taken by

Brandon Breaux Brandon Breaux is a multi-disciplinary artist from Chicago whose work includes oil-on-canvas and digital art.

, who also designed the cover art for Bennett's previous mixtape '' 10 Day.'' The picture happened by chance, according to Beaux, "I had made these Tie Dye tank tops before we went to SXSW and I gave them to Chance… In the back of my mind I'm like I hope you wear this."

Release

''Acid Rap'' was released as a

mixtape In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...

and not an

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

. Bennett has said "One of my biggest talents is performing live. and considered live performances and selling merchandise a more important source of income than recorded music, which he wanted to release for free. More recently he has also rapped about his hatred for record labels on "No Problem"''.'' Bennett being unsigned also gave him the ability to collaborate with any available artist. On June 28, 2019, Bennett officially released the mixtape onto streaming services along with his prior mixtape ''10 Day''. The track "

" didn't have its sample cleared and is instead replaced by a 30-second voice memo by Bennett. It was later included in a 10th anniversary ''Complete Edition''.

Reception

''Acid Rap'' was met with widespread critical acclaim. At

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, which assigns a

normalized Normalization or normalisation refers to a process that makes something more normal or regular. Science * Normalization process theory, a sociological theory of the implementation of new technologies or innovations * Normalization model, used in ...

rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the mixtape received an

average In colloquial, ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by ...

score of 86, based on 21 reviews. It was also nominated for Best Mixtape at the 2013

BET Hip Hop Awards The BET Hip Hop Awards are an annual awards show, airing on BET, showcasing hip hop performers, producers and music video directors. The awards ceremony began in 2006; it was held on November 12, 2006 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta and was first ...

. The mixtape was ranked at number two on ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

''s list and number 26 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

''s list of the 50 best albums of 2013, and first on their list of best mixtapes of 2013. It was the second most downloaded mixtape on MixtapeMonkey.com. It was also ranked at number 12 on ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

''s Top 50 Albums of 2013. President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

added the song "Acid Rain" to his 2016 summer playlist. In 2019, ''Pitchfork'' listed it 84 on its top 200 albums of the decade.

Track listing

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

and the album's vinyl liner notes, and reflect the 2019 re-release. Notes * "Paranoia" was included as a

hidden track In the field of recorded music, a hidden track (sometimes called a ghost track, secret track or unlisted track) is a song or a piece of audio that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, LP record, or other recorded medium, in such a way as t ...

following "Pusha Man" for the original mixtape release, with

Nosaj Thing Jason W. Chung (born January 27, 1985), better known as Nosaj Thing, is an American artist, record producer, and DJ based in Los Angeles, California. He has produced tracks for Kendrick Lamar, Chance the Rapper, Kid Cudi, Tinashe, Toro Y Moi, se ...

's contributions receiving no credit. The 28 seconds of silence that separated the two tracks was omitted entirely on the 2019 streaming re-release and vinyl release. The 2023 'complete edition', released on streaming services to commemorate the mixtape's tenth anniversary, restores 15 seconds of silence between the two tracks. * "Juice" was replaced by a 30-second voice memo for the 2019 streaming re-release and was omitted entirely on the vinyl release. After clearing the requisite sample, the song made its streaming debut on the 2023 'complete edition' release. Samples * "Good Ass Intro" contains a sample of "Intro", written by

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

; and embodies portions of "

Faithful Faithful may refer to: Film and television * ''Faithful'' (1910 film), an American comedy short directed by D. W. Griffith * ''Faithful'' (1936 film), a British musical drama directed by Paul L. Stein * ''Faithful'' (1996 film), an American cr ...

", written by

Lonnie Lynn Lonnie Lynn Jr. (May 24, 1943 – September 12, 2014), nicknamed "Pops", was an American professional basketball player and spoken word poet. He played college basketball for the Upper Iowa Peacocks and Wilberforce Bulldogs. Lynn played profess ...

, John Stephens, Dewayne Julius Rogers Sr. and West. * "Pusha Man" contains a sample and embodies portions of "Modaji", performed and written by

Dave Grusin Robert David Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record work, incl ...

; and contains an interpolation of "Pusherman", written by

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Dubbed the " Gentle Genius", he is considered one of the most influential musicians of soul and socially conscious Afric ...

. * "Juice" contains a sample of "

Jealous Guy "Jealous Guy" is a song written and originally recorded by the English rock musician John Lennon from his second studio album '' Imagine'' (1971). Not released as a single during Lennon's lifetime, it became an international hit in a version by ...

", performed by

Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, backing vocalist, and arranger who ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto" ...

and written by Hathaway and

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

. * "Lost" contains a sample and embodies portions of "Brother's Gonna Work It Out", performed and written by

Willie Hutch William McKinley Hutchison (December 6, 1944 – September 19, 2005), better known as Willie Hutch, was an American singer, songwriter as well as a record producer and recording artist for the Motown record label during the 1970s and 1980s. Biog ...

. * "Everybody's Something" contains an interpolation of "Diana in the Autumn Wind", written by Roger Kay Karshner and

Chuck Mangione Charles Frank Mangione ( ; born November 29, 1940) is an American flugelhorn player, trumpeter and composer. He came to prominence as a member of Art Blakey's band in the 1960s, and later co-led the Jazz Brothers with his brother, Gap Mangione, ...

; and contains a sample and embodies portions of "Fall in Love", performed by

Slum Village Slum Village is an American hip hop group from Detroit, Michigan. The group was formerly composed of the rappers Baatin (1974–2009), T3, and rapper / producer J Dilla (1974–2006). J Dilla left in 2001 to pursue a solo career with MCA Record ...

and written by James Yancey, R.L. Altman and Titus Glover. * "Favorite Song" contains samples and embodies portions of "

Clean Up Woman "Clean Up Woman" is a song by Betty Wright from her second studio album, ''I Love the Way You Love'' (1972). Written and produced by Clarence Reid and Willie Clarke, it was released in November 1971 in the U.S. as a 7" single with "I'll Love Y ...

", performed by

Betty Wright Bessie Regina Norris (December 21, 1953 – May 10, 2020), better known by her stage name Betty Wright, was an American soul music, soul and Rhythm and blues, R&B singer, songwriter and background vocalist. Beginning her professional career ...

and written by Willie Clarke and Clarence Reid. * "NaNa" contains samples from "Red Clay", written by

Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives fo ...

and performed by

Jack Wilkins Jack Rivers Lewis (June 3, 1944 – May 5, 2023), known professionally as Jack Wilkins, was an American jazz guitarist. Career A native of New York City, Wilkins grew up listening to his parents' music, such as Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, a ...

. * "Chain Smoker" contains samples from "

Long Red "Long Red" is a song recorded by Leslie West for his first solo album ''Mountain'' (1969). He performed it with his band Mountain at Woodstock in 1969, which was later included on '' Live: The Road Goes Ever On'' (1972). The drum break from this v ...

(Live)", written by

Felix Pappalardi Felix Albert Pappalardi Jr. (December 30, 1939 – April 17, 1983) was an American music producer, songwriter, vocalist, and bass violin, bassist. He is best known as the bassist and co-lead vocalist of the band Mountain (band), Mountain, whose ...

, John Ventura, Leslie Weinstein and Norman Landsberg.

Production personnel

*Brandon Breaux – artwork *OJ Hays – "Acid Rap" typeface *Elton "L10mixedit" Chueng – engineering, mixing, mastering *Na'el Shehade – engineer, producer *Alex "PapiBeatz" Baez – engineering *Andrew Barber – Founder of Fake Shore Drive *Su$h! Ceej – Member of Two-9, producer ("Pusha Man") *Peter CottonTale – Music Director, Producer ("Good Ass Intro," "Cocoa Butter Kisses") *

brandUn DeShay Brandun DeShay (born May 10, 1990), stylized as brandUn DeShay, is an American rapper and record producer from Chicago, Illinois. He produced for all of his releases. Aside from his solo career, DeShay was an early member of the Los Angeles-bas ...

(Ace Hashimoto) – producer ("NaNa") *J.P. Floyd – Trombonist, featured artist ("Good Ass Intro") *Nate Fox – Member of the Social Experiment, featured artist ("Pusha Man"), producer ("Juice," "Lost," "Favorite Song," "Chain Smoker") *Alex Fruchter – Founder of Closed Sessions *Rich Gains – Member of Blended Babies, producer ("Smoke Again") *

Ludwig Göransson Ludwig Emil Tomas Göransson (; ; born 1 September 1984) is a Swedish musician, composer, conductor, songwriter, and record producer. For his work in music, film and television, he has won several accolades including two Academy Awards, a Britis ...

– producer ("Interlude hat's Love) *JP – Member of Blended Babies, producer ("Smoke Again") *Kiara Lanier – singer, featured artist ("Good Ass Intro") * Lili K – singer, featured artist ("Good Ass Intro," "Pusha Man") *Mike Kolar – engineer, owner of Soundscape Studios, founder of Closed Sessions *

Vic Mensa Victor Kwesi Mensah (born June 6, 1993), known professionally as Vic Mensa, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, he was a member of the regional hip hop groups Kids These Days (band), Kids These Days and Savemoney prior to releasing ...

– rapper, featured artist ("Cocoa Butter Kisses") *Cam O'bi – producer ("Good Ass Intro," "Cocoa Butter Kisses," "Everything's Good ood Ass Outro) *Stefan Ponce – producer ("Good Ass Intro") *

Nico Segal Nico Segal (born June 25, 1993), formerly known by his stage name Donnie Trumpet, is an American trumpeter and record producer from Chicago, Illinois. He is part of the hip hop collective Savemoney with Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa, among ot ...

– Trumpeter, member of the Social Experiment *

Twista Carl Terrell Mitchell (born November 27, 1973), better known by his stage name Twista (also known as Tung Twista), is an American rapper. He is best known for his Chopper (rap), chopper style of rapping and for once holding the title of fastest ...

– rapper, featured artist ("Cocoa Butter Kisses") *Austin Vesely – director ("Juice," "Everybody's Something," "NaNa")

Charts

References

External links

Official ''Acid Rap'' download and stream
{{Authority control 2013 mixtape albums Albums produced by Jake One Albums produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League Chance the Rapper albums Acid jazz albums Jazz albums by American artists Jazz rap albums Self-released mixtape albums