It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these but the timing is right. With this new Chance the Rapper mixtape we will get to see how he has developed as an artist since his debut release 10day. I have been paying attention to what he’s been working on lately and who he works with so this should be interesting. So let’s get into it.

Good Ass Intro ft. BJ the Chicago Kid, Kids These Days, and Lil K.
This intro sounds like a continuation from Hey Ma. The feel is very soulful. I like the vocalists in the background, they really help to bring life to the song. If the ending of the song don’t sound like the preacher at the end of his sermon in church idk what it sounds like then. This song just has the feel that makes you want to celebrate for whatever reason.

Pusha Man ft. Nate Fox & Lili K.

It’s funny how the previous song resembled a sermon and its goes from that to a song making references to pushin’ work. The song is still pretty soulful. One thing that threw me for a loop the first time I listened to this song was how all of a sudden the song just ended or paused. I thought I had a corrupted file until I looked at the pod and saw that I had at least 2 minutes left. But what was to come was well worth the wait.

“somebody will steal daddy’s Roly, call it the neighborhood watch”

I like how he changed the pace of this lyrics and added the adlib, it made that portion of the song that much better. Not really feeling how the song ended though, it was lackluster even though it was a bit poetic.

Cocoa Butter Kisses ft. Vic Mensa & Twista
Call upon the organ player! This chorus is pretty catchy.

“used to like orange cassette tapes, with Timmy, Tommy, and Chucky”

lmao. You can definitely two step to this joint, it just embodies that energy. Vic Mensa held it down with his verse. His wordplay was better than Chance’s IMO. The insertion of a bridge was perfection for a fairly new artist. Whoa where did Twista come from? I think that Twista described the vision for the title of the song the best. He helped to bring the true emotion to the song.

Juice
I still think that this song will take a while to grow on me. I like how he took the time to pump his verses with enough energy to make people like me stay and listen instead of pressing the skip button.

“everybody in the world f#ckin hates the Lakers”

total disrespect, smh.

Lost ft. Noname Gypsy

This is a song that I have had on repeat since the tape dropped. I think what attracted me to this song was that it was kind of slow and it was easy to listen to. The part that stood out to me was Noname Gypsy’s verse, smh, it was so real. She made it sound so personal

“when the only time he loves me is when I’m naked in his dreams”

Way to end a verse. It’s verses like that, that make people want to hear more from that artist.

Everybody’s Something ft. Saba & BJ The Chicago Kid
Kudos to DJ Ozone for this production. This has to be one of the toughest verses that I’ve heard from Chance in a while. The selection of words for the intro verse was done to perfection.

“And whys God’s phone die every time that I call on Him?
If his son had a Twitter wonder if I would follow him”

Saba ripped the shit out of this song. This song sounds like an anthem for the matchbox kids, hope glows at the end of the tunnel type of ish.

Interlude (That’s Love)

“What’s better than popping bottles trying to ball in the club
Is the first caveman pops with his son, ball and a club”

LMFAO that’s all I have to say.

Favorite Song ft. Childish Gambino
First off peep that sampluer. This song is pretty simple but hits just right. Gambino comes in so energetic.

“your mom won’t play it in the car cause it got cursin in it”

lmao.

NaNa ft. Action Bronson

By far my favorite song on this tape thus far. The production reminds me of something that Q-tip produced on Midnight Marauders. I love how the keys are so subtle. The wordplay is definitely comedic in this song from both Chance and Bronsonlino! I like how that “acid in my hat” part of his verse is layered, not sure why but I just like that part.

“I had the full Bulls warm-up with the Pippens on”

Smoke Again ft. Ab-Soul
This is another song that will definitely have to grow on me. For right now it’s skippable. Take a listen and see what you think about it.

Acid Rain
This joint still hits even though it’s been out for a while. The vocals in the background give the song that extra bit that is needed to set the mood right for the listener.

“he still be screamin, I see his demons in empty hallways”

I may have stated this before but this joint has that old school Outkast feel to it, on some Hold on, Be Strong ish. Another reason that I enjoy listening to this song is because the verses are personal and you can feel some of the emotion that he spills in the words of the lyrics.

Chain Smoker
I believe that this song helps to pull the end of the album together to make it whole again. I like how he pronounces some words in a different manner, it helps to keep the listener intrigued. The metaphors he used to paint pictures are well thought out.

“Lies, Levis on fire
Flyer on the wall I’m brighter
In the darkness of the night
In the sky I get higher, higher”

Everything’s Good (Good Ass Outro)
Wow, something you don’t hear often in hip hop, a conversation between a father and a son. This excerpt helps to set the mood for the outro. The drop in by the drums was near perfection. The flow was controlled and intentional.

“but I knew it was fly, when I was just a cate-pillaaarrr”

When the horns come in you really get a sense that Chance is beyond the regular new artist. It’s like he took the time to concentrate on the details and it is well appreciated. Even the slight pause and transition into the instrumental ending was almost flawless. Well done.

Conclusion
From the intro to the outro you can tell that Chance has grown as an artist. I believe there was an effort to bring something different to the world of music. The album felt like a blend between hip hop and soul. Better yet it was an avid pictorial of the soul of hip hop. It embodied the childhood of a Chicago hip hop artist. There was definitely a couple of down moments were the composition could have been cared for a little bit better. All in all I believe that this is an excellent tape and I recommend a swift download and sync to the pod. Hats off to the producers that contributed to the project.