On May 28, Chicago’s Chance the Rapper along with Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment released their highly anticipated album Surf. Fans such as me can personally say that this album is wondrous not only because of its soulful tracks, but also because all 16 songs on the album were free.

Surf can only be described as unique. It’s not often today that you hear genuine music that isn’t devised from a computer, but instead from actual instruments. In this album you can distinctly hear the trumpet blaring in the background and the piano chiming in on cue.

The surplus of collaborations with other artists also adds a treat. Surf features the talents of Busta Rhymes, J.Cole, Erykah Badu, Janelle Monae, Big Sean, Jeremih, B.O.B, Quavo of Migos, and more. The album’s unique sound together with the array of artist collaborations makes for an album that is far from boring. When artists ranging in styles contribute on one hip-hop/jazz/pop album, it could turn two ways: a muddled mess of sounds or a symphony of perfectly blends. Surf was the latter.

Chance the Rapper, birth name Chancelor Bennett, was born and bred in Chatham, Chicago, Illinois. Showing an interest in music at a young age, he created a hip-hop act with a friend in his freshman year of high school. Staying true to his soulful roots, Chance carried them with him on his journey to success.

In 2011, the rapper was suspended from school for 10 days, according to Chance the Rapper and reported by xxlmag.com. This gave him the time to begin working on his first mixtape, fittingly named 10 Day. After touring with fellow rapper Childish Gambino as an opening act, Bennett released his second mixtape on April 30, 2013. The mixtape, Acid Rap, became certified double platinum on the mixtape distribution site Datpiff, and was nominated for Best Mixtape at the 2013 BET Awards.

Acid Rap was a mixtape that clearly showed the personality of Bennett. Containing animated, upbeat tracks such as Juice, Favorite Song, and Pusha Man, loaded with ad-libs and tricky word-play, it is a great example of just how energetic and unique Chance the Rapper is.

It would seem unbelievable that an album of this quality would cost exactly zero dollars and zero cents, but seeing that Chance the Rapper is involved, it does not seem so out of the ordinary. His main claim is that he wants to focus on the music instead of the money behind it, according to the Chicago Tribune, so Bennett is not new to benefiting others. In his hometown of Chicago he often hosts open-mike nights that are free for any high-school student in the Chicago area to express their words. It would only seem right for Bennett to do this, considering that he got his start as an MC doing open-mikes when he was only 14 or 15 . It was there that he says he “learned how to spoon feed [his] music to people who were open to hearing it,” he said, also according to the Chicago Tribune.

Chance began his tour with The Social Experiment from October-December 2013. The Social Experiment (SOX) is an American band that features the talented music style of Donnie Trumpet, with whom Chance has been working closely with for the past couple of years. Chance and SOX have released a variety of free songs on the music sharing site SoundCloud, including “I Am Very Very Lonely,” “No Better Blues,”  Save Yourself  First,” “Jeremih-Planes Remix,” and the most famous of the collabs: “Heaven Only Knows,” beginning last year and leading up to Surf. 

Many tracks on Surf share the same upbeat make-ya-wanna-dance vibe, such as “Slip Slide,” “Wanna Be Cool,” “Familiar,” “Go,” and “Sunday Candy.” On the other side, some tracks contain a more laid-back, chill, poetic feel, that leaves you reading between the lines. Songs under this category include “Miracle,” “Warm Enough,” “Windows,” “Caretaker,” “Just Wait,” “SmthnthtIwnt,” and “Pass the Vibes.”

Of the sixteen songs, my personal favorites are “Familiar,” “Warm Enough,” “Rememory,” “Sunday Candy,” and “Pass the Vibes.” These five best represent the highlights of collaboration, beats, and lyrics. However, don’t knock the other tracks; there are numerous that are close candidates for this list.

All in all, Surf lived up to its expectations and was tremendously delightful. Complaints, if any, would be that you don’t hear as many of Chance’s wacky, kinetic verses. However, you do instead get a taste of his more poetic side, which is almost equally as pleasing.

I’ll end on this note: If you ever get the pleasure of listening to Surf, (which I don’t understand how you couldn’t considering the fact that it’s free and all,) your ears will thank you.