June 28th was a great day in the hip hop world for many reasons. I mean it was a Friday after all, which is known as the best day of the week for new music releases (you can check out all of June 28th’s new releases here). But the biggest reason that it was great is because Chance The Rapper has finally released his beloved 10 Day and Acid Rap mixtapes to music streaming services. The only streaming platform these projects had been on before today was Soundcloud, simply because they contained a lot of unreleased samples. But that’s a thing of the past now for the most part, so let’s dig into the projects a bit.
10 Day
10 Day was inspired by Bennett having to serve a 10 day suspension from high school for marijuana possession in 2011. It is a very special project for me and a lot of other Chance fans. It was our first exposure to Chance and made him really stand out among his young Chicago peers.
10 Day was his first official release under the Chance The Rapper name that we all know and love today. It gave us a sincere and honest look into the life of a young high school aged Chance Bennett. The project is absolutely full of amazing and heartfelt jams that you don’t hear that much these days…
Essential 10 Day Tracks
which leads me to my next point: there are so many songs on this project that are essential for any Chance fan or person wanting to get into his music now that it’s more accessible. Here are my most essential 10 Day tracks that you need to check out:
Acid Rap
Oh man, this is where it really starts getting good. I will say this right now: Acid Rap is a top five mixtape of all time, no question about it. The love and passion that went into creating this project is palpable; it just evokes so many different feelings.
Acid Rap was released on April 30th, 2013 to widespread critical acclaim. The project was inspired by Chance’s use of psychedelic drugs LSD and acid, even though it wasn’t the only reason the project was created in the first place. He has said that Acid Rap is more musically than story based compared to 10 Day, while also being cohesive in its own way. Most of the artists and producers on the project are based in Chicago, making for a bigger hometown feel.
Essential Acid Rap Tracks
Honestly all of the tracks on this project are essential, but me saying that isn’t the purpose of this section. Here are some of the most essential tracks off Acid Rap, even though you wouldn’t be wrong to just listen to the whole thing:
- “Cocoa Butter Kisses” ft. Vic Mensa & Twista
- “Juice”
- “Acid Rain”
- “Pusha Man/Paranoia” ft. Nate Fox & Lili K.
Should I listen?
To put it bluntly: if you are a fan of modern hip hop even in the slightest, you need to listen to these projects. There are both amazing in their own way and deserve the respect of hip hop fans everywhere. I can’t put into words how excited I am to finally add these classic tracks to my playlists and bump them all summer!
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