- Chance the Rapper & the Social Experiment Release ‘Surf’ as a Free Download The Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment debut is finally available on iTunes Colin Joyce // May 28, 2015.
- May 28, 2015 - Download Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment's Free Album 'Surf'. The surprises keep coming. First Jeezy's mixtape, then A$AP Rocky's.
May 28, 2015 - Recorded alongside Nico “Donnie Trumpet” Segal and members of The Social Experiment.
Releasing a rap album in 2015 isn’t as straightforward as it should be. From Lil Wayne’s perpetually delayed final Carter album to early releases/leaks forcing Earl Sweatshirt and Kendrick Lamar’s hands, often things are mothballed or shunted forward by forces well outside of an artist’s or label’s control. Chance the Rapper has taken a different approach entirely in releasing Surf, a sort-of follow up to 2013’s mixtape hit Acid Rap, with Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment (the latter being the live band he tours and records with). It’s a sort-of follow-up because he’s not simply moonlighting as Donnie Trumpet. That’s the alias of 21-year-old trumpeter Nico Segal who is joined by other members Nate Fox, Peter Wilkins and drummer Greg “Stix” Landfair Jr, while Chancelor Bennett is billed just as another part of the group. A self-effacing, limelight-sharing side man.
But that cameo role isn’t obvious on Surf. Opening track Miracle sees him take centre stage while he spits staggering, complex and meandering lyrics (that defy the GZA’s recent assertion that lyricism in modern rap is a lost art) over backing that could be provided by Steve Winwood’s psych rockers Traffic. But he’s far from the only attraction: Slip Slide alone features a cornucopia of rappers and singers including an in-form Busta Rhymes, BoB, BJ the Chicago Kid and Janelle Monaé.
Some have said this isn’t a rap album, but if that’s the case it does a pretty good job of pretending to be one with King Louie, Big Sean, J Cole and Quavo of Migos fame all showing up and well, rapping. That non-rap characterisation is probably because musically, the whole thing sits somewhere between Flying Lotus’s opus You’re Dead and Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly; and as with those two albums jazz is everywhere (Windows, Just Wait, Something Came To Me), only here it is tempered by the psych elements that often take over tracks and transport them off somewhere else just as trippy as Acid Rap.
Other stand-out moments are found in collaborations such as on Rememory, where Erykah Badu emerges as a benevolent matriarch asking Chance how his day has gone, as if she’s channeling Alfre Woodard’s character in Spike Lee’s Crooklyn. Perhaps the most poignant track, however, is Wanna Be Cool, where Chance is the singing, rapping, I-can-do-it-all front man while he spells out his reluctance to be held up as just that, singing: “I don’t want to be cool, I just want to be me” over smooth, brazenly joyful Jam and Lewis 80s-style production. Live he, Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment have already proven potent and now on record they’ve gone into the studio and done something even more impressive by pulling together the energy of their live offering and moulding collaborators from across the rap-world spectrum into it.
Even if this is billed as a group enterprise the thing that you’re left with after listening to Surf is that regardless of how much Chance the Rapper might not want to be the main attraction he is, and absolutely should be. His lyrics are consistently the most interesting, his flow the most original and here he sounds content, as if in the group setting he is completely comfortable with being (in his mind at least) just one of the guys. Clearly though, he’s much more than that.
| Surf | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 28, 2015 | |||
| Recorded | 2013–15 in Los Angeles, California, Florida, CRC in Chicago, Illinois | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 51:54 | |||
| Producer | The Social Experiment | |||
| Nico Segal chronology | ||||
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| Chance the Rapper chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Surf | ||||
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Surf is the debut studio album by American band The Social Experiment; it was released exclusively on iTunes as a free download on May 28, 2015.[1] The album highlights trumpeter Nico Segal, formerly known as 'Donnie Trumpet,' and was created by Segal along with his band of collaborators called The Social Experiment — a self-described group of bohemian musicians, consisting of Segal, Chance the Rapper, Peter Cottontale, Greg Landfair Jr., and Nate Fox. The album was highly anticipated because of Chance's heavy involvement with the group, contributing vocals and some of the arrangements to the album. Surf was downloaded 618,000 times via iTunes in its first week, with over 10 million individual track downloads.
- 2Critical response
Release[edit]
Surf was surprise-released as an iTunes Exclusive free download shortly before midnight on May 28, 2015, after numerous delays. The album was originally to be released by the end of the year in 2014, but the release date was pushed back several times. Preceding the album were singles 'Sunday Candy' and 'Nothing Came To Me', neither of which showed any of the various features on the album – since Chance is technically part of The Social Experiment, he is not regarded as a feature. 'Sunday Candy', an ode to Chance's grandmother, featuring vocals by Chance The Rapper and various uncredited singers including Jamila Woods, was followed by 'Nothing Came To Me', an instrumental track accompanied by a 'silent film' starring Cara Delevingne.[2] The Austin Vesely, Ian Eastwood and Chance The Rapper-directed music video for Sunday Candy was released on YouTube on April 12, 2015.[3]
Critical response[edit]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 86/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| The A.V. Club | A−[5] |
| Chicago Tribune | [6] |
| Complex | [7] |
| The Guardian | [8] |
| NME | 8/10[9] |
| Pitchfork | 8.3/10[10] |
| PopMatters | 9/10[11] |
| Rolling Stone | [12] |
| Spin | 7/10[13] |
| Vice | A[14] |
Surf was met with widespread acclaim from music critics who praised its varied musical elements and aesthetic. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 86, based on 17 critics.[4] In its first week, Surf was downloaded 618,000 times via iTunes, with over 10 million individual track downloads.[15] Critics highly praised the artful style, lyrics, production, and incorporation of dance, jazz fusion, and neo-soul elements in the music of the album. The album's diverse range of guest artists also drew praise; while no officially credited features were listed in the iTunes track list, Surf contains contributions from BJ The Chicago Kid, Big Sean, KYLE, Jamila Woods, Noname, DRAM, B.o.B, Busta Rhymes, J. Cole, Janelle Monáe, Quavo and Erykah Badu, among others.
Accolades[edit]
Surf has been ranked as one of the highest-acclaimed albums of 2015, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[4]Robert Christgau named it the sixth best album of 2015 in his ballot for The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll.[16]
| Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2015 | 2015 | 21[17] |
| Stereogum | The 50 Best Albums of 2015 | 2015 |
Track listing[edit]
All tracks produced by 'The Social Experiment'. Although no features were listed on iTunes, many artists accompanied Nico Segal and The Social Experiment during the recording of Surf.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 'Miracle' |
| 4:11 |
| 2. | 'Slip Slide' |
| 4:00 |
| 3. | 'Warm Enough' |
| 3:22 |
| 4. | 'Nothing Came to Me' | 3:30 | |
| 5. | 'Wanna Be Cool' |
| 3:28 |
| 6. | 'Windows' |
| 3:57 |
| 7. | 'Caretaker' | 1:35 | |
| 8. | 'Just Wait' |
| 3:47 |
| 9. | 'Familiar' |
| 3:54 |
| 10. | 'SmthnthtIwnt' |
| 1:51 |
| 11. | 'Go' |
| 4:22 |
| 12. | 'Questions' | 1:55 | |
| 13. | 'Something Came to Me' |
| 3:11 |
| 14. | 'Rememory' |
| 2:34 |
| 15. | 'Sunday Candy' |
| 3:46 |
| 16. | 'Pass the Vibes' | 2:31 | |
| Total length: | 51:54 | ||
The Social Experiment Surf Download Free
Notes
- 'Slip Slide' contains uncredited vocals from B.o.B, BJ the Chicago Kid, Busta Rhymes, Janelle Monáe and Ady Suleiman.
- 'Warm Enough' contains uncredited vocals from J. Cole and Noname.
- 'Wanna Be Cool' contains uncredited vocals from Big Sean, Jeremih and Kyle.
- 'Windows' contains uncredited vocals from BJ the Chicago Kid and Raury.
- 'Caretaker' contains uncredited vocals from DRAM
- 'Familiar' contains uncredited vocals from King L and Quavo.
- 'SmthnthtIwnt' contains uncredited vocals from Saba.
- 'Go' contains uncredited vocals from Jesse Boykins III, Mike Golden and Joey Purp.
- 'Questions' contains uncredited vocals from Jamila Woods.
- 'Rememory' contains uncredited vocals from Erykah Badu and Ady Suleiman.
- 'Sunday Candy' contains uncredited vocals from Jamila Woods.
- 'Pass the Vibes' contains uncredited vocals from Eric Butler.
References[edit]
The Social Network
- ^'iTunes - Music - Surf by Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment'. iTunes.
- ^'Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment – Nothing Came to Me'. Genius.
- ^'Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment - Sunday Candy 'Short Film''. YouTube.
- ^ abc'Reviews for Surf by Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment'. Metacritic. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
- ^Rytlewski, Evan (June 2, 2015). 'Chance The Rapper finds good company on Donnie Trumpet's Surf'. The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
- ^Kot, Greg (June 1, 2015). ''Surf' album review: Donnie Trumpet and Chance the Rapper's Social Experiment mix styles and eras'. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
- ^Charity, Justin (June 1, 2015). 'Review: Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment Lead a Parade of Jubilation on 'Surf''. Complex. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- ^Bakare, Lanre (May 29, 2015). 'Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment – Surf first listen review: Chance the Rapper goes psych'. The Guardian. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
- ^Hebblethwaite, Phil (June 30, 2015). 'Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment – Surf'. NME. Archived from the original on December 13, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
- ^Drake, David (June 5, 2015). 'Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment: Surf'. Pitchfork. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
- ^Sawdey, Evan (June 4, 2015). 'Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment: Surf'. PopMatters. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
- ^Spanos, Brittany (June 16, 2016). 'Surf'. Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ^Unterberger, Andrew (June 1, 2015). 'Review: The Social Experiment Bury Their Lead on the Disarmingly Joyous 'Surf''. Spin. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- ^Christgau, Robert (September 25, 2015). 'Chance the Rapper and Friends Count Their Blessings: Expert Witness with Robert Christgau'. Vice. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
- ^'Timeline Photos - Chance The Rapper'. Facebook.
- ^'Ballots: Robert Christgau'. The Village Voice. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
- ^'The 50 Best Albums of 2015'. Pitchfork. December 16, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
- ^'The 50 Best Albums Of 2015'. stereogum.com. 2015-12-01. Retrieved 2015-12-10.