Chance the Rapper Will Drop Acid Rap at Shrine Expo Hall   

Jordan Bailey

Chancelor Bennett, a.k.a. Chance the Rapper, is about the most intriguing thing to happen to hip-hop in recent years, and something fans of the genre we’re eagerly awaiting.

As a Chicago native, Chance came up, naturally, as a Kanye West fan even citing “The College Dropout,” Kanye’s debut album, as the first hip-hop album he ever purchased. Yeezy’s influence is clear in the uniqueness of Chance’s first mixtape, “10 Day,” recorded and released in 2011. The title was inspired by a 10-day suspension from his senior year of high school after getting caught with marijuana on school grounds. Though one can argue the benefits of marijuana on creative individuals all day, it’s certainly evident the herb had a profound affect on Chance’s imaginative side. Exhibit A: “Acid Rap,” Chance’s first full-length from 2013, an album that responsibly boasts drugs like marijuana and LSD and their presence in the artistic mind. This is the album that sent Chance to the forefront of hip-hop, sparking a diamond certification from DatPiff with over 1 million downloads. “Acid Rap” even broke into the number 63 spot on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. This was significant because Chance wasn’t signed to a record label. He still releases all of his music on his own accord. The presence of this album on the charts is directly related to bootleg downloads that were being sold on Amazon and iTunes. Chance’s manager Patrick Corcoran put it best, “This shows that there’s a strong appetite for Chance in the marketplace. How often does a bootleg hit a Billboard chart?”

In 2014, Chance released an entirely free album entitled “Surf” with his band The Social Experiment featuring Donnie Trumpet. The highly acclaimed album features tracks of the, let’s just say, happy variety. The aptly titled album provides unlimited good vibes in the form of positive lyrics and gospel singers in tracks like “Sunday Candy,” “Miracle” and “Pass the Vibes.” Alongside his word-flow blending spoken word with traditional MC-style rhyming, Chance has become synonymous with positivity, the one feeling hip-hop needed.

Chance is currently on his Family Matters Tour alongside D.R.A.M., Metro Boomin and Towkio. Catch him in LA on Wed. Nov. 25 at Shrine Expo Hall. Find tickets here.