the social experiment chance

Surf is the long-awaited collaboration between the unbilled Chance the Rapper, his band The Social Experiment, and musical ally Donnie Trumpet (a.k.a. Nico Segal). Chance gets his time to shine, spitting acrobatic rhymes throughout, but clearly this is a team effort focused on moving minds and butts. Flecks of big-band instrumentation lend sparkle, while folks like Erykah Badu, Busta Rhymes, Janelle Monáe, and Big Sean provide cameos. The vibe is reminiscent of Native Tongues or Soulquarians, a positive space to submit to creative freedom and unpredictable flow, just like the ocean itself.

May 29, 2015 16 Songs, 51 minutes ℗ 2015 Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment

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Chance the Rapper Explains Social Experiment Album Surf , Recruits Andre 3000 for Solo Album

By Jeremy Gordon

Chance the Rapper is the subject of a new cover story in  The Fader (written by Pitchfork contributor Andrew Nosnitsky) that delves into the rapper's upcoming Surf project, which is credited to Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment, the four-piece band of which Chance is a member. As the story details, Chance is just one of many elements on the album, which is the result of prolonged, labor-intensive sessions. (One of which yielded 610 tracks for a single song.)

Most notably, Chance isn't specifically singled out on any of the songs. "People hear what they wanna hear," said Nico Segal, aka the titular Donnie Trumpet. "If they only wanna listen to the songs with Chance The Rapper, they're gonna have to listen to the whole project cover-to-cover because I'm not gonna tell them which songs [he's on]. The important thing is just to listen. Listen to the music, then send it to your grandma."

Chance himself emphasized his role as supporting player. " Surf is Nico's project," he said. "He was working on it when we decided to be the Social Experiment, so we decided that his project should be first."

Raury and Noname Gypsy appear on the album. No release date has been announced for Surf yet. Previous Social Experiment tracks released include "No Better Blues" , "Sunday Candy" , and "Nothing Came to Me" .

Elsewhere in the story, it's noted that previously reported further collaborations between Chance and James Blake have been put on the shelf for unknown reasons.

In other news, Chance's debut solo LP, which will be released after  Surf , is also in the works. It will feature Andre 3000, as well as the previously reported Frank Ocean and J. Cole, as  GQ reports.

Listen to "No Better Blues":

Watch the video for "Nothing Came to Me":

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Review: Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment Lead a Parade of Jubilation on 'Surf'

"Your grandma ain't my grandma."

Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment

Cheers to the 13 rappers  featured on Surf , an album that's nonetheless billed, appropriately, as a jam band's grand pop gesture. Donnie Trumpet runs shit here; Chance and Busta just live here.

Officially, Surf is a (free) album by Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment, that latter collective accounting for Chance the Rapper's side-hustle as a lead singer. These distinctions are a crucial notice for anyone who downloaded this thing in hopes of hearing Chance's sequel to Acid Rap , though that album and this one do have a few guest artists in common—BJ the Chicago Kid, Saba, Noname Gipsy—all of them Chance's fellow Chicagoans.  

Song credits aside, however, Chance the Rapper is the definitive voice of Surf. It's his grandma and his fanclub we're hearing about on "Sunday Candy," and it's his individuation that we're celebrating as gospel on "Windows." Chance is featured on nine of the album's 16 tracks, which otherwise invite variously unaffiliated rappers —J. Cole, Quavo, Kyle, et al.—one at a time to the Social Experiment's sandbox, which runneth over with optimism and unabashed childishness. Here's an album where everyone's shout-outs to Ma$e and EPMD aren't crafted as genre nostalgia, but rather as reconstruction of a childhood in general. 

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And yes, even trappers and gangsta rappers grew up watching cartoons like the rest of us, so it shouldn't be such a surprise (though it is) that King L and Quavo are, arguably, the best suited to Surf 's Nickelodeon uplift on "Familiar," with King L turning his nose and his back to snooty Parisians and instead waving hey to several Kardashians. "Slip Slide," with its marching drum rolls and funky Jupiter-8 zaps, is a literal parade of such playful confidence and features Busta Rhymes as Rafiki and Simba in one: "A hundred grand on the child that always ran from the wrong/Standing on his own two but wanna stand with the strong​."

Album single "Sunday Candy" is a glitterbomb of major brass, live bass, trap snares, 808 builds, fingersnaps, and Baptist choir organ breaks. The song, like the album overall, is an omni-genre whirlwind that's indebted to Morris Day as much as it's evocative of Broadway musicians Robert Lopez, William Finn, and Lee Breuer. Surf is filled with mosquito-high brass and swaggering trombone in its brightest moments ("Just Wait"), and a wakeful vibraphone in its downstroke ("Pass the Vibes").

Surf  is filled with mosquito-high brass and swaggering trombone in its brightest moments, and A wakeful vibraphone in its downstroke.

For the most part,  Surf 's mellower cuts are the instrumental solos or else songs where a single rapper or singer carries the song on their own. Alone, Chicago rapper Saba is his typical self, young and tightly wound, on "SmthnthtIwnt," which ends with crashing surges of chimes and guitar. Roller rink funk ditty "Go" is a rare moment of simply coasting on the good vibes, and "Caretaker," featuring "Cha Cha" singer D.R.A.M., is the one extended interlude too many.

With all its conch-passing and overall sense of beach towel community,  Surf is Michael Franti minus theory and smarm. Which isn't to suggest that this is nothing more than a goofball field trip to the shore; Surf 's general theme is caution, careful relation to other people, and the power of even the most gradual courage. ("In your way you're on your way," Erykah Badu sings on "Rememory" as bedtime approaches. "You're safe.") By album's end, the musicians and listeners alike have done some measure of growing up, though thankfully having succumbed to the work known as love rather than to cynicism.  Surf is a boardwalk picnic with sunset views of the Ferris wheel, grassy laughter, and paper plates smeared with blueberry shortcake.

Justin Charity is a staff writer for Complex. Follow him  @brothernumpsa .

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Review: the only thing to say about donnie trumpet, chance the rapper and sox’s ‘surf’ is thank you.

By Stacy-Ann Ellis

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Good luck finding the flaws in Donnie Trumpet and The Social Experiment’s latest LP

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but it’s easy to feel like listening to music these days is a chore. Pressing play on tunes every calendar date of the year—some of which are great, many not so much—just for the sake of being in the know and keeping readers up to speed gets personally draining. Unlike consumers with the luxury of selectivity, it’s our job as music journalists to take it all in: the same 10 radio cuts in heavy rotation, empty tales of b-tches and hoes freely hopping in rappers’ whips,  third grade reading level  lyrics knocking around on trap 808 beats, backdrop songs to tossing crumpled up George Washingtons at quaking cheeks. Eventually, it all begins to feel soulless. However, every so often, a record comes along that really, truly moves you and shifts your whole mood. Something that you actually  want  to listen to over and over again. An unexpected cup of paint spilled onto your record player, swirling around spectrum ribbons as it plays. For me (and for many, according to Chance The Rapper ), Donnie Trumpet and The Social Experiment ‘s surprise release,  Surf , was that necessary burst of color. And for it, I’m thankful.

Chance The Rapper Reflects On Life In "Together" Video Feat. DJ Premier

Surf is easily one of the most refreshing musical releases since the drought of 2014 . Totaling at 16 tracks, the freebie LP takes the emotions on an uphill roller coaster ride. From the woozy intro to the doo wop-style closer, the album zeroes in on the communication of positive vibes and moods through robust instrumentation. It’s as if the creative troupe’s instruments of choice—Chance with the raps, Peter Cottontale and Nate Fox on the keys, Greg Landfair Jr. on the drums and Donnie Trumpet with his namesake tool and backing vocals—tell stories of their own. Trumpets whisper mournful, sinister secrets on the lyricless “Nothing Came To Me.” “Something Came To Me” (also instrumental) is the response to the first song, with more answers than questions communicated through gradient horns belted across a college football field.  The Lion King -inspired congo drums of “Windows” tip-toe around you, beckoning you to the center of the dance circle. Bumping bass strings paired with the triumphant horns of “Go” crash over eardrums like a wave. Sunny steel pans and church organs of “Sunday Candy” ignite spiritual euphoria in pew-bound listeners. Jubilant is the operative adjective for the sonics of this LP.

From the album’s hazy promo moments to well after it was released, the crew of indie darlings made it known that this diverse culmination of sounds and styles was a group effort. The spotlight never hovers over one person too long before shifting the focus to another musical feat. Despite the star-studded roster of talent stitched into the stanzas—you’ll hear Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu, Jeremih, Janelle Monae, J.Cole, Big Sean, BJ the Chicago Kid, B.o.B, Migos member, Quavo and more—a majority of them are unnamed on the tracklist. All featured voices here are used as sonic paintbrushes rather than a boast of star power. Chance and Co. act as unifiers (think of a less self-centered DJ Khaled), bringing together legends from the big leagues and buzzing starlets who still require the occasional Google search.

On the appropriately titled “Warm Enough,” spoken word vibes are conjured up between Cole and Noname Gypsy (who appeared on “Lost” from Chano’s much more melancholy  Acid Rap ). “Slip Slide” marries a drumline style marching band with Busta’s jovial tongue twisters, B.o.B’s charismatic bars, BJ’s soulful runs and Monae’s on-and-off coos. Kyle’s pleasantly kiddish drawl about Instagram likes gets sandwiched between Jeremih’s high register refrains and Big Sean’s rags to riches story on “Wanna Be Cool.” While clowning dime-a-dozen IG models on “Familiar,” King Louie and Quavo trade sing-songy bars as opposed to ratchet raps and Ady Suleiman croons soulfully about visceral feelings as Ms. Badu slides into our DM’s on “Rememory.” On “Windows,” Raury’s gentle scats blow in the wind beneath Chance’s cautious warnings, building horns and pitter-patter percussion. Beyonce’s  it  pick D.R.A.M. melts off the end of the too-short “Caretaker” while  Mike Golden , Lili K , Jesse Boykins III and Joey Purp trade upbeat funk and soul on “Go.” The syrupy sweet and infectious vocals of Eryn Allen Kane and Jamila Woods are practically here, there and everywhere on Surf . It’s a beautiful amalgam of familiar and unfamiliar sounds.

Even beyond album guests,  Surf  is a celebration of community, which falls in line with what Chance the Rapper preaches on and off wax. It’s all reflective of his communal approach to living life and making music. Lyrically, songs take a look at friendships, relationships, family, his city and the love, joy and gratefulness that orbit around such entities. “Homies breathing/Families eating/Mama singing, is a miracle,” Chance sings earnestly on “Miracle.” Thanks to Chance, uplifting mantras grandmothers preach to youngsters about patience (“Just Wait”), self-love (“Wanna Be Cool”) and getting your footing in life (“Slip Slide”) go down like sweets instead of Robitussin. Surf —which only has four songs with curse words on them—has a message for everyone.

Unlike VIBE’s knee-jerk review , I sat with Surf several times. I’ve played it at work. I’ve played it on the train. I’ve played it walking down the street bumping through idle tourists. I’ve played it on the car with family. I’ve played it in the car for strangers. Although the track list and order remained identical, the experience felt like a new one every time I played it. A different song jutted out at me, begging for a replay. A new ad lib was unveiled. A new favorite was almost declared (it’s hard to unseat “Sunday Candy” as the undisputed shining star of the project). There was always a feeling of newness with every play. Of discovery. Of diversity. Of joy. It’s music that makes you think, feel, and most importantly, smile, which is hard to find when sifting though stuff that only knocks when coming out of club speakers and in between spilled drinks.

Donnie Trumpet and The Social Experiment truly have a gem with Surf . Since the album is so inclusive of multiple styles and audiences, it’s a damn near dudless project. And it’s free, so you can’t really complain even if you wanted to nitpick and find something. Based on all the freebies dropped in the months prior to Surf (“Hiatus”,   “Wonderful Everyday”, “Lady Friend”,   “No Better Blues” and “I Am Very Very Lonely”), it’s clearly not about making money for Chance & Co. For them, creating music is about an honest desire to make the world a happier, more thoughtful place one song at a time. What’s not to love about that? —Stacy-Ann Ellis

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Songs We Love

Songs we love: donnie trumpet & the social experiment, 'familiar'.

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Chance The Rapper's band, Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment, just released a new album called Surf . Christopher Polk/Getty Images hide caption

Chance The Rapper's band, Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment, just released a new album called Surf .

Picking one song from Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment's ebullient new album to talk about is no easy task. Surf is so layered, so textured and such a vibrant body of work that singling out one song feels almost like you're not doing the entire album justice.

The group consists of Donnie Trumpet, a.k.a. Nico Segal, trumpeter, bandleader, producer and sometimes percussionist; keyboardist and producer Peter "Peter Cottontale" Wilkins; producer and engineer Nate Fox; drummer Greg "Stix" Landfair Jr.; and, most famously, Chancellor " Chance The Rapper " Bennett. Surf is an expansive group effort that combines live instrumentation and drum machines — as well as sung, rapped and sing-rapped vocals — into a lush, nearly hour-long musical experience in which Donnie's trumpet provides the linchpin. And, though it features the talents of Busta Rhymes, Big Sean and, of course, Chance, Surf is only a rap album in the loosest sense. On iTunes, it's categorized as "pop." In this instance, that just means music that's intended to have broad, genre-blurring appeal. Surf is definitely pop, but more precisely a rap-, neo-soul- and jazz-inflected version of it.

Yes, it's hard to pick a favorite on a fun record that features surprise appearances from Janelle Monae and newcomer D.R.A.M., but today "Familiar" is the one that's doing it for me. In the song, we find Chance, alongside King Louie and Migos' Quavo, addressing the timeworn topic of groupies. A rap cliche, for sure, but their approach here is comical enough to make a cynical rap fan forget just how familiar the subject matter is.

"Familiar" is their way of saying, "We've seen your kind before, you're not original" to those who would assume that good looks are enough to impress this discerning trio. For his verse, Chance uses reincarnation as a metaphor in his dismissal of superficiality: "We met in a life where we were both cats / Our owners were neighbors, have fun with that / What's funnier is yours had eight different cats / The same shade of black and I'm blind as a bat."

And, while Chance gets abstract, fellow Chicagoan King Louie gets personal, bringing family into the fray: "If your mama say you special then your mama ain't the truest / With her lyin' ass / With her fine ass / With her giant ass / She regular, too." Perhaps the most surprising guest appearance comes from Quavo, whom we're more accustomed to hearing over the synth and piano trap sounds of producers Zaytoven and Metroboomin. Instead, in "Familiar" we get his sing-song warble over muted horn riffs and handclaps, as he recognizes all-too-familiar faces from video shoots. Like the album as a whole, it's counter-intuitively charming. Looks like the Social Experiment is a success.

The self-released Surf is available now, for free download.

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The long awaited genre-masher from the biggest name in dubstep, Skrillex, and up-and-coming MC Chance The Rapper, “Coast Is Clear” is taken from Skrill’s debut album Recess (2014). Oddly, Skrillex had built a career on EPs up until this point, so the album release is something of a career milestone.

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