Chance the Rapper has ratcheted up the “surprise release” strategy to the next level. The Chicago rapper has quietly dropped his collaborative Social Experiment album on iTunes, where it’s available to download for free. If that’s not enough of a surprise, Chance the Rapper has left his name off the project, which is billed as Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment.
The 16-track set Surf features the services of Nico Segal (aka Donnie Trumpet), Busta Rhymes, J. Cole, Jeremih and others, and can be found here.
The album has, until now, been shrouded in mystery and its release was expected in the coming month. What’s now clear is that Surf is a cinematic and moody offering, with touches of modern jazz and elements of the now-defunct hip hop head-benders cLOUDDEAD in its DNA.
Exclusive: Chance the Rapper Reveals New Album ‘Surf,’ Working With Frank Ocean & J. Cole
It’s been roughly two years since Chance the Rapper released his breakout mixtape, Acid Rap. The fiercely independent artist spoke with Billboard last October on his Social Experiment work, which was initially slated for release before the year was done. “It’s a big step for all of us all putting our heads together and letting Nico hold the reigns and carry it,” he told Billboard at the time. “There’s a lot of great instrumentation. A lot of input from cool writers. I’m already saying too much.”
Surf’s up!