Track Talk: Returning to Acid Rap Pt. 2

Track 7: "Interlude (That's Love)"
"That's Love" succeeds where "Everybody's Something" faltered by portraying its positive message with a more thematically appropriate beat and every lyric enforcing the song's message of prioritizing experiences with loved ones over vane goals such as flaunting money. It's short, sweet, and effective.

Track 8: "Favorite Song" (ft. Childish Gambino)
Easily the most famous track on the mixtape and the first song from it that many people (including myself) heard. The flow is fast, the energy is electric, and the charisma of both Chance and Gambino is on full display. Their isn't much lyrical depth in the piece despite how great some of the rhymes are but at the same time its hard to knock the song for that. It wasn't trying to have much depth or meaning, instead focusing squarely on describing the fun of making music and being a rapper while at the same time being a great jam.

Track 9: "NaNa" (ft. Action Bronson)

When talking about my fondness for this mixtape I made sure not to call it perfect because it does have some flaws, with the biggest one being "NaNa". It's not a complete train wreck and to its credit the first verse does manage to be silly while also having some solid lyrics. However the second verse is a significant drop and feels sloppy and unfocused. This lack of cohesion comes to a head with Bronson's section, which had a decent flow but none of the jokes land. This track is an attempt to be playful that instead comes across as juvenile.

Track 10: "Smoke Again" (ft. Ab-Soul)
The choice to put "Smoke Again" rights after "NaNa" is odd since they both are intended to be silly, more happy-go-lucky tracks. To it's credit "Smoke Again" is stronger due mostly to it feeling more focused than the prior song. A tighter flow and more confidence from Chance and Ab-Soul make it a pleasant listen though Ab's attempts at jokes in his verse aren't successful. Overall not a bad song but far from the strongest piece in Acid Rap.

Track 11: "Acid Rain"
The style of this song is more in line with 10 Day and if it was on that album it would have probably been one of the standouts. Maybe that's a testament to how improved Chance is as a musician, that a song that might have topped his previous outing is unable to reach the heights of the follow-up. Though not in my top 3, this is a piece that establishes a great mood.

Track 12: "Chain Smoker"
As the penultimate part of the album it does an excellent job at winding down while still maintaining a good amount of energy. Chance maintains a solid flow throughout and mixes up the rhyming scheme in interesting ways, with the beginning lines of the first verse being a good example. It reminds me of how OutKast would mix up their delivery within songs, which is always entertaining to listen to.

Track 13: "Everything's Good (Good Ass Outro)"
The intro to the song being a conversation between Chance and his father is cheesy but sets the tone well and the rest of the piece plays off the start to thank everyone who helped in the album's creation and anyone who listened to it. The sampling of "Good Ass Intro" and reincorporation of elements from previous works like "Juke, Juke", which is from 10 Day, sells the finality of the track and rounds out Acid Rap.

Conclusion
Revisiting Acid Rap has been a trip. While there are flaws in the mixtape like weird song placement, some odd beats, and a noticeable dud with "NaNa". Yet the good far outshines the bad and this LP is still one of my all-time favorites. You may have noticed my constant reuse of the same musical terms throughout this analysis and that's because I'm not well versed when it comes to music criticism. So any info on what terms I misused, ones I could use in place of an often repeated one, or just your thoughts on Acid Rap would all be greatly appreciated.