Skip to main content

Chance the Rapper and Lil B just dropped their 'based freestyles mixtape' on SoundCloud

Chance the Rapper and Lil B just dropped their 'based freestyles mixtape' on SoundCloud

/

'Conceived from magic, love, acid, and bases'

Share this story

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Chance the Rapper and Lil B recorded a collection of "based freestyles" last month — and like a thoughtful neighbor leaving a bottle of cheap wine on the internet's doorstep, they've uploaded their work to SoundCloud for your listening pleasure. Free (Based Freestyles Mixtape) is Chance's second major release of 2015, following his May mixtape as part of Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment, Surf. It's also Lil B's second major release this year, his first being the curse he splashed onto Houston Rockets star James Harden after Harden during the NBA playoffs. (Harden stole his trademark dance for an on-court celebration.)

As far as mixtape marriages go, the two rappers are a natural fit. They're both creatures of the internet, eschewing traditional distribution methods and industry infrastructure in favor of free tapes and word-of-mouth, organic growth. They work in similar styles, writing free-flowing, earthy, broad music that's rapped but not necessarily "hip-hop." They share a fondness for warm, loose arrangements; their flows doodle over beats like toddlers' crayons. And it's hard to imagine Chance's rise to prominence without Lil B's influence — he's a direct descendant of the Based God in terms of both sound and preferred release strategy.

I'm already more likely to break out into the cooking dance

"It's called #Free and yes it's real," said Chance in an Instagram post. "Conceived from magic, love, acid, and bases. We made this the moment we met. Available for free on Twitter." I'm still working my way through Free's six tracks, but I already feel 20 percent more likely to break out into a properly credited cooking dance.