Ever since the beginning of time, the beauty of music has been birthed in the concepts of individuality and the freedom of artistic expression. Somewhere along the line, the essence of musical creation became distorted by big business and major labels (with corporate motives) took the reins by becoming the decision makers behind the art form. More than any other genre in recent years, hip-hop has experienced both the benefits and consequences of giant record label influence.
Many rising artists have wisely decided to pass on signing the dotted line and make their way independently, with flourishing Chicago talent Chance the Rapper and mixtape god/social media icon Lil B being two of today’s more prominent examples. The youth has gravitated toward Chance, claiming him as their favorite budding emcee, while The BasedGod continues to have a substantial impact on multiple realms of society. From Acid Rap and Surf to epic university lectures/NBA curses/engaging CNN appearances, the work of Chance the Rapper and Lil B represent similar values, opting for a ‘no rules, just be positive and be yourself’ moral code. Therefore, the fact that these liberated artists came together to record an impromptu ‘Based Freestyle Mixtape’ titled Free is a fitting case of free-spirited fate, and the results are just as expansive as one would expect.
Free is a project that shows no reserve in embracing its lack of structure and that quality plays to the artistic strengths of Chance and Lil B. As Chance so eloquently explains over the glowing keys of “What’s Next”, ‘We’re making an entire piece of content from scratch, which is where the best things in life come from. The best things in life come from nothing and become something different, so you know, this is an allegory to life and life is an allegory to this shit, I guess”. The eclectic duo live by this description on Free and while those looking for polished raps may be left perplexed, the listener who welcomes the unexpected is put under an enchanting spell fueled by the ingredients of imagination and ingenuity.
In an imperfect world, Chance the Rapper and Lil B come across as pure and authentic on Free as we hear both moments of brilliance and natural freestyle stumbles on Free. As one may speculate, Chance in particular conjures up nifty lines such as “they been tellin me I need a gas mask just to rap as fast as Eminem back in ‘96, who you think you’re rhyming with? You don’t got a mixtape with Lil B”. From speaking on his career decisions since Acid Rap to looking back on his early mixtape roots, Chance relishes in the opportunity to rap in a based world while Lil B more so plays the role of spiritual advisor, offering quality bars but also spoken interludes which provides Free with its unrestricted backbone.
From joyous, soulful cuts such as “Last Dance” and “Do My Dance” to the trap-influenced closer “We Rare”, the instrumentation on Free provides an ideal backdrop for Chance the Rapper and Lil B to spit their heartfelt, honest rhymes. The chemistry on display couldn’t be more clear and every song is a proper manifestation of the messages each artist relaying to their devoted fan-base on a consistent basis. Free is by no means flawless and that is exactly the point, it was by no means the mission of Chance the Rapper and Lil B to craft a sophisticated body of work, but rather mark a moment in time when two visionaries came together to build something out of nothing and have fun while doing so. There are jewels to be taken from the concise, yet vast 6 track collection, but don’t take Free too seriously and simply appreciate the project for what it is: a declaration of independence.
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