When Chance The Rapper's Acid Rap mixtape came out, one of the standout songs from the project was the introspective "Acid Rain." It continues to be highlighted seven months later due to its intense imagery that helps convey ideas both dark ("My big homie died I just turned older than him/I seen it happen I seen it happen I see it always/He still be screaming I see his demons in empty hallways") and innocent ("I miss my diagonal grilled cheeses/And back when Mike Jackson was still Jesus.")
The song actually came out several months before the project was released, and was released within days of producer Jake One sending Chance the beat. Chance has explained the idea behind and making of "Acid Rain" several times before (including once with Complex). In a new video, Jake One gets an opportunity to take fans behind the construction of the beat.
According to Jake, the beat began with him chopping up keys he played off his Fender Rhodes piano. From there, the Seattle native added a bassline, a couple of vocal sounds, a drum pattern, woodblocks, guitar played by Jake's friend, and toms (which eventually got removed from the version that came out).
Prior to breaking down the beat, Jake explained that he got introduced to Chance thanks to industry executive Zvi Edelman. From there, the two connected on Twitter. The Seattle native also explained that he was happy to work with Chance at the beginning of his career, something he was not able to do with artists like Drake, 50 Cent, and Rick Ross, other major artists he's worked with in the past (or in Drake's case, on his latest album, Nothing Was The Same).
Jake has released a soundkit called Snare Jordan, which features the drum pattern that appeared on "Acid Rain."
[via HHNM]
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