MUSIC: ProbCause ft. Chance the Rapper – “LSD” (Hood Internet Remix)

Unlike the multitudes of hip-hoppers before him, ProbCause enjoys a high of a different variety – the psychedelic kind, to be more specific. Joined by Chance the Rapper, and remixed by the Hood Internet, “LSD” is the first single from ProbCause’s forthcoming WAVES EP. The title of the song, while seemingly straightforward, is in fact a double entendre in itself. Not only does the title make reference to the mind-bending drug, but also to the famous Lake Shore Drive in Chicago.

In fact, upon closer inspection, the majority of ProbCause’s verse can be interpreted as having double meaning. As his verse begins, ProbCause “take[s] a walk to the lake to ease [his] mind and wander off.” While this could be interpreted as simply taking a stroll to any nondescript lake, Chicagoans would likely pick up on this nod to Lake Shore Drive. Prob also pays tribute to several other bands known for their use of LSD, namely The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Donovan (in his mention of “Strawberry Fields,” “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” “Purple Haze,” and “Mellow Yellow”). Prob even takes it one step further, citing The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test, a popular literary work which tells the true story of Ken Kensey and his band of Merry Pranksters, known for their use of LSD and other similar drugs in the ’60s. It’s clear that ProbCause is more than just your typical rhymer; the breadth of meaning found in the content of his verses is far more complex than most would pick up on with just one listen.

Aside from the verses, the beat, crafted by Hood Internet, is equally effective in transporting the listener to the mind of a man on LSD (on LSD). Characterized by filter cuts, sweeping atmospheric sounds, pitch effected vocals, and an awesome slap-back reverb on the snare, this track was obviously composed with the intentions of the verse in mind. The sample looped throughout the track is equally rife with meaning, having been taken from the 1971 song “Lake Shore Drive” by Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah. Hood Internet even went so far as to include sounds reminiscent of the lowery organ, an instrument famously used by The Beatles in their song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” The production clearly fits the songs title, regardless of which meaning you decide to lend to it.

Source: Audible Treats