The Social Experiment

The Social Experiment (also known billed as Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment) is an American band built around the collaborative circle of Chicago musicians Nico Segal (Donnie Trumpet), Chance the Rapper, Peter Cottontale, Greg Landfair Jr., and Nate Fox. The project emerged from Chicago’s tight-knit open-mic and jazz-adjacent hip-hop scene, blending live instrumentation, jazz and soul textures, and rap and R&B vocals into a warm, gospel-tinged sound.

Their defining release, «Surf» (2015), was made available as a free download and featured an eclectic cast of guests including Big Sean, J. Cole, Jeremih, and Quavo, reflecting the group’s connections across Chicago hip-hop and the broader rap and R&B landscape. Songs like «Sunday Candy» became beloved for their joyous, communal energy and gospel-inflected arrangements, standing apart from more conventional rap production of the era.

The Social Experiment’s music helped define a moment in Chicago hip-hop marked by live bands, jazz musicianship, and collective, family-oriented projects rather than solo-artist vehicles. Members of the collective, particularly Nico Segal and Peter Cottontale, have also built recognition through their individual work and continued ties to Chance the Rapper’s broader catalogue.