Donnie Trumpet

Under the name Donnie Trumpet, Chicago-based producer/trumpet player Nico Segal heads the Social Experiment, an ambitious group of musicians whose eclectic sound encompasses jazz, R&B, hip-hop, gospel, and myriad other genres. Segal is a member of Chicago-based collectives Save Money and Kids These Days, both of which include Vic Mensa and Chance the Rapper. Throughout 2012 and 2013, Segal released a few solo mixtapes and appeared on releases by members of both collectives. He formed the Social Experiment with keyboardist Peter Cottontale, drummer Greg Landfair, Jr., producer/engineer Nate Fox, and Chance the Rapper, and by the end of 2014 the group had guested on album tracks by Octave Minds and Skrillex. Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment's full-length debut, Surf, was digitally released for free in May of 2015. The album featured guest appearances by well-known artists such as Erykah Badu, Janelle Monáe, and Busta Rhymes, as well as several local Chicago-based musicians and vocalists. The album received immediate acclaim for its diversity and positivity, although the attention paid to Chance the Rapper's presence seemed to overshadow that of Trumpet and the Social Experiment as a band. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi