Danny Brown
Fool's Gold Records
4.5/5 stars
On “Old,” Danny Brown responds with a vigorous "up yours" to his haters, and confirms that "XXX" was only the beginning of his reign at the helm of the hip-hop underground. Known as ‘The Hybrid,’ Brown is perpetually striving to reimagine his style. But for some, his stylistic fluctuation is unwanted. After his aforementioned iconoclastic mixtape "XXX," Danny Brown has been beset with critiques of how he eschewed his musical roots and flung himself into rap’s avant-garde abyss.
Influenced heavily by his House DJ father, Britain’s grime scene and '90s hip-hop greats like E-40 and Ice Cube, Brown has never shied away from reveling in eclecticism. The Detroit native can wax poetic about hometown hero J-Dilla and post-punk greats Joy Division alike. Naturally, the gap-toothed and flippant rapper envelops himself in his art—a practice notoriously entwined with his debaucherous lifestyle. An Adderall apologist and cannabis connoisseur, Brown carries himself with drug-addled exuberance on his recordings and live interviews. This is seldom done, however, without a heavy dose of self-awareness and insight, infusing his work with a succulent emotional core fleshed out by his virtuosic lyricism.
The album’s tracks work well individually and meld together with robust thematic consistency when viewed as a whole. On Side A of his LP, Danny Brown unleashes his most narratively evocative tracks and his surprisingly insightful musings on hood life and the dark side of his lifestyle. Side B of "Old" answers the question “Where’s that old Danny Brown?” by painting himself as a serial consumer of molly off of your girlfriend’s derriere—complete with a toothless grin and chemically induced jocularity.
Old’s instrumental structure is constructed from the immaculate taste of choice producers like Paul White, Skywlkr, Darq E Freaker and Rustie. The South London-bred Paul White is the breakout star from the album's production stable. White blends sitars, Krautrock riffs and disparate musical influences (note the Andean flute section on the buoyantly trippy 'Wonderbread') to create a mass of sound that lends itself surprisingly well to Brown's dynamic cadence and introspective subject matter.
‘Side A (Old)’ leads off his first barrage with Paul White's immaculate production sensibility and dispels his detractors with brisk literary fury: "Now I'm in the rap game, verse worth a brick/fiends linin' up for a hit of this sh*t/and I reps that shit now and forever."
‘The Return’ follows up the opener with an effortless swagged-out aesthetic that includes a Freddie Gibbs feature matching Brown on the hype scale. Gibbs discharges blazing verbiage over the suave g-funk referencing beat. Another standout—‘Clean Up’—contains the most sobering verse of the record: "daughter sending me messages saying daddy I miss you/but in this condition I don't think she need me."
The Purity Ring-featuring ‘25 bucks’ is the only discernible sonic miss from his crop. His voice never truly meshes with the metallic sheen of the Canadian electro artists' sound. But even though it may not merit repeated plays, the track still shines as an insightful effort to expand from Brown's musical comfort zone.
‘Side B (Dope Song)’ marks the moment when Brown pops a molly (or three) and veers the album into the sweaty confines of grime and trap-inflected party rap, gushing about excess with eloquent vulgarity. ‘Dip’ and the Scrufizzer featuring 'Dubstep' are the most resplendent from Side B and are assured warehouse party fixtures. ‘Kush Coma’ sees him partnered up with fellow herbal enthusiast A$AP Rocky and is one of the hardest hitting stoner anthems ever, pulverizing THC-infused brains with pulsating snares and kick drums to delirious effect.
By the time album closer "Float On" fades out and the listener is left to assess what just happened, there is one thing left clear. Nobody in the American scene can match the hype levels of Danny Brown at the moment. As long as he doesn’t OD or return to prison, Brown will happily serve as our purveyor of dopeness for the time being.
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