Danny Brown – “Stardust” review

Detroit, Michigan emcee Danny Brown staying with Warp Records for his 7th LP. Emerging as a member of the Rese’vor Dogs in the mid-2000s, he would go onto form the Bruiser Brigade at the start of the previous decade & put out his debut album The Hybrid shortly after. This resulted in him signing with Fool’s Gold Records & delivering a near perfect sophomore effort XXX the next year, which was followed up with Old in 2013 as well as his 2016 magnum opus & Warp debut Atrocity Exhibition. Coming off uknowhatimsayin¿ in 2019 & what was originally supposed to be his final Warp Records album Quaranta, the Motor City’s finest has decided to stick around & have them drop Stardust.

Quadeca’s ethereal instrumental on “Book of Daniel” matched with Danny’s lyrics confidently talking about making it by the end of the night couldn’t have been a perfect combination to set it all off whereas “Starburst” fuses experimental hip hop, hardcore hip hop, industrial hip hop, bubblegum bass, trap, hybrid trap, deconstructed club, poetry & wonky for a speechless 2-parter showing no pity for a clout-chasing succubi.

“Copycats” combines pop rap, electropop, electro hop, electro house, grime, hyperpop, electro hop, dance-pop & bubblegum bass into 1 thanks to underscores expressing the importance of staying authentic in a world full of imitators just before “1999” featuring JOHNNASCUS works in some skittery synthesizers from the former Spider Gang member himself to tell us that the world truly ended a quarter of a century ago referencing Y2K.

Meanwhile on “Flowers”, we have Danny over an EDM beat talking about persevering through the hardest times of his life leading into “Lift You Up” embracing a hip house vibe instrumentally suggesting to move slower as a result of things going too fast. To conclude the 1st act, “Green Light” shifts towards a bit of an industrial hip hop/pop rap direction telling the love of his live that nothing won’t stop him from giving.

“What You See” reunites with Quadeca to begin the 2nd half on a colorful note wanting to know what their lovers see in them specifically & once “Baby” featuring Rodney Chrome finds the pair coming together to talk about being the perfect type of guys, ISSBROKIE joins Danny during “Whatever the Case” so they can clarify to those in pain due to their hustle that they won’t be knocked off their axis.

Femtanyl’s drum & bass influence throughout “1L0v3myL1f3!” is pretty cool talking about enjoying how things are going in his life because he has his paper up right when some tried counting him out while “Right from Wrong” advises to continue the journey & focus more regarding what’s ahead of us. “The End” featuring Ta Ukrainka links up for a bilingual 3-parter produced by Cynthoni & Quadeca, but “All4U” featuring Jane Remover stands as the true outro doing everything for those who take the time out to listen to their music.

Not to be mistaken with the lowest point of the current 2-time WWE Champion Cody Rhodes’ entire career, Stardust isn’t necessarily superior compared to Atrocity Exhibition but what I can say that it’s an admirable foray into electronic dance music after getting sober. He’s essentially telling about his recovery from addiction & finding joy in art again through the lens of a 90s-era semi-autobiographical popstar named Dusty Star additionally exploring the styles of pop rap, hardcore hip hop, bubblegum bass, deconstructed club, hyperpop & industrial hip hop.

Score: 4.5/5

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Danny Brown – “Quaranta” review

This is the 6th full-length LP from Detroit emcee Danny Brown. Emerging as a member of the Rese’vor Dogs in the mid-2000s, he would go onto form the Bruiser Brigade at the start of the previous decade & put out his debut album The Hybrid shortly after. This resulted in him signing with Fool’s Gold Records & delivering a near perfect sophomore effort XXX the next year, which was followed up with Old in 2013 as well as his 2016 magnum opus & Warp Records debut albeit Fool’s Gold’s last Atrocity Exhibition. But coming off the uknowhatimsayin¿ & more recently Scaring the Hoes with JPEGMAFIA this past spring, Danny’s finally releasing Quaranta as his final Warp album.

The title track is a cavernously dark opener with Danny talking about turning 40 a couple years ago whereas “Tantor” fuses elements of hardcore, abstract & experimental hip hop with elements of rock & even punk music thanks to The Alchemist looking to dock in the low tide & that it’s time for him to spit. Quelle Chris & Chris Keys both whip up a shimmery boom bap vibe for “Ain’t My Concern” reminding that “when it’s time, it’s time” that is until “Dark Sword Angel” talks down on the Bruiser Brigade leader’s competition over a dusty rap rock hybrid.

“Y.B.P. (Young, Black & Poor)” featuring Bruiser Wolf finds the 2 discussing the way they both came up over an uncanny trap instrumental from Skywlkr leading into “Jenn’s Terrific Vacation” brilliantly tackling the themes of gentrification fusing glitch hop, nu jazz & broken beat. Paul White provides groovier aesthetic to “Down wit It” detailing the lifestyle of this music shit just before the spacious “Celibate” featuring MIKE admits that they used to sell a bit and they don’t fuck around with the streets no more at this point in their careers.

The song “Shakedown” gives off a cloudier tone instrumentally provided by Kaelin Ellis advising to get your head out of the clouds & get yours now while the crushing “Hanami” talks about age catching up to him so he’s running from death as a result. “Bass Jam” fulfills Danny’s deal with Warp & ends Quaranta by atmospherically looking back on the days where it was hard for him to sleep as his mother played many classic bops.

“Cheaters” featuring Bruiser Wolf starts the deluxe run with both of them over this funky Black Milk beat pointing out the fact that those who cheat never win in the end & the final bonus track “Keep It to Me” was actually supposed to be the original closer, grimly linking up with Black Noi$e for this incredibly depressing cut revolving around drinking the pain away hoping things’ll change & smoking until he’s free from being trapped within his own thoughts.

For him to sign off on Warp Records by reflecting on the past 4 decades of his life is actually an album that’s more darker & personal in comparison to uknowhatimsayin¿ is exactly why he’s one of the illest to come out of this reviewer’s hometown in recent memory because this is his best since Atrocity Exhibition. It’s more predominantly conscious & experimental with some additional elements hardcore & abstract lyricism.

Score: 4.5/5

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Danny Brown & JPEGMAFIA – “Scaring the Hoes” review

This is the brand new collaborative album between Danny Brown & JPEGMAFIA. One being an MC out of my hometown Detroit, Michigan & the other is a Baltimore-based MC, singer/songwriter & producer. Both of whom have cemented themselves as trailblazers in the experimental hip hop scene with albums like XXX & Atrocity Exhibition to All My Heroes are Cornballs & LP!. They first crossed paths when Peggy produced “3 Tearz” & delivered a remarkable impersonation of one of my idols Pharrell with his feature on “Negro Spiritual, both songs eventually wound up appearing on Danny’s previous album uknowhatimsayin¿ a few months before COVID shut the world down. But as the latter gears up to drop Quaranta on May 26 apparently, Danny & Peggy are uniting for the highly anticipated Scaring the Hoes.

“Lean Beef Patty” was a great choice for a lead single as it sets the tone of what’s to come with a glitchy hardcore hip hop opener also pulling from footwork jungle, chipmunk soul, hybrid trap & industrial music as JPEGMAFIA starts & ends his verse by dissing the Tesla CEO, Neuralink founder & SpaceX founder Elon Musk who bought Twitter almost a year ago further referencing Papa John’s founder John Schnatter’s racism, WWE Hall of Famer and former WWE Champion The Iron Sheik who recently passed away & even All Elite Wrestling (AEW) founder/current Ring of Honor (ROH) Wrestling owner Tony Khan in between until Danny Brown boasts about living in this chick’s head rent free prior to “Steppa Pig” almost having a bit of an EDM groove to it instrumentally as they discuss doing it for their legacies & calling out those who feel entitled. The title track pulls from avant-garde jazz advising that playing this will have the hoes touch they toes leading into the soulful boom bap jam “Garbage Pail Kids” belittling their opposition.

Moving on from there, we have “Fentanyl Tester” drawing from drum & bass music sampling the classic Kelis single “Milkshake” as Danny & Peggy warn y’all to hide as nobody’s safe at all leading into the triumphant yet monstrous trap banger “Burfict!” as they talk about being cliqued up & my favorite line has to be when Peggy said “cover his face, that bitch Mach-Hommy” in the middle of his verse. “Shut Yo Bitch Ass Up” brings back the glitch hop vibes as Danny does figure 8s on motherfuckers until “Muddy Waters” switches into a more trippier groove to the beat as JPEGMAFIA asks God to forgive him for slayin’.

“Orange Juice Jones” returns to a more soulful sound as both MCs take their significant others to space on autopilot just before Maryland up-&-comer redveil drops the album’s only feature on “Kingdom Hearts Key” as they air out those who think they know him referencing UFC Hall of Famer & former UFC Middleweight Champion Michael Bisping over an angelic trap beat. The gospel sample throughout “God Loves You” is well flipped as Danny & Peggy get in a raunchier bag lyrically until “Run the Jewels” delivers a 1-minute drum & bass glitch hop hybrid saying most sorry-ass bitches won’t be like the titularly acclaimed superduo.

The song “Jack Harlow Combo Meal” kicks things off with some remarkably jazzy piano chords as Danny Brown promises to run up on you, take your spot & to take your business until JPEGMAFIA telling those who want action with him ain’t into actin’ while the penultimate track “H.O.E. (Heaven On Earth)” is a gospel rap ballad dedicated to the baddest bitches in their lives. “Where Ya Get Ya Coke From?” sends off the album with a chaotically cloudy fatality as Devon Hendryx talks about being off top on your bitch like 2-time AEW TNT Champion Darby Allin until Danny calls himself a failed chemistry experiment with a clever reference to Jimi Hendrix’s debut album Are You Experienced? shortly after.

“Guess What Bitch, We Back Hoe!” is a chipmunk soul-inspired start to the deluxe run talking about being gone off that strong pack & to simply leave them alone while the song “Hermanos” gives off more of a sample-inflicted boom bap flare flexing that Scaring the Hoes in fact ended up terrifying everyone across the spectrum both women AND men accompanied by an insane instrumental outro & a reference to Bob’s Burgers on the Fox Corporation’s flagship property.

Things take a funkier direction on “Tell Me Where to Go” asking where to head when your heart exactly isn’t in it anymore & “NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!” wraps it all up with a preachier sound refusing to turn back. After their individual solo tracks “Manic!” by JPEGMAFIA & “Child’s Play” by Danny Brown respectively, “Roaches” saves a 2-parter for the final bonus track talking about the environments that shaped them.

As someone who’s been a fan of both these guys for a minute now, I had very high expectations going into Scaring the Hoes & it’s on par with LP! as amongst the greatest experimental hip hop albums of the current decade. Peggy’s ever-so experimental take on hardcore hip hop expands to industrial hip hop, glitch hop, drum & bass, jazz rap & trap as he & Detroit veteran both clash with one another excellently on the mic with dropping their respectively uniquely ear-grabbing lyricism. Rome Streetz’ latest album Wasn’t Built in a Day is my 2023 Album of the Year so far, but Scaring the Hoes is unquestionably up in the ranks too.

Score: 4.5/5

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Danny Brown – “uknowhatimsayin¿” review

Danny Brown is a 38 year old rapper from Detroit, Michigan that got his start as a member of the Rese’vor Dogs in the mid-2000s. He would go onto form the Bruiser Brigade in 2010, dropping his debut album The Hybrid the same year. This resulted in him signing with Fool’s Gold Records & delivering a near perfect sophomore effort XXX the next year, which was followed up with Old in 2013 as well as his 2016 magnum opus & Warp Records debut Atrocity Exhibition. Fast forward 3 years later, he’s delivering his highly-anticipated 5th full-length album & has brought on Q-Tip to oversee it.

“Change Up” talks about never selling out over a hypnotic instrumental from longtime collaborator Paul White while the next track “Theme Song” is a dedication to the suckas over a gorgeously weapy strong sample. The song “Dirty Laundry” showcases his clever lyricism over an off-kilter instrumental from Q-Tip while the track “3 Tearz” with Run the Jewels gets careless over a psychedelic instrumental from JPEGMAFIA.

The song “Belly of the Beast” talks about drug use over a misty instrumental that later builds up as suspenseful near the end of the final verse while the track “Savage Nomad” talks about going at his competition over an Alchemist-inspired instrumental from Playa Haze.

“Best Life” talks about living good over a boom bap beat sampling Tommy McGee’s “To Make You Happy” while the title track talks about keeping it moving over a disco-esque instrumental. The song “Negro Spiritual” not only finds Danny charismatically showing off over a funky instrumental from Flying Lotus & Thundercat, but Peggy does the best Pharrell impression ever on the hook.

The penultimate track “Shine” talks about getting what’s his over a gargantuan boom bap beat & then the closer “Combat” with both Q-Tip & Consequence finds the 3 talking about how all 3 of them have come a long way over some jazzy horns.

While this obviously isn’t a masterpiece like Atrocity Exhibition, it’s still a fantastic album. It’s pretty much a more mature version of The Hybrid with grander production & you can really hear how much Danny’s pen game has stepped up since then.

Score: 4.5/5