Ronan O'BrienDanny Brown returns with his seventh studio album, Stardust. A beginning of sorts, it’s his first release while sober, and sees a new direction to his music. With elements of hyperpop, EDM and industrial hip-hop, it’s unlike anything we have seen from Danny thus far.
Danny Brown
Born and raised in Detroit, Danny Brown has carried the spirit of this musical city with him. His father, a small-time DJ, exposed Brown to many artists that became part of his own inspiration. While his music career began in 2003, Brown’s career was cut short as a rapper due to arrest for drug-related violations. This substance-fuelled lifestyle became part of his character and art, with his first mixtape being released in 2008. Still an underground artist, Brown’s debut album, The Hybrid was released in 2010.
Danny Brown’s breakthrough came courtesy of XXX, which gained vast popularity through online critics and media outlets. Several highly acclaimed releases followed, with personal favourites like the single “Grown Up“ and the star-studded Atrocity Exhibition. Brown turned to collaborative features in recent years, linking up with JPEGMAFIA on the brilliant SCARING THE HOES and most recently a feature with British punk-rockers IDLES.
Brown has remained as a solid cult-favourite in the hip-hop community, known for his eccentric delivery and clean flows. This is credited to his mother, who read him Dr. Seuss as a child, prompting Brown to speak in rhymes for periods of his youth. Also credited for being ahead of the curve, Danny Brown moves in unpredictable ways. Ditching rappers as feature artists for hyperpop and electronic-oriented artists became a statement that his newest project has gone in a completely different direction.
Rap star, pop star, rock star
The album opens with the incredibly heartfelt and poetic “Book of Daniel“, with the instrumental courtesy of Quadeca. The guitar tone is oh-so-sweet, and the drums pound intermittently, just waiting to explode. Danny’s narration is delivered in earnest, labelling himself with confidence as one of the greats; “Inspired your favorite, so label me the greatest”. Brown also confronts his past vices in this track; “When I didn’t have hope, I was turning to dope / Drinking ’til I passed out ’cause I just couldn’t cope”. Admiring his own growth, Danny is proud of his journey. The final line is a beautiful mantra, “When the fat lady sings, just know you lived your dreams”, before the instrumentals rise to finish in grandiose fashion.
“Starburst“ sees a more familiar return to Danny Brown’s style. A frantic, dizzying instrumental accompanies Brown’s comedic and eccentric flows. Even through these flows, Brown continues with positive affirmations like “Present is the past in a second so count your blessings”. The track undergoes a great transition, where the instrumental becomes more choppy and distorted. This bass-blown latter half becomes even more frantic, but Brown is unfazed. Even through the chaos, he is full of self-confidence; “Too nuclear, I’m tubular, write with permanent markers”. Even the spoken outro sounds familiar to some of JPEGMAFIA’s work.
Another genre-jump occurs in the bubbly sounds of “Copycats“. To a hyperpop and EDM-inspired backdrop, one would be forgiven for thinking the album has somehow switched to BRAT. From Brown spitting bars in agitating fashion to underscores’ rave-filled hook, the dichotomy is powerful and works in a way it shouldn’t. Both artists bounce off each other perfectly.
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“1999“ continues with glitchy, electronic instrumentals and Danny’s signature flow bouncing over the top. The song uses some fantastic imagery to reference the Y2K hoax with some hilarious lines like“My bitch be thick like Mewtwo”. Performing the hook is JOHNNASCUS, whose screaming vocals may be off-putting to some. It all sounds very dystopian and unsettling, but Danny Brown ties all these elements together expertly, somehow making it work.
Diving back into the electropop style on “Flowers“, the beat is bouncy and a great mix of hip-hop and EDM elements. Danny uses some fantastic wordplay in his flows, all title-related. From “All the morning glory, here to tell my story” to “Sloppy and all poppy”, Brown’s rhymes are simply brilliant. The earworm of a hook is provided by 8485, whose vocals are familiar and incredibly suited to the dancefloor beats played throughout.
Continuing on the dance-fused beats, “Lift You Up“ opens with IDM-style production, before evolving into an incredibly groovy hip-house beat. The familiar vocal loop creates such a fun atmosphere, and Brown’s flows over the top are simply spectacular. Danny performs the repetitive chorus (which is now stuck in my head on loop) between stylish flows. The eccentricity of Brown’s flows in the verses bounce off the beat so well, it’s an amazing display of skill creating a type of song many would have never expected.
Take you real slow
Another incredible change of style is on display in “Green Light“. This time, Frost Children feature with emo-style vocals to a dancepop beat. While Danny’s flows may be relatively similar across the album, the versatility in his ability to perform to a backdrop of differing genres is mind-boggling. For an artist like Danny Brown with such a unique flow, this should not work as well as it does. Brown’s wordplay is again brilliant, with lines like “Hate to be frank, I’ma do it my way”, which helps make this another interesting, enjoyable soundscape.
Quadeca makes another return in the mellower “What You See“. Featuring more of his familiar backing vocals, smooth keys and funky drums, it certainly changes the mood from the dance-filled predecessors. Brown’s flow is much different here also, almost speaking in earnest over the mic. There is a much more honest Danny here, who admits to using women to fill the void in himself; “Got my heart broke once and haven’t recovered since / After that, I said that I would never be faithful again”.
After the brief lull in momentum, “Baby“ flies back into the glitchy, dancepop instrumentals the album is brimming with. An incredible sample utilised by underscores supports the massive beat, it’s simply flawless. Focusing more on the repetitive hook than the verses, it’s yet another earworm that’s difficult to escape. The instrumentals are certainly the standout factor of the track, with layers consisting of electronic hi-hats and metallic percussion that add so, so much.
Who gon’ stop me?
The glitchy instrumentals go even further on “Whatever The Case“, which features some powerful bass and industrial percussion. Brown’s flow is more reminiscent of his previous work here, even referencing this with a tongue-in-cheek line “Ten years ago, now I’m on some new shit”. ISSBROKIE features on this track, with some off-tempo flows which are a very rare low point on the album.
Instrumentally, the mood turns positive and bouncy again in “1L0v3myL1f3!“, with Danny navigating through the fast-paced beat with ease. Although dealing with many heavy topics throughout the album, Danny is incredibly positive here, admitting “Caking up, love this life I’m living, I got my paper up”. Femtanyl features with some screaming vocals, but are so drowned out by the intensity of the synths it becomes incredibly palatable.
“RIGHT FROM WRONG“ contains some instrumentals and feature artists that sound like a BROCKHAMPTON album. Brown’s flows remain relentless, but less frantic. Once again, more self-assured, the song serves as another positivity-fueled self-reflection. With affirmations like “Stop worryin’ ’bout shit you know you can’t control / Only get one life, so stick to your goals”, the track is evidence of Danny’s growth through sobriety.
When the road got rough
The penultimate and possibly longest song Brown has ever created, “The End“ exists in three parts. The punchy drum and bass is accompanied by an orchestral sample, with Danny laying down some grounded flows. Referencing struggles with substance abuse, he expresses some deep truths; “All the time, I was losin’, was so stressed, I couldn’t accept it / A junkie, alcoholic, whatever you call it, I was all that”. The feature artist Ta Ukrainka performs in her native Ukrainian, echoing Danny’s hopelessness.
The song evolves into the second part, transitioning to a fast, spacey breakbeat. Danny is on top of his flow here, reflecting on his own growth and sobriety. Now filled with hope, the determination to succeed shines through; “Gotta stay up and keep it up, feels like you ain’t gon’ make it”. The increase in tempo and instrumentals certainly show the speed at which the rapper was living and the major chords indicate the positive outlook that now exists.
The final part of the track features a monologue from Angel Emoji to a lone acoustic guitar courtesy of Eli Winter. The instrumental provides a sense of calm, like the problems have now ceased. With poetry that almost serves as a reflection, it wraps up the piece beautifully.
The euphoric outro of “All4U“ closes the album with appreciation towards Brown’s fans and career. With a synth-heavy instrumental and backing vocals by Jane Remover, Danny spits bars of thanks as “this rap shit saved my life”. Directly referencing the audience, Danny’s final verse contains a beautiful homage in “Y’all ain’t no fan, y’all made me a man / Y’all like my angels on my shoulder”.
Final Thoughts
A rapper that I have always had a love/hate relationship with, this new project from Danny has to be one of my favourites. Firstly, the blend of genres throughout the entire album needs special recognition. While hip-hop fusion is not a new creation, it should not work as well as it does here.
Then we have to look at Danny’s flows. One of the most distinct voices in the industry, it can be an acquired taste. But I think Danny has used it as his trademark here, which works so well across the entirety of the album.
Another thing worn with pride is Danny’s personal journey. Without shying away from personal issues, Danny Brown has used these as a catalyst and inspiration to create one of his most versatile albums. Danny has poured every emotion experienced along his journey of sobriety into this record, and that absolutely comes across.
Danny has referred to himself as one of the greatest in the opening track (“Now I made it past a decade, who the top? Dot and Thebe / And that’s me, the big three, don’t give a fuck what they say”) and Stardust has certainly solidified his claim on the podium.
