Music Review: Danny Brown – Old

Danny Brown is probably hip hop’s most enigmatic emcee. While he is quite the “hood cat”, he wears a Mohawk reminiscent to 80’s rock. He spits about drug abuse and urban madness. Yet, he can turn around and make music with aggressive EDM production. After seeing him wear a strange tiger jacket, listening to him switch flows, and demonstrating ability to entertaining the most conservative white person (Anderson Cooper would be one of them), an album like Old should be something that makes sense. And when you listen to it, it DOES make sense. It makes all the sense in the world.

Old is an album of Danny Brown’s evolution. Moreso, it shows both sides that exist of Danny Brown.

The album starts off with his more “serious” musical tastes. “The Return” (featuring the ever-gangster Freddie Gibbs) and the pairing of Danny with Purity Ring on “25 Bucks” have Danny making songs for hood understanding. “Wonderbread” allows Danny’s voice to be more hyper while spitting a story about “going to get Wonderbread”. More of the urban storytelling and ghetto graciousness is given on tracks like “Gremlins”, “Dope Fiend Rental”, and “Torture”, you really get to see what has led Danny to be the perplexing master of the microphone that he is. In short, the first side of this project has led to the second side of it.

When “Side B [Dope Song]” begins, we get the energetic, frenetic Danny Brown that entertains crowds with madness and fellatio tainted concerts. At this point, you get the pill popping madness and magnetic dubstep foolishness with songs like “Dubstep” and “Dip”. The madness continues when we go through tracks like “Drinkin’ and Smokin’”, “Hand Stand”, and “Kush Coma”. By the time he makes it to the last song “Float On”, Danny is back to being calm, reserved, and reminiscent. It seems as if the second half of the album allows Danny Brown to party and have a hangover filled with “remorse”.

With an album that is bi-polar as it is brilliant, Old just works. The production is fitting for both sides and the features (from Scrufizzer to the Ab-Soul and A$AP Rocky) only add to the madness to be found throughout. If there are any listeners confused as to WHY and HOW Danny functions, then Old provides the proper context. Listening to this album, Danny Brown will still remain to be seen as a weirdo. However, Old will serve as a great companion piece for those that always struggle to live with the duality of life.