Author: Gaby Keane
Busted teeth, funky hairstyle, a love of Adderall, vintage indie rocker wardrobe. No, I’m not describing a hipster in a coffee shop. I’m talking about one of rap’s most unique and memorable figures in recent history: Danny Brown.
Brown’s tracks are far from the standard rap fare; he utilizes free associative rhyme patterns, funky beats, his signature high-pitched voice, and incredibly candid lyrics referencing everything from drug addiction to financial woes.
Born in 1981 to teenage parents in Detroit, Brown grew up on the West Side of the city. His dreams of being a rapper were present from a very young age, and his early rhyme skills suggested this was not an unfounded life pursuit. Brown’s parents did their best to shelter him from the street life, thus allowing for much of his time to be spent learning about music and training his ear to work with different genres.
Brown’s style is heavily influenced by all types of ‘90s rap, from Nas to E-40 to Drizzee Rascal to A Tribe Called Quest. His father, a house DJ, always had him hip to the latest and greatest work coming out of the hip-hop scene. Growing up, Brown would shift through different kinds of rap, whether it be New York or West Coast brand, and glean all of the musical knowledge he could by immersing himself in the albums he found. Even his style would change – from the Cali look to “bubble coats and Timbs and shit.”
Brown has released three albums since 2010: The Hybrid, XXX (Roman numerical notation for his age at release time, 30), and his most recent, Old. Something noticeable is the variation in style from album to album. In a fascinating interview with Complex, Brown comments that “lyrics go a long way but style go a long way too…freaking that shit with different styles, that’s ill to me.” This speaks to his own music, which is overflowing with spliced beats, raucous wordplay, and tales of drug fueled adventures coupled with existential confusion about life.
This rapper is riveting in both musicality and personality, holding a strong fan base both in and out of the music scene, and is independently successful having only signed with a record label (Fool’s Gold) a few years ago. His music is the epitome of his unique and ridiculous nature and is absolutely worth a listen.
Find Danny Brown’s albums on iTunes and Spotify, or get a taste by checking out his Soundcloud.
