Danny Brown
XXX
“Colder than them grits they fed slaves” are the first words heard on Danny Brown’s newest full-length release XXX. Obviously, Danny knows his way around a microphone. Upon listening to his latest offering in its entirety though, one realizes there’s a lot more in that line than just a simile that stomps on other rappers’ similes. Hell, if anybody was nearing their 30th birthday and still struggling to be known in the music business, they would be cold too. Yes, Danny Brown is indeed 30 years old (as denoted by each “X” of the title- being the Roman numeral for “10″). And that is really what this is all about. XXX is not necessarily talking about what life is like for him as someone of that age but rather how he survived to make it this far. This title also works to his favor because every song offers some sort of reference to sex and/or drugs.
Basically, to appreciate Danny Brown, there are two things required: an open mind and a sense of humor. At least for this album. Why? Because it is basically formatted as a sandwich. Hard, intense, scarily personal cuts are the bread while the stuff in the middle deals a lot with him getting his dick sucked. Cruising through the first few tracks, it is obvious that Brown’s musical tastes are very diverse. Some songs sound like post-punk-hop (”XXX” for example) while others sound like the soundtrack to flicks from the 70’s (”Nosebleeds”). And they are all perfect backdrops for Danny’s unique voice/delivery. However for some, it may be easy to get thrown off by the notable changes the album goes through.
After the first few songs focusing on topics like just how much rap needs him (which is a lot), using drugs to cope with the fact that he’s getting older, the possibility of dying because of the drugs, etc., the sex songs begin. At first listen, confusion or even disappointment may ensue because the strength of the project seems to suffer from the volume of “cock talk” but upon further inspection, it all makes perfect sense (which I’ll revisit later on). Actually, many of these cuts still have a lot to offer. Regardless of what he is talking about, Brown will do it better than 90% of the rappers out there. While some generic dude is talking about getting dome in his car, Danny will use an analogy of being Michael J. Fox when Teen Wolf dropped in order to accurately depict how much sex he is getting. Seriously, listen to “Detroit 187″ and try to say that when, amidst the active, unsettling synths, he utters, “These bitches suck my dick like it was moral in-cen-tive!” that he does not sound just like Roger Rabbit. Yeah; he’s basically a rapping cartoon (in a good way).
The strength of “Monopoly,” produced by Crown Nation’s Quelle, definitely cannot be denied either. Paired with an urgent bass line and squeaks/beeps, Brown is basically a freight train running through any rapper stupid enough to think they are dope. Sure, Doritos may have to re-think their “Cool Ranch” flavor after hearing the song, but that’s the magic of XXX: whether joy, sadness or disgust, Mr. Brown will make you feel something. Regaining its starkness towards the end of the album- covering drug addiction (of others and himself), growing up amongst abandoned houses and stealing to survive- it closes out with “30.” This song will take the listener on a journey. Basically, it is the perfect fusion of everything covered on the album. Sex, drugs, stress, the voices he hears; it is very revealing. It also brings everything into perspective. With as much as Danny Brown has been through to get here, it is evident that he is (or at least was) a tortured soul because of it. All the sex songs, even if they seem like too much at times, make so much sense because he lives his life the way we all do. When shit gets too real to deal with, we all look for distractions. What better to distract yourself with than sex and pills? With or without this reasoning, the distinct sections of the project ultimately play to his strengths because quite honestly, Danny Brown is one of the most versatile and exciting artists to emerge in hip-hop in a long time. Let’s just hope the “Adderall Admiral” will be able to enjoy his stay here.
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