Hey, we got a Danny Brown project out this year.
No, this isn’t the much anticipated Scaring the Hoes, Pt. 2 but this is something that we’ve been speculating about Danny’s recent music output. You see after the release of both Scaring the Hoes and Quaranta, Danny’s been collaborating with a bunch of artists in the alternative pop/hyperpop/electronic/digicore scene like Alice Longyu Gao, Frost Children, Jane Remover, 8485, and Femtanyl — some of which helped produce this album.
He also stated that he wanted to make this the “most different music he ever did” and shock people. Looking back at his past albums, I see his point. Not to mention, it’s his first album he’s done fully sober as he also wants to disprove the idea that once you’ve sober, your music quality declines. I’m just gonna say this: whether the music quality declines or not, I’m glad he’s doing better with being sober.
Anyway, the singles released, “Starburst” and “Copycats,” illustrate that this is going to some different territory than usual and knowing Danny Brown, I expected things to be somewhat different. So what did I get out of Stardust?
Well, I got a different experience listening to this Danny Brown album. Is it an instant favorite? Not really. Did I enjoy my time with it? Yes.
Notice how I said it’s not an instant favorite but as usual, I gave it some more listens, and when it hits… well, you know the rest. For one thing, this is Danny Brown we’re talking about — this is not going to be your average hip-hop record or at least your average fusion-rap type of album. As previously mentioned, he actually has producers from the hyperpop world to provide beats for him, and each of them has a unique sound. For starters, “The Book of Daniel” has this guitar-laden beat coming from Quadeca – who began his career as a YouTuber around 2012 and moved on to music around 2015 – and we got some nice bars coming from Danny:
Before they chisel the last four numbers on my tombstone
Know I left so many sons behind, could fill a group home
Inspired your favorite, so label me the greatest
This road was filled with potholes ’til I came through and paved it
Made it out a city where most just give up
Downplay the hard work and say it’s just good luck
Used to write rhymes ’til I start to tear up
Lost a couple punchline ’cause the ink smeared up
Now I made it past a decade, who the top? Dot and Thebe
And that’s mе, the big three, don’t give a fuck what they say
Actually, he has good references in “1999”….
Bitch, this Big Bruiser, we like Yakuza (‘Kuza), and this ain’t what you used to
My bitch be thick like Mewtwo, on everyone phone like U2 (Style)
I pull up wit’ that doot-doot then start a riot like Zoot Suit (Doot-doot)
…Along with this skeletal digital Y2K abrasiveness courtesy of JOHNNASCUS. “Flowers” has the sound of an ongoing rave, and it works with Danny’s lyrics and additional vocals from 8485. Then in comes “Lift You Up” with that glam club vibe and such a danceable beat/groove to it. One of the reoccurring producers on here is Holly, a Portuguese DJ and music producer who once helped co-produce Baauer’s 2020 album Planet’s Mad.
“Green Light” has this lullaby-esque production with a punk vibe coming from Lulu Prost of the duo Frost Children (the other half being Angel Prost aka Angel Emoji, who was doing bits of poetry at the end of some tracks earlier), and I didn’t click with it at first but with further listens I was vibing with it. Then in comes “What You See” with Quadeca returning in both production and vocals; in this one, Danny gets into some introspective bars with his flow being more the normal-voiced Danny. As I mentioned before, this is his first album done completely sober, so you see what he’s going through.
Snoop Dogg said they all hoes and tricks
Was just a teenager only thinking with my dick
Got my heart broke once and haven’t recovered since
After that, I said that I would never be faithful again (Uh-uh)
Used to, fuck ’em and leave ’em, why would they believe ’em? (Nah)
Would say anything to get my face up in their cleavage (Uh-huh)
A hit dog holler, so I was at your daughter’s
Doing anything I can just to try to get their bra off
I’m sorry Ms. Jackson (Sorry), just wanted satisfaction (Yeah)Self-sabotage, I thought it was a mirage, uh
Player for life, but it was all a facade (Facade)
How could you love someone that don’t even love theyself? (How?)
Copin’ mechanism with drugs, thought it would help (Hey)
But you never gave up (How?), how did you put up? (Uh)
With all the lies I was livin’, how could you even trust?
I was stuck, down and out, now see what love is about
Nursed all my hurt, now them rainy days is a drought
Behind every good man, yeah, you know the rest (Uh-huh)
When I was doing bad, the right one couldn’t accept
I can’t say I was vibing with “baby” as much; it’s not a bad track but I’m kinda not feeling it as much listening to it. That’s not the case for “Whatever The Case” with ISSBROKIE, as this is just as chaotic and extravagant as I imagined it would be, and ISSBROKIE’s verse did caught my eye. “1L0v3myL1f3!” has Danny collaborating with femtanyl, and it is monstrous in its sounds, especially with the beat drop and how the chorus kicks in.
Y’all get plays from a bot just so you can get guap like (Ugh)
Bitch, you disgust me
How come it’s politics whenever oldheads discuss me? Uh
Y’all rappers can’t touch me
How you gon’ comment some hater shit, still tryna fuck me? Uh
For real, it’s so ugly
I do this shit for the art, it just come with the money, uh
These hoes wanna suck me
I put a stake through they neck, now I’m lookin’ like Buffy, uh (What?)
We slow things down a bit with “Right from Wrong” with NNAMDÏ, and while that was solid, the penultimate track “The End” ended up being my favorite of the album — the drum ‘n bass section that features vocals from Polish-Ukranian artist Ta Ukrainka in the first part, the 2nd part produced by Cynthon going faster along with Danny getting faster and hearing higher-pitched vocals from Australian rapper Zheani, and of course the 3rd part is spoken word from Angel Emoji. Also, the song’s about Danny reflecting on his life pre-rehab aka all the drugged out days of his past.
Finally, “All4U” closes it out with production and background vocals from Jane Remover as a meditation on his career so far and giving it an euphoric feel as well.
All-in-all, Stardust is another Danny Brown album that feels different than the last one, and it shows from the production from various hyperpop artists (a majority of them being LGBTQ as well) and the subject matter does go from him making it through rehab to thinking about his past and how he’s not dead. Hell, looking back at his past stuff like Atrocity Exhibition and even his appearance on Hot Ones… yeah, he’s still being his natural funny self but I’m more glad that he’s still with us and has gotten better. Also, yes, this does disprove that just because you’re on rehab, doesn’t mean the quality of the music will go down.
FINAL VERDICT: Stream first then decide to buy it or not. Look, I don’t always want to say ‘buy it’ every time. It gets boring for a while but yeah, you might not love it at first but you might change your opinion. Oh and the stardust will lead you to bigger and brighter skies.
STARDUST is on Warp Records and right now available on digital download and streaming services. Pre-orders for CD and vinyl are right here.