Album Review: Danny Brown-Old

Over the past couple years, Detroit MC Danny Brown has gone from relative unknown to the top of hip-hop circles thanks to his much-lauded 2011 mixtape XXX. The success and overwhelmingly positive reception of XXX clearly has not gotten to his head as the hotly-anticipated follow-up, Old, manages to improve on its predecessor and keep Brown at the top of said hip-hop circles.

Old is the next logical evolution in Brown's Jekyll and Hyde sound. The first half of the record is stone-serious with Brown exploring themes of poverty, racism and self-reflection, while the second half of the record (save for album closer "Float On") is a straight-up party record. What's remarkable is that two couldn't be more different in their approach, yet they oddly complement each other. As an artist, Brown completely submerges himself into what subject matter he is exploring on the song. It doesn't matter if he's weaving a tale of how his mother kept a roof over his head growing by braiding hair on their front porch (the haunting "25 Bucks", which is the album's finest moment with a brilliant guest turn from Canadian synthpop duo Purity Ring) or he's expressing his deep love for all things MDMA ("Dip",) he pours his soul into every song no matter how deep or silly the topic is.  Sometimes he wants to talk about serious shit, sometimes he just want to let loose and have a good time and despite the drastic change in sound on the two halves of the record, it maintains an organic, coherent sound throughout.

As good as the lyrics and diverse themes are on this record, the undisputed star of Old is the production. I honestly had a bit of a hard time wrapping my head around how Brown was able to make a 19-track album with so many memorable beats. Even the weaker beats on this album are better than most album's standout beats. Like the lyrical themes, the beats are appropriately matched to each side and thoroughly unpredictable. The first half's production is often psychedelic and dream-like. "The Return" features an eerie, subtle synth line that wouldn't be out of place in a horror film while tracks like "Lonely" and "Clean Up" are truly beautiful pieces of music that are almost heavenly in sound. The aforementioned "25 Bucks" is not only the lyrical standout of the album, but it also contains the best beat. The production from Corin Roddick of Purity Ring creates a chilling atmosphere that drives home the emotional force of Brown's lyrics even further. The second half of the record sees the beats going from low-key and dark to in-your-face, bass-heavy jams that are guaranteed to make any speakers shake. "Smokin' and Drinkin'", "Break It (Go)", "Dope Song" and "Handstand" should be mandatory listening on every raucous party playlist for the rest of time. Mindless, fun party songs are supposed to have noteworthy beats that you can sit back and enjoy without putting too much stock into the lyrics and that's exactly what Brown does here. The second half of Old is essentially the Illmatic of hip-hop party records.

Old shows that Danny Brown has no signs of slowing down anytime soon. His keeps up his reputation as one of the most daring acts in hip-hop with a diverse collection of songs that are both lyrically-impressive and infectious fun with absolutely elite production throughout from all seven producers that contributed to the record. Old further solidifies Danny Brown's twisted genius and proves to entire hip-hop community, that he is one of the most important and skilled artists in modern hip-hop.

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.25 Bucks (feat. Purity Ring)
2.Side A
3.Clean Up