I'm back and ready to hit you with some reviews. Today, I'm actually talking about something pretty hard-hitting, so get ready. Danny Brown, an underground MC from Detroit, broke out into the nationwide rap scene in 2011 with his album XXX, which, if I might add is absolutely amazing. Danny showed himself as a dynamic, wild, and emotional guy on the mic. Characterized by his high pitched voice and lyrical range, Danny caught on with a lot of people. While I was a bit disappointed by his follow up in 2013, Old, it wasn't a bad album by any means. Now, Brown is back with Atrocity Exhibition. Let's see what he has in store for us now.
Even by Danny Brown standards, this album is WILD. Here we see him devolve further and further into his whirlwind of drug abuse and insanity. As he illustrates this over some of the most nutty rap instrumentals I've ever heard, I seriously get the feeling that this guy is special. Who else is doing this? He starts us off on an aptly named track, Downward Spiral. Over a pretty cool little rock-inspired groove, Danny gives us what the name of the track entails. Even with the success he's had, its so hard for him to get out of the hole he's dug for himself. This was a low-key, yet powerful opener. On Tell Me What I Don't Know, Danny notably goes in with his lower, more reserved voice that you probably remember from the second half of XXX. It seems whenever he uses this voice he's talking about some pretty real topics. With this track he's talking about the stuff that goes on in Detroit, and all the dangerous things he's seen and is still seeing today. These two tracks were solid, but I absolutely loved the next two, Rolling Stone and Really Doe. Two candidates for some of Danny's best songs ever, these two already have me thinking this album will be something special. Rolling Stone has a beat that is awesome, as it sounds so grimy and cavernous. The vocals on the hook from Petite Noir fit it perfectly and I love how they fit into the track. Danny does his thing on the verses and the song comes together very well. Really Doe is a monstrous posse cut with an all-star lineup. I loved Danny, Ab-Soul, and Kendrick Lamar's verses over the booming Black Milk beat, but it was Earl Sweatshirt's verse at the end of the track that hit the hardest. Earl is at the top of his game right now, and this verse showed how much of a grasp he seriously has on riding a beat with his unique flow. Really Doe is a candidate for best song of 2016, in my opinion.
The album relaxes a bit with the track Lost, a pretty chilled out but also slightly creepy song with Danny doing his thing over a really cool sounding sample beat. This relaxation doesn't last long, though, as the next three tracks are clinically insane. Seriously, you won't hear much rap that sounds like these. Ain't it Funny, Golddust, and White Lines are some of the most creative and crazy music this guy has ever done in his career. Never have I heard beats like the ones these tracks have, and Danny somehow just rides them effortlessly with his cackling delivery. The two I was most blown away by were Golddust and White Lines. Golddust somehow weaves in a headbanging punk guitar riff that keeps coming in and out of the track. Danny goes crazy over it and it ends up just sounding like something he was meant to do. That is how well he flows despite the abstract instrumentals. White Lines similarly has an extremely unorthodox beat and Danny just sounds great on it. Lyrically, Danny really comes back into the drug abuse black hole on this track, sounding like someone who has seriously been through some awful stuff. You are just really hearing a man fall apart on this track, and its insane how vividly Danny does this on the mic. Brown comes with a total banger on Pneumonia, a super fun track aided by Schoolboy Q's frequent ad libs in the background.
Danny goes through the last few tracks getting a lot more fun, starting with Dance in the Water, basically a banging anthem that also has some lyrical wisdom tied into it, with Danny echoing the title of the song in the hook. After From the Ground, a nice, relaxed song with a good hook from singer Kelela, comes When it Rain, a song I literally think I could write about for hours. This might be the wildest, most ridiculous song and musical concept I've heard this year. The crazy thing here is just how comfortable Danny sounds riding a beat like this that I feel like I've literally never heard anyone rap on in my life. Danny makes it into a total banger with a fun hook and rapid fire verses. The next two tracks, Today and Get Hi seem to be the only ones I'm not totally crazy about. While I love every other track I think only like these two. They're good but I won't be replaying them like I will with others. I will admit Get Hi is a funny track with B-Real fitting well on the hook. I love how Danny closes this album with the gritty Hell For It. He sounds determined here, getting past his drug abuse issues and going at the people who have doubted him. Overall this album is outstanding. I never thought Danny could make something that could hold a candle to XXX, but here he pulled out all the stops. I never thought I'd hear some of the sounds I heard on this project, but if anyone can do it, its Danny Brown. This album isn't for everyone, and it might even turn off some fans of Danny with how wild he lets his artistry get. If you really let yourself get immersed in the insanity here, you might have an extremely memorable listening experience.
Wrap Up
+Ridiculously forward thinking and wild instrumentals
+Brown keeps up his constantly excellent lyricism
+Illustrates the sounds of drug abuse better than he ever has before
+Always mixing things up with relaxed songs, bangers, serious lyrical tracks
Best Tracks; Rolling Stone. Really Doe, When it Rain
Worst Track: Today
9.6/10
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