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Thursday, December 20, 2012

Artist of the Day: Danny Brown

Danny Brown may not be the savior of Detroit's rap scene that Eminem was when Em came on the scene in the late 90's, but he's certainly a fun diversion from the increasingly homogeneous rap that we hear every day. He takes after Eminem in that he frequently references prescription drugs and his addiction to them, as well as his sense of humor and often explicit lyrics. Eminem comparisons aside, Brown is fiercely unique- to the point that G-Unit Records refused to sign him unless he changed his image- and everything from his clothes to his voice stand out as starkly different from what we've heard before. His second album, XXX, received huge amounts of hype from magazines like XXL and Spin and it's in no small part due to his individualism.

Whether in full-album form or in small doses, Brown never fails to entertain. The entertainment might come in the form of dirty jokes or a graphic description of him performing cunnilingus, yet it's as fun to hear as it is head-scratching. He is apt to one-up the featured stars when he does guest verses (see: his collaborations with Childish Gambino and the A$AP Mob from earlier this year) and is bold enough to name his forthcoming album after Ol Dirty Bastard- a rapper who he seems to believe he has a lot in common with. What really makes him different though is that he sets out to make people laugh. He's hilarious without having to incorporate the newly-chic "punchline rap" that the Young Money clique have popularized. His humor is an acquired taste, but it's laugh-out-loud funny once you understand it; although this will take longer for some people than others. Danny Brown may not be the type of music you want your kids listening to, but he's a voice that any rap fan/teenager would certainly appreciate hearing.  


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