Hi, everyone. Cinthony Janetano here, the internet's busiest music nerd. It's time for a review of the new Danny Brown album, Stardust.

Yes, the newest LP from veteran Detroit rapper Mr. Danny Brown. His eighth album, that is if you are also counting 2011's XXX mixtape, which a lot of fans treat like its an album. It was like his big breakthrough project. My counting also encompasses the head-turning collaborative crossover with JPEGMafia, 2023's Scaring the Hoes.

2023 was a massive year for Danny. Not just because of the sudden success of that album, but it was also the year where he managed to finally drop the long-awaited and anticipated Quaranta, a record that was essentially the decade-later sequel to that XXX mixtape because the three Xs were representative of Roman numerals for the number 30, which was Danny's age at the time when he was writing and recording that tape. And 30 is definitely an odd time to finally be making it as a rapper. But what is even more rare and surprising is that Danny would still be making noise all these years later, as well as challenging himself and his fans thematically and musically on this new record, which we will get into.

But yeah, Quaranta did actually come out, and it was a solid project. Maybe not the most momentous occasion, considering what exactly in Danny's career was supposed to serve as the benchmark for. But there were still some bold and incredible highlights in the tracklist of this thing, whether it's "Y.B.P." or "Tantor", "Jenn's Terrific Vacation". Thoughtful, funny, bold tracks that showcase that Danny still had a creative gas left in the tank at this point in his career.

Though this record still did leave me wondering if it was going to mark a new direction, or chapter, for Danny since he had now pretty much proven he could make it this far.

A new direction would also make sense given the new direction of Danny's life in recent years as he has been expanding and experimenting in stuff that's not even just music. "The Danny Brown Show" / Podcast, for one, which has given him more a platform to not only express himself, but also showcase his sense of humor and the things that he loves, especially in the music world.

And repeatedly on numerous episodes of this show, as well as just generally on social media, Danny has been making it super clear just how plugged into this new wave of hyperpop and queer-coated electronic music he is. Shouting out and sometimes collaborating with the likes of Frost Children as well as 8485 and underscores, which has taken a lot of fans by surprise recently.

But when you really look at Danny's trajectory, is it really all that surprising?

This guy has been showing interest in and occasionally working with artists who tend to do well on the indie side of pop and electronic music for a long time now. I mean, that's part of what makes his 2013 album Old, the record that it is, with features from not only Purity Ring, but Charlie XCX. Ten years ago, again, mind you. And he is also currently on Warp Records. Still, he's been there for years.

So it was funny to see a lot of fan reactions to this record when the track List was originally announced and listed collaborators like some of the people I just mentioned, as well as Quadeca and ISSBROKIE, as well as femtanyl, and of course, Jane Remover, too.

All of this had a lot of people freaking out about how hip hop this album was actually going to be, which is just a silly conversation to engage in, not only because Danny has always been a rapper, first and foremost. I mean, what the fuck else is he going to be doing on this record? Singing opera? But also, while Danny is undeniably a hip hop artist, a part of his core appeal for years has been all the ways in which he doesn't fit into the confines of your average rapper. So honestly, if you're not here to see Danny Brown do it different, then why are you here?

Now, my overall feelings on Stardust, though, are very positive. I was pleasantly surprised and shocked and thrilled by this album. But simultaneously, like with anything cutting edge here and there, we do hit some growing pains, some awkward moments, as Danny dives into uncharted territory. I can't say personally, before I went into this record, I've already enjoyed a lot of tracks and projects from the likes of underscores and Quadeca and Jane Remover, as well as artists like SOPHIE, who obviously is not featured on this project (rest in peace). But many of Danny's collaborators are so deeply influenced by her ground-breaking work, specifically on a handful of tracks here.

But also, again, looking at this man's back catalog, he is certainly no stranger to rapping on tracks that have maybe a bit more of an electronic dance music appeal to them, or even having his vocals remixed into tracks that land in that genre. I mean, the dude has a feature on the new Fred Again album. But anyway, electronic music is obviously one of the most important guiding stars of this project, musically.

But also Danny's personal growth and trajectory are a significant player here, too, as apparently this is his first album that he has written and recorded entirely sober. I think the results speak for themselves on a lot of the highlights here.

You can really hear Danny's newfound clarity on the opening track, "The Book of Daniel", which features Quadeca, who is very clearly at the helm of this dazzling, booming instrumental. This might just be the most poetic opening track of Danny's entire career between him talking about living and thriving and making bold statements about being in essentially the Big Three between him and Kendrick and Earl, and talking about the state of hip hop today. Going from mixtapes to click bait, and then also mentioning himself being like a vessel for his message that he tries to deliver on this album. The cautionary tales he's known to give fans in his music these days. But yeah, the track reaches a really grandiose feel good finish that sets the album off on a very bright tone.

However, I would say the general energy of this record is more along the lines of what we hear on the following track, "Starburst", which is just this series of frantic, booming, energized, and disorienting beats that honestly sound like a workout. It's intense to not only follow the tempo, the rhythms, what Danny is saying lyrically. It's difficult to untangle, but when you actually read into Danny's words, rarely has he ever sounded this cogent, maybe not in a conceptual way. But often the humor, the rhyme schemes, the references he packs into his bars on this track, it all flows together in a very witty and holistic way –

"They woke up the monster, so I divide and conquer / I ponder going bonkers then knocking out your chompers / I wonder why they somber when they stand in front your honor / But when they in them streets, they going nuts like Conker."

Just all these bars about Danny's artistic dominance, the general goofiness of the music industry, commercial music, and his competitors. And this song operates in multiple phrases with different flows and beat switch-ups, including this very dramatically-read poem from Angel Proust of Frost Children on the back end of the song. Something that reads as really random and unexpected over this bed of ambient instrumentation when you first hear it. But this whole "drunk on stardust" spiel that Angel is on with this moment actually speaks to a lot of the greater themes of the record when it comes to the mental clarity and hyper awareness that Danny is operating with when creating these tracks and commenting on his own life and growth and progression.

After this, we have "Copy Cats" featuring underscores, which is like this electropop and rap fusion with a super sweet chorus. It's a braggadocious rock star anthem, which is something in concept Danny is no stranger to. But this new iteration of it is certainly the most positive and feel good version that we have heard. Not quite the disturbing depiction of Danny's addictions and tendency toward hedonism that ultimately would be his undoing, which obviously is a theme that would come up again, and again, on older tracks.

After this, we have the jittery and intense "1999", one of the most explosive tracks on this entire record with Danny's double time flows, which are delivered over these stuttering fried synth leads. This is also a beat that progressively brings in these thumping kick drums that get more distorted and influenced by hardcore techno, too. Occasionally featuring Johnnascus, who just brings these throat-shredding screamo-style vocals. But again, as random as a lot of these points of inspiration and sounds come across on the surface, it's all very tied together as these dystopian and freakish sounds are also mirrored in Danny's bars about the world ending.

"Flowers" is another pop-centric cut on the project, one that features 8485. This time we get a track that is a lot easier on the ears. In fact, this may be one of the most approachable songs on the record. We get some friendly synths and autotune vocals in the mix. It's not just a breezy pop rap tune. It's very much a song about Danny getting what he has owed artistically by having forged his own path for all these years. This is very much a song about artistic integrity.

Meanwhile, "Lift You Up" provides a very interesting change of pace on the record as Danny moves very boldly into a hip house direction. A sound that on paper, I would never think in a million years Danny would sound good doing, and yet he does. Again, while his delivery and his Yelpy vocal style may not be everyone's cup of tea or the sound you would expect to be on top of this thing, the instrumental is unhinged and demented enough to match his energy while simultaneously maintaining a vibe that would actually work in the context of maybe a catwalk or something.

But yeah, this track is also one of a few on the album where Danny is addressing the topic of love and relationships, which is often not something he tends to dive into that deeply. And despite that lack of numerous previous examples, this song is actually pretty thoughtful, as Danny describes bending over backwards for someone who seemingly just can't be pleased.

Danny continues on this love and relationship arc with the song "Green Light". A track I would think on the surface is maybe a little bit more in his wheelhouse, given that it is so sexually explicit. A lot of the bars on this track pretty much take place in a car. But, with that being said, I do think this song is one of the toughest listens on the record. I got to be honest, I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the lack of a humorous bent to the lyrics or the blissful and feel good sound of the instrumentation. Maybe it's the Frost Children chorus. I don't know what it is, but there's a lack of edge to the explicitness of the writing here.

Yeah, sadly, not a track that works for me. Even if it is encouraging to see him, like, rapping about a sexual relationship in the context of a romantic connection that is actually deep and works for him.

When it comes to love and romance on this project, I get a lot more out of the song "What You See", track that features more Quadeca production over some chill boombat beats. It's a song where Danny addresses, I guess, in a sense, what is essentially like a sex addiction, as he describes using people over a certain period of his life in much the same way that he would substances to escape, to distract, to fill a void, and essentially overcoming that and finding himself in a relationship that he sees worth sticking with.

"Baby" with underscores, though, is another track that continues to bolster this theme. Has big SOPHIE vibes on the production. This is an instrumental that really feels like it could have been on Un-Insides. I don't know. As much as there are elements of this track I find thrilling, I feel like it's not completely working, either. I chalk it up mostly to a lot of challenging elements at play. Again, Danny not having quite as much experience in writing very deeply or interestingly about a more holistic romance, which leads us to lines about this person making his life feel complete. Just generally cliché stuff. But, also on top of that, the instrumental here is so intense and loud and requires, I think, a certain type of rhythmic approach for Danny that it doesn't really allow for a whole lot of contemplation and space to really wax poetic on the topic.

I feel like in a way, in order to make this instrumental work, Danny is forced to streamline and simplify his writing as much as possible. The song ends up less interesting than it could have been as a result. After this, though, we head into a few tracks that really turn the hell up, "Whatever the Case", which also instrumentally brings some big SOPHIE vibes, as well as a killer feature from ISSABROKIE.

The song "I Love My Life" as well, which, sure, is one of the most aggressive and hype tracks on this record, but also it is a very personal and conceptual statement about the state of Danny's life at this point and the the exuberance with which he wants to share his happiness.

The final moments of this project are a little mixed, but mostly good. We have "The End," which is this massive eight-minute monster of a cut, which features all these intense breakbeat passages. A verse in Polish, I believe, too. A few Australian collaborators as well. Danny is all over the map on this cut, stylistically and geographically. The song opens up with a lot of thoughtful bars about, again, the state of Danny's life and everything it took for him to get to this point. That cautionary tale, that leading by example.

For a good portion of the song, I think Danny does super well for himself, considering how difficult of a beat this is to wrap on. However, things intensify even more on the back end of the track, and I find myself struggling to see Danny's bars really fit over this instrumental as it just gets crazier and crazier. Again, this is just a massive song, and I guess the biggest criticism that I could give it is that Danny's execution wasn't quite where his ambitions were, but he really went all out on this track, and I can at least admire that.

The credits-roll moment on this project comes in the form of "All For You", which is honestly this beautiful and moving statement on why Danny does what he does artistically, and just brings this strong sense of appreciation toward his audience, which is a relationship that has been rocky in certain parts of his catalog as he's long struggled to figure out who he is, what the type of music he wants to make is, what the audience is he wants to appeal to. It seems like, for the most part, he's fully figured that out on this record. Even if there are some songs that feel like a bit of a mess, or maybe could have been cleaned up a bit, because the overall vibe of this thing is just so chaotic in some respects.

But then again, in others, in terms of the general themes and focus around Danny's writing, this actually is a laser. I think Danny's really playing director on this project, too, in a lot of ways, given the kind of palette of production and collaborators he provided for himself. It's all over the place, and it's chaotic, and, as intense as this album is in some respects, he really did assemble a team of artists that reinforce each other really well in terms of complementary sounds.

So yeah, I don't know, I think I really got to give it to Danny on this one. I think this is a pretty sick record. A very bold and ambitious accomplishment. I think he really fucking went for it and mostly got to where he wanted to be in the end, which is why I think I'm feeling a light 8 on this one.

Anthony Fantano, Danny Brown, forever.