Danny Brown has forged himself into a monument of underground rap with multiple records in his discography that have cemented him into a place of reverence among the hip-hop community. Some exemplary albums that prove this point are “Atrocity Exhibition”, his breakout release, which exudes the pain and guilt of addiction over sprawling and chaotic instrumentals, and “SCARING THE HOES”, a collaborative, sample-heavy, and chaotic record with fellow underground legend JPEGMAFIA. Jeff Weiss of Pitchfork articulates the feeling of Brown’s work well, calling him, “A virtuosic talent who understands how to use his unique personality as a vicious instrument,” and saying that his music emits a “Lingering sense of paranoia, the requisite survivor’s guilt and anxiety, but also hysterical punchlines and party anthems built to cause speakers to crumble into ashes.”
It is no secret that Danny Brown struggles with addiction; it permeates every single record in his discography. In 2023, Brown released “Quaranta”, a record that, in no uncertain terms, clarified that he was still struggling with drug and alcohol abuse and felt as though there was no light at the end of the tunnel. Two years later, his most recent release, “Stardust”, tells a completely different story. It is his first album that he has ever created while being completely sober, and many of the lyrics on the record indicate as much. Claire Biddles of The Quietus says that the album “Sounds like the windows being thrown open” and that Brown is narrating “His emergence from addiction and arrival at a place of inner peace.” Not only is this record a huge left turn in terms of mood, but the nature of the music itself is of a completely different genre, hyperpop. Brown collaborates with up-and-coming icons in the genre, such as underscores and Jane Remover. There is also a flair of digital hardcore/jungle across the record, ushered in by artists such as Cynthoni, JOHNNASCUS, and femtanyl. Folktronica legend and pioneer Quadeca is also on two tracks across the record, making for a calming intro and eye in this digital storm with the tracks “Book of Daniel” and “What You See.” A final thing of note is that this may be the most representation that the transgender music scene has ever received on a single album, with at least six of the twelve featured artists proclaiming themselves as openly trans. This influence can be clearly heard throughout Stardust’s nearly 50-minute runtime.
The album opens with the aforementioned “Book of Daniel,” a methodical, building piece produced by Quadeca that sees Danny Brown adopting a sort of flow-of-consciousness style as he raps about where he’s been and where he’s at. The mixture of synthesizers and acoustic instruments is fascinating and forces you into multiple listens to even process everything happening from start to finish. Track three, “Copycats,” features hyperpop icon underscores and gives us another bass-heavy, bouncy classic from her catalogue, while simultaneously giving space for Brown to breathe between choruses. Potentially the most experimental track on the record is its fourth, titled “1999” and featuring JOHNNASCUS. John delivers his classic cacophony of industrial, digital hardcore sounds at full blast in his lyrically esoteric choruses, making a song that seems to fall apart entirely, come back together on Brown’s second verse, and then collapse completely in a clamor of clashing synths and drum samples before sputtering out over the remaining 15 seconds of its runtime. Track eight, “What You See,” provides the listener with a bit of an auditory breather as Quadeca joins Brown again for a slower, melancholic track that reflects on the guilt that Danny feels from the mistakes he made during his fight with addiction. In the chorus, Quadeca sings, “I wanna know what you see in me.” How can you love me when I was so far in the wrong that I don’t even love myself? This is the question Brown seems to be asking again and again throughout this track’s runtime. Some other phenomenal moments include ITSSBROKIE absolutely demolishing her verse on “Whatever The Case,” femtanyl’s pounding and insistent production on “1Lov3myL1f3!,” and Cynthoni’s trademark foreboding jungle beats on “The End.”
“Stardust” is jam-packed with excitement from start to finish and showcases the immense talent of the up-and-comers in the underground electronic scene. The sheer diversity of sounds on this record makes it inconsistent at times, but also means that there is something of substance here for everyone who listens to it. (4.5/5 stars)
Danny Brown on tour.
