Old

Old – Danny Brown’s second album under the Fool’s Gold label banner – is the perfect summation of the evolution of the 32-year-old since the release of the first Detroit State of Mind mixtape, six years ago. With the album a lengthy 19 tracks and broadly split into two parts in terms of beats, subject matter and the now-famous pitch change of Brown’s voice, the project is an ambitious effort, from which Brown emerges as one of the most diverse hip-hop artists of his generation.

The first half of the album echoes Brown’s previous mixtapes such as The Hybrid and the Detroit State of Mind series, as these songs broadly have their subject matter rooted in the gritty, bleak and depraved hoods of Detroit. ‘The Return’, for instance, is a thug anthem, which – underpinned by a smooth bass-line and a simple recurring drum beat – is almost J Dilla-esque, thus reflecting the old Danny Brown style. Acting accordingly within these parameters, Brown enlists Freddie Gibbs to feature during a verse in which the new master of smooth, thugged-out hip-hop compliments the beat perfectly, while effectively setting the vibe for the album’s first half.

When compared to the second half of the album (which represents the EDM-influenced party rap aesthetic which first came to prominence on Brown’s breakthrough XXX), the difference is stark. On ‘Dubstep’, for example, the trademark 140-bpm ‘Fizzy Flow’ of Scrufizzer is a world apart from the smooth Gibbs feature. It’s from this point on that the pace of the album quickens, and the party really begins on ‘Dip’. Over the tripped-out SKYWLKR beat, Brown lets us all know – in no uncertain terms – his love for Molly. Though the referencing of MDMA by rappers who are desperately searching for club bangers has become a cliché, Brown’s intangible charisma simply makes it impossible for him to sound corny.

As epitomised on ‘Dip’, what really elevates this project above most hip-hop albums of this year is Old’s production. Brown has recruited a wide range of producers, from unconventional grime beatsmith Darq E Freaker (with whom Brown has previously collaborated on the bombastic ‘Blueberry’) to in-house producer SKYWLKR and Paul White, whose beat on ‘Wonderbread’ sounds like a nursery rhyme on acid: as left-field as anything you’ll hear a rapper spit on this year. The beat selection by Brown is finely on-point, and reflects his diverse musical influences from Boy in Da Corner to Madvillainy to Kid A. There is certainly a case to be made that Old is, sonically, the best hip-hop album of the year… although I’m sure our lord Yeezus would have something to say about that.

Old is a totally uncompromising and unrelenting project which, although it can feasibly be separated into two parts, ends up sounding remarkably coherent.

‘Float On’, the last track on the album, comes straight after ‘Kush Coma’, and it certainly feels like Brown has slipped into a reflective coma of sorts, signalling that the party is coming to an end. ‘Float On’ – just like XXX finale ’30’ – is the perfect summation of the album as an entity. The song manages to connect everything in one fell swoop, from the struggle of trying to make it in the music industry, to attempts to escape the harsh realities of Detroit, and the role drugs have played in such sufferings. This song therefore provides the seemingly ignorant subject matter on Side B with a deeper and more immediate meaning. It gives the impression that the party on the album’s second half is as much about escapism as it is about enjoyment.

Indeed, it is a testament to Brown’s visions and ambitions as an artist that he avoids coming to a watered-down, middle-of-the-road synthesis between the two styles which are so excellently showcased on the album. Instead, he offers a totally uncompromising and unrelenting project which, although it can feasibly be separated into two parts, ends up sounding remarkably coherent.

Similar To: Flatbush Zombies, El-P

MP3: ‘Side A (Old)’, ‘Dubstep’, ‘Float On’