Danny Brown: Old Fool’s Gold

The XXX mixtape made Danny Brown's name as hip-hop's most lascivious hedonist, but parts of it also saw the Detroit native keen to move away from that one- dimensional cariacature and on Old, Brown uses his superb, idiosyncratic rat-a-tat flow to explore broader themes.

He still wants to have some fun (Dip and Handstand are party anthems for the weekenders), but he also knows how to wring cracking lines from the inevitable comedown (Lonely and Clean are emotionally raw screeds).

Sonically, Brown's intense, staccato rapping comes on top of vivid, visceral beats and harsh, punky squalls and screeches, as his producers throw everything from grime to trap into the blender to come up with beauties such as Break It (Go). What we get is a rich, enticing, multi-layered record that truly takes Brown to the psychedelic higher ground.
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Download: Break It (Go), Dip, Lonely