4ZZZ's Boddhi Farmer and Jack Jones sat down to have a chat about the love letter to classic hiphop, uknowhatimsayin¿, by hiphop's inveterate oddball Danny Brown.
Boddhi: What can we say about Danny Brown to kick us off? He's definitely an indie darling.
Jack: Highly beloved in internet circles. Atrocity Exhibition was an interesting turn after Old, and in some ways this feels like a revision, but I think it's a lot more interesting than Old was.
B: This reminded me a lot of The Hybrid because they're both just Danny spitting over boom-bap. When did you find out Q-Tip, of A Tribe Called Quest fame, was executive producing the album?
J: I think you raised it with me a few months back and we were a bit disappointed.
B: Yeah there was definitely some mutual skepticism. As influential as Tip and Tribe are, their music has always been far more straightforward than anything Danny Brown has done. That effect does spill over a bit on here.
J: Completely agree.
B: What did you think about the tracks Q-Tip produced?
J: Well after hearing Dirty Laundry, I was a little less disappointed because it wasn't what I expected from him, but at the same time it wasn't too interesting as a lead single.
B: No, but Dirty Laundry did grow on me in the context of the album. When you surround it with all the charisma that Danny brings it kind of amplifies the comedy behind each line.
J: Yeah it's nothing Danny hasn't done before but his execution is consistent.
B: Is it too big of a call to make that this album is Danny Brown trying to get more respect from the traditionalist hip-hop community?
J: Nah not at all, I was going to make the same point.
B: That's not necessarily a diss. Danny's been in this new wave underground internet rappers for so long that these tracks felt like him saying "I can do this old-school stuff and do it just as well as any of you"
J: Even Theme Song felt like a nod to that, going after those new-school rappers who aren't on his level.
B: His bragging here is also less self-deprecating than it's been in the past, which I don't really mind because Danny's lyricism is top-notch. The album is so mature and traditional in approach yet I didn't get that maturity from the lyrics. If anything, Atrocity Exhibition was far more self-reflective and mature.
J: It seemed like Danny was just trying to have fun on this album though, especially toward the end. It's nice to see after the tar pit that Atrocity was, especially considering his contemporaries like Tyler or Earl are still dropping harrowing material.
B: I'm sure Danny had a great time making this album, in fact it's pretty apparent on every track here. Although I do think Q-Tip's influence lacks the impact of past projects, I can't bring myself to dislike this album.
J: Nah, neither can I.
B: I want to say Danny could be making more interesting things, which he could, but he's just not trying for that at the moment.
J: It's just nice to see him having fun with an album.
B: To say Danny's not trying would be a cop out because he still writes some incredible verses and spits his ass off, but he's certainly not torturing himself as much for creative growth.
J: Other people don't seem to like it, but I'm really enjoying Belly of the Beast featuring Obongjayar.
B: I find Danny's atmospheric tracks hit or miss.
J: The skeletal production reminded me of 80s ambient pop Arthur Russel type stuff, and then there's that looped, groaning vocal effect which I thought painted a pretty vivid picture. Especially combined with some of Danny's funniest bars on the whole album.
B: Totally agree regarding his verse. I thought Obongjayar's performances were fantastic but didn't really reinforce Danny's momentum, similar to Rolling Stone off Atrocity Exhibition.
J: I thought Obongjayar offered some memorable hooks but kind of wish he got a verse to show what more he can offer. Belly of the Beast and Savage Nomad were my two standout tracks, forming the crux of the album.
B: Gotta agree, Savage Nomad was excellent. A great performance too considering some of these other flows felt very revisionist for Danny. Especially on the intro track Change Up, if Danny had a textbook flow it'd be the one on Change Up, and I didn't find he brought much new to it.
J: It's probably my least favourite cut on the album. He comes bursting out of the gates on Savage Nomad though with "Been through so many raids we treat that shit like a fire drill." and "My vocal take a green beret, kill the verse leave booth decay."
B: Yeah even when Danny Brown isn't pushing himself as much he still comes up with these one-liners that are just laugh out loud funny and so unlike what anyone else is writing at the moment. My problem with the weak tracks here is that they lack impact, something Danny's usually so good at bringing. Often his charisma here isn't backed up by the production or features and that made for an inconsistent listen.
J: I was a bit skeptical of Shine when I saw Blood Orange was featured and I still don't understand his hook. I do really like Danny's comparison between the losses of someone cancelled by the MeToo movement and African-Americans who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, though. It's pretty simple but quite an eloquent way to paint a picture of injustice.
B: That's one of the few quote-unquote 'deeper' moments in the album. Most of it is Danny spitting, not throwaway bars, but he's not really sinking his teeth into heavy subjects. A quote I had was "Went from flippin' on mats to flippin' them sacks. Hide and seek, send spots to out on, we sell crack, facts" followed by "War on drugs was a chess game. Was a pawn, guns drawn on my front lawn." Just crazy multi-syllable rhymes, flows like that are what I come to Danny Brown for.
J: Like you said, it's a lot less consistent than Atrocity Exhibition but the high points are enough to make it enjoyable.
B: We should talk about Combat before concluding, I thought that was brilliant as a closer. When Danny hits it's just so clean and undeniably enjoyable.
J: If he was intending on doing a nod to classic hip-hop, old heads and classic hip-hop fans will absolutely nut to that song.
B: Absolutely, and they have been. Rightfully so, Q-Tip's vocal contributions and samples were such a great way to end the album. Even if it didn't tie up anything thematically, even if the record doesn't have much to offer thematically.
J: Definitely not as consistent as AE or even XXX but it's a step, not necessarily forward, but in a new direction. Which I appreciate.
B: If uknowhatimsayin¿ is proof of anything it's that Danny Brown can't make a bad album, not matter how much or little he tries. I bounced off the aesthetic of this record, I bounced off the production, I felt it was inconsistent. Still, most of the time I'm listening to it and enjoying myself so much thanks to Danny's raw skill and charisma. Even if it doesn't do as much as his other work.
J: Completely agree.
- Boddhi Farmer / Jack Jones.