Danny Brown

One Liner: Annoyingly high-pitched rapper who enjoys the shock value
Wikipedia Genre: Hip hop
Spotify Says Similar To: Vince Staples and Earl Sweatshirt
Home: Detroit

Poster Position: 8
Slot: ?

Thoughts:  I reviewed Brown's most recent album (2016's Atrocity Exhibition) earlier this year, and found his vocal tone to be pretty annoying.  Brown comes out of Detroit and has this wild personality that he pushes in his lyrics, trying to up the shock value.  Some of his raps are pretty good, but I just have trouble getting over the tone of his voice.  Wait, but then there is "25 Bucks" from the 2013 Old album and featuring Purity Ring, where Brown apparently chilled it out for a minute and raps in a slightly lower register and it sounds GREAT!  Yeah, now I've been running through that Old album, and it is significantly better. Not perfect, on songs like "Red 2 Go" or "Smokin & Drinkin" he still slides his vocal register up into that high pitched nasal zone, but most of this album has him rapping in a manner that isn't brutal to the ears.  Much better.  By now, you're annoyed that I have yet to provide you with evidence of this sound, so let's get in to it.  I already gave you "Pneumonia" in that earlier review, so here is the other second-place tune on Spotify for him,. called "Ain't It Funny."

I mean, seriously.  That voice.  But the video is something to wtch, if you like super disturbing stuff to watch, that is.  The top song from that new 2016 album is "Really Doe," with 7.6 million streams.

I mentioned liking this one in my earlier review, just because Kendrick Lamar has guest verses that change the pace from the annoying ass Brown vocals.  Kendrick is so good! And Brown's vocal is so bad!  It's just like someone drilling into the base of my skull with a drill that uses the Peanuts teacher's voice sped up on a turntable.  What is the deal?  But then his most popular track overall, with 24.2 million streams, is a single from 2012 called "Grown Up."

The difference is huge.  His range is still higher than most, but it is so much more pleasant in that less high, more relaxed zone.  And the lyrics of that one are clever and good, going on about kids wishing they could be grown and how cool he is now that he is grown.

2013's Old, as I mentioned before, is the best of these albums.  A few get annoying but over all it is solid.  Black and Brown, from 2011, is pretty solid as well, and uses some good sampled beats to create excellent tracks for Brown to use up.  2011's XXX, which sounds like his break-through mix tape from what I've read, is over an hour and 22 songs of filthy rhymes and weird couplets.  Two older mix-tapes (2010's The Hybrid and 2008's Hot Soup) see him changing from a pretty regular sounding rapper on Hot Soup to figuring out his higher-pitched delivery on The Hybrid.  I wonder what happened to make him ratchet that up over time - just trying to be different in this crowded field?  I dunno.  Anyway, even though some of his songs are fine, I can't get over the issues I have with the majority of them. This guy is not for me.

Recommend? No.