Album of the Year #8: Danny Brown - uknowhatimsayin¿ - HipHop

Album of the Year #8: Danny Brown - uknowhatimsayin¿
Daily Discussion Thread 01/09/2020
[FRESH] MAC MILLER - GOOD NEWS
[FRESH VIDEO] Future Ft. Drake - Life Is Good
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy REDUX REVIEW
[FRESH ALBUM] MICK JENKINS - THE CIRCUS
Chad Hugo Says The Neptunes Are Reuniting Full Time & Working With Jay-Z, Lil Uzi Vert, & Miley Cyrus
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[LEAK] Future & Lil Baby - 1st N 3rd

Album of the Year #8: Danny Brown - uknowhatimsayin¿

Posted: 09 Jan 2020 01:07 PM PST

Artist: Danny Brown

Album: uknowhatimsayin¿

Listen:

Background by /u/nullplotexception

38 year-old rapper Danny Brown grew up in Detroit, Michigan. His mother and father were 17 and 16 years old at the time of his birth. At a very young age, Danny Brown knew he wanted to be a rapper. He says he got his start in kindergarten, when he was asked to bring something in for show-and-tell. He comments that he "had nothing to show or tell. So I [was] just like, forget it, and just rapped in front of the class — and then everybody went crazy."

Danny Brown's parents did their best to keep Danny Brown in the house and away from trouble in the Detroit streets. Eventually, however, he out-grew their parentage and explored Detroit on his own. Brown began selling weed at 18, which lead to an 8-month stint in jail drug possession just a year later. After his release, Brown was again caught with marijuana, a violation of his probation, which lead to him spending more time in jail. This time when he got out of jail, he decided he was going to put more energy into his music career. Brown notes that he always knew he wanted to be a rapper and that he only sold drugs because everyone else was doing it.

Brown began rapping with fellow Detroit rappers Chip$ and Dopehead in a trio named Rese'vor Dogs. Together, they released an independent album called Runispokets-N-Dumpemindariva. Brown then had a brief partnership with Travis Cummings of Roc-A-Fella Records. Brown began recording music in New York studios for Cummings, but this partnership eventually faltered and Danny returned to Detroit.

Brown released a few mixtapes throughout the late 00s, namely It's A Art, the Detroit State of Mind series, and Hot Soup. After Hot Soup, Brown released his first studio album, The Hybrid with independent label Rappers I Know on March 16th, 2010. Brown recorded the album in Black Milk's studio between 3AM and 6AM, as that was the only time the studio was not already in use. The hard work paid off for Danny, who got signed to Fool's Gold Records less than a year after The Hybrid. Brown began work on his next release XXX, which was released on August 15th, 2011.

XXX, perhaps the most experimental record of Danny Brown's, was met with widespread critical acclaim, earning a Metacritic score of 83/100, something Brown was very proud of. Danny truly pushes the envelope on this album, using his famous cartoon-like voice over 19 tracks produced mainly by other mid-west producers. The lone guest verses on this album were from Chip$ and Dopehead of Rese'vor Dogs. Brown starts the album rapping about drug use in songs like XXX and Die Like a Rockstar, then moves to talking more about his upbringing and life in Detroit from DNA onward, around the midpoint of the album. This style of splitting his albums into two halves was continued on his next full length project, Old.

Old enjoyed the most commercial success of all his albums, peaking at #18 on the billboard charts. It followed a similar style to XXX, but had a stronger list of guest features with A$AP Rocky, ScHoolboy Q, and Freddie Gibbs all delivering verses on the album. That said, the label did delay the release of the record for seemingly no-reason.

Danny's next project is Atrocity Exhibition. The album features Danny Brown rapping with a more bleak outlook on life than at probably any other point in his career. His first line in the music video for Ain't It Funny, a track off the album, is "I'm empty inside." It's an incredibly emotional tour through his life, which he describes as being in a Downward Spiral.

The album was met with great critical acclaim, but garnered very few sales. Brown later tweeted "Never spend 70k on samples for an album that no one buys cause you will be in debt." when asked what he learned from making the album.

For the next few years, he was fairly quiet. He resurfaced on twitch, streaming himself playing videogames and interacting with fans. On this platform, occasionally playing clips of some of the songs that would appear on his next album. He announced earlier this year that he would be releasing an album that featured production from Q-Tip and a few other big names. He released Dirty Laundry as the album's first single a few months later, then the song Best Life, and finally 3 Tearz. This all lead up to a October 4th release of uknowhatimsayin¿.

Review by /u/nullplotexception

uknowhatimsayin¿ starts off slower than some of Brown's previous albums with the Paul White produced Change Up. Brown over a subdued beat about everything from struggling to pay his rent, drinking away his problems, trying to maintain his legacy, avoiding people who want to leech off him, but not wanting to give up on himself despite all of this. The long list of topics Brown mentions in this rather short track unfortunately don't come together as well as I would like. Still, it gives good context and insight into Brown's life that help make later songs on the album easier to understand.

The album picks up a little more on the next song, Theme Song, which features more lively production than the previous track. Brown sarcastically calls the song the "Theme Song for bitch ass n****s", calling out Eddie Long and pop culture influencer.

But Danny really hits his stride on the next track, Dirty Laundry. Brown approaches the song like a stand up comedy routine. He raps about selling drugs to his father, selling crack that went through the laundry and now tastes like soap, and getting into a fight with a man for sleeping with his the mother of his child. Brown caps it off with a story about a stripper that he paid for sex with change. Danny's personality really shines through on this track; listening to this track makes listeners feel as though they are having a conversation with Danny, who's telling ridiculous stories from his life over a few beers. The stories on this track, as it turns out, are completely fictional and made to give the something to laugh at.

The first three tracks build on one another fairly well. Brown, who is known for rapping in his crazy high-pitched voice, starts off the album using a more conventional voice. By Dirty Laundry, his voice gets much closer to what it sounded like on some of the first few tracks of Atrocity Exhibition. It's not actually as off-the-wall as in past albums, but it's definitely noticeable.

Next up is 3 Tearz, which features Run the Jewels. Killer Mike and El-P provide guest verses on the track, which is produced by JPEGMAFIA. The production is not as crazy as one would expect from a JPEGMAFIA song though, and the guest verses take away from the atmosphere Danny created in the first few tracks of the album, as they don't provide as much perspective into Danny's life.

The following track, Belly of the Beast features Obongjayar. The verse on this song is recycled from a Tim Westwood freestyle Danny Brown did in 2013. Likewise, the track has a XXX drugged out feel to it: the song starts with the lyric "Maniac off Xanny bars, sack like Santa Claus and continues to tell a story about a "wack as hell" threesome. The track stands out for being having more vintage, crazy Danny Brown lyrics than the rest of the album, but not enough to completely break the flow of the album. Still, I don't find myself coming back to this song over other songs on the album because the beat seems to not have enough energy to match up with the lyrics. The original freestyle uses the beat from Pusha T's, Numbers on the Board which suits the first verse far better than the beat that made the album.

The second half of this album is where Brown truly hits his stride. Savage Nomad features the some of the more intricate flows by Danny on the project. Featuring a guitar sample from Czech artist Ota Petrina. Danny Brown calls himself a modern Savage Nomad gangster who steals scales from his school, drives an old Cadillac, and burns trash to stay warm. The topics on this song aren't out of this world, but it's Danny's clever wordplay that really brings his description of his oddball style to life. Danny brags that he's "Always on some different shit" and that other rappers are simply offer the same shit, different porta-potty". The song ends with a sampled drum breakdown from the intro of the song Sancocho De Medula by Ofrenda and Vytas Brenner. Though the two samples on this Playa Haze produced track come from two completely different places in the world, they sound beautiful on the same track and really work to compliment one another. The drums at the end give the song punch, pushing the tempo of the album higher as we get into the second half of the album.

Next up is Best Life, one of the singles released ahead of uknowhatimsayin¿. On Best Life, Danny brings the most hopeful, forward-thinking mind-set mindset to a track I've ever heard him bring. Unlike previous albums, where the second half of the album carries the heavier, more bleak songs that remind the listener how tortured Danny Brown's life has been and how he's left with little hope, Danny Brown announces on this track that he's committing to living a more healthy life. Danny decides to "let the past be the past" and focus on living his "best life". Sonically, Best Life has a more vintage, 90s feel to it than any Danny Brown beat I've heard since EWNESW, partly because it's produced by living legend Q-Tip.

Brown continues with titular track uknowhatimsayin¿. The line "know what I'm sayin'" is every other lyric in the verses of this song. The jovial feel of the track is good, but the repetition of the verses takes some of the meaning out of the track. Obongjayar comes in with a chorus at the end of the song, his second appearance on this album, reaffirming the more positive minded theme of the second half of the album with lyrics like "my guy, don't stop now, keep moving".

The next track, Negro Spiritual, starts off with an exciting Thundercat bass riff that continues through the rest of the track. The Flying Lotus production gives this song an eerie, outer space feel. Danny Brown's voice fits perfectly on the song. The line "Came a long way from ___" shows up in this song multiple times, again pushing the narrative that Danny Brown is not angry about where he is in life, but instead working to push himself forward while being happy with the progress he's made. Still there's lyrics contrasting his success with some continued drugs use, such as the line "Season tickets for the Pistons, cut crack on dishes".

The penultimate track, Shine, is produced by Standing on the Corner and Paul White. Danny talks about how dealing with incarceration could have derailed his career if he had not fought the odds to stay focused and avoid further legal trouble. It's a track where the 38-year old is reflecting on what he's learned throughout his life, not scolding himself for the mistakes he's made. Blood Orange jumps on the track to deliver a beautiful, layered hook. It all comes together very well and leads in perfectly to the last track.

The final track starts with a quick vocal sample from 1979 documentary 80 Blocks From Tiffany's then immediately jumps into looped cut of what sounds like some sort of brass wind instrument. The lyrics on this track speak for themselves and are very summative of the second half of the album without directly repeating what's already been said. The Q-Tip produced beat has a playful feel that reminds me of the Ain't it Funny beat from Atrocity Exhibition, but the lyrics are the opposite of what we heard on that album.

The album ends with perhaps the hardest hitting verse on the whole album:

Listen, all a nigga wanted was a Chevy on some Daytons Wasn't thinkin' 'bout no lawyer, nigga, fuck savin' Didn't know we'd see them horrors like Wes Craven Hook jumpin' out them vans, throw us on pavement Locked up with dirty white boys, all musty Prayin' for probation, hope I get lucky Court-appointed lawyers, gotta stay coppin' Put you in predicament, but that's your only option Sink or swim, look at him in the system Just another nigga, one-way ticket to a prison Tried to help, only hurt in the end How the fuck 'posed to take care your kids from the pen'? It's the life that we chose, friends become foes That nigga snitched on, everybody know Some don't know how to stick to the code Nobody to trust, that's the way life goes

The beat fades and rest of the sample from the beginning plays; an old man tells that he's seen every kind of homemade weapon in the NY street. Danny's tumultuous life has been a Combat Zone, and at 38 he's seen everything that a person can possibly while escaping the US justice system that doesn't seeks to destroy people like him. He's just trying to raise his daughter and live his Best Life, even if it's pushed him to trusting no-one.

Danny leaves us with his most mature project of the decade, a decade that saw him go from rapping about drugs, to calling out for help, to pushing himself to be the best rapper he can be. Ambition has always been part of Brown's lyrics: on the final song of XXX, he rapped "But I always tell myself that it's gonna get better / You know who you is? You the greatest rapper ever". But, for the first time in his career, he's rapping from the standpoint of someone who is revered in the genre: he's not fighting for a record deal anymore, he's collaborating with all time greats like Q-Tip. Furthermore, even though he's reached this level of respect of his peers, he hasn't gotten lazy and forgotten how to spit. He's still at the top of his game.

I would probably give this album a 7 or 8 out of 10. While it doesn't quite reach the highs of XXX, there are a ton of quality tracks on this album. While he likely can't and won't make an album like XXX again, Danny Brown has proved once again that he is one of the greatest rappers of this generation with his versatility, technical ability, lyrical depth, and ear for beats.

Favorite Lyrics by /u/username

Fuck a stripper for some change, actual change Dime, penny, nickels, actual change

Dirty Laundry

Every day same shit, different porta-potty

Savage Nomad

Came from the sewer where hot dogs got boiled Right up in the same pot unc' cooked the rock

Best Life

It's the microphone magician, make the rappers disappear (Yeah) If I ain't holler at you yet, then you had a good year (Yeah)

Negro Spiritual

Had my head above water, had to keep movin' on

Shine

Got more pills than the Olsen twins

Combat Zone

Talking Points

talking point

What's the best song on this album? There's a lot of good ones to choose from, especially on the second half of the album.

There isn't as much of a change in topics on the first and second half of this album as there has been on previous Danny Brown albums. Does that help or hurt the album?

Does Danny Brown's voice seem more "normal" on this album or are we just getting used to it?

What other 'grown' rap albums have similar themes as this one? (please don't say 4:44)

Outro + Schedule

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Daily Discussion Thread 01/09/2020

Posted: 09 Jan 2020 05:43 PM PST

Welcome to the /r/hiphopheads daily discussion thread!

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[FRESH] MAC MILLER - GOOD NEWS

Posted: 09 Jan 2020 03:00 PM PST

submitted by /u/soulfuldeli
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[FRESH VIDEO] Future Ft. Drake - Life Is Good

Posted: 09 Jan 2020 09:00 PM PST

submitted by /u/TheInfinityGauntlet
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Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy REDUX REVIEW

Posted: 09 Jan 2020 08:03 PM PST

submitted by /u/NevermoreSEA
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[FRESH ALBUM] MICK JENKINS - THE CIRCUS

Posted: 09 Jan 2020 08:59 PM PST

Tracklist

Same Ol [prod. by Hit-Boy]
Carefree [prod. by Black Milk]
The Light (feat. EARTHGANG) [prod. by IAMNOBODI]
Flaunt [prod. by Da-P]
The Fit [prod. by Bizness Boi | Fortune | Coop The Truth]
I'm Convinced [prod. by DJ Fu | Beat Butcha]
Different Scales [prod. by MARTIN $KY]

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Chad Hugo Says The Neptunes Are Reuniting Full Time & Working With Jay-Z, Lil Uzi Vert, & Miley Cyrus

Posted: 09 Jan 2020 09:30 AM PST

https://genius.com/a/chad-hugo-says-the-neptunes-are-reuniting-full-time-working-with-jay-z-lil-uzi-vert-miley-cyrus

Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo ruled the first decade of the new millennium as The Neptunes, minting dozens of radio hits and shifting the sound of popular music. In recent years, the two producers have primarily been working on solo material, but Hugo just revealed that they're back together again in 2020 on what seems to be a more permanent basis.

In a new interview with Clash, Hugo said that both he and Pharrell are zoned in on Neptunes collaborations with a wide array of popular artists.

"I'm focusing on The Neptunes stuff, getting back on The Neptunes grind," he said. "We're doing a couple of things. There's a videogame soundtrack that's in the works right now that I can't speak about, I'm not supposed to, but uh, it's in the works right now. We just did some work with Miley Cyrus, JAY-Z, blink-182, Lil Uzi Vert, Brandy, Ray J, Snoh Aalegra, G-Eazy."

Pharrell has worked with many of these artists in the past. He contributed to Cyrus' Bangerz album, collaborated with Uzi on 2017's "Neon Guts," and has worked closely with JAY-Z (alongside Chad Hugo) throughout the Brooklyn rapper's career.

Hugo also cited Lil Nas X as a recent collaborator, and said they had linked up with DJ and producer KAYTRANADA:

He was in the studio, we vibed in the studio, we recorded a couple of things. I don't know if he used any of the sounds but I love his work and his DJ'ing. …and Dua Lipa? Yeah, yeah. She was here. Pharrell saw that she was using the same studio so we recorded of couple of tracks. We're still working on those.

UK breakout star Rex Orange County is another person The Neptunes have something in the works with. "I did a track for him and I actually just recently gave the track to Goldlink and Pusha T to see if they could play around with it," he said.

Although they've been less active in recent years, The Neptunes were never exactly broken up. Just last year, they worked together on a number of tracks from Justin Timberlake's Man of the Woods as well as Daniel Caesar's "FRONTAL LOBE MUZIK." 2017 saw them working together on N.E.R.D's NO_ONE EVER REALLY DIES, and they linked up in 2015 for Snoop Dogg's Bush, too.

The Neptunes are amongst the nominees for the 2020 Songwriters Hall of Fame induction, with the final inductees expected to be announced soon.

Read Chad Hugo's full Clash interview here

EDIT: From the complex article: Also mentioned in Chad Hugo's Clash chat are recent sessions he and Pharrell had with The Weeknd. "We were just in the studio with The Weeknd, and that sounds really futuristic," he said

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Future and Drake single “Life is Good” to drop tomorrow, January 10th

Posted: 09 Jan 2020 01:19 PM PST

Reportedly announced on Real 106.1, Cleveland based hip-hop radio

submitted by /u/shocksweg
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Mac Miller "Circles" Official Album Tracklist

Posted: 09 Jan 2020 03:12 PM PST

https://i.redd.it/1pff7u6r1u941.png

https://store.warnermusic.com/warner-records/artists/mac-miller/circles-2lp.html

Deluxe Edition has 2 more tracks

submitted by /u/mhch720
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[FRESH] Lil Baby - Sum 2 Prove (Single)

Posted: 09 Jan 2020 09:03 PM PST

submitted by /u/helloitisgarr
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[FRESH] 070 Shake - Guilty Conscience

Posted: 09 Jan 2020 09:10 PM PST

submitted by /u/GalacticArtillery
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[FRESH] Selena Gomez (feat. Kid Cudi) - A Sweeter Place

Posted: 09 Jan 2020 09:03 PM PST

submitted by /u/DurantulaMan
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[FRESH] Carnage - HELLA NECK ft. Takeoff, OHGEESY, Tyga

Posted: 09 Jan 2020 09:01 PM PST

submitted by /u/MuchAire
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[FRESH ALBUM] Moneybagg Yo - Time Served

Posted: 09 Jan 2020 09:00 PM PST

submitted by /u/Kyled175
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[DISCUSSION] Who Ran Rap this Past Decade? Quantifying the Most Popular Rappers of the 2010's.

Posted: 09 Jan 2020 12:26 PM PST

I made a post about quantifying the XXL Freshman List a year ago and it was pretty well received, so I figured I'd make one in a similar vein. Here I use data to quantify who the biggest rappers in the game have been over this past decade.

I looked at five factors: Google Trends, Youtube views (top 5 tracks), RIAA certifications, highest first week sales, and Billboard Hot 100 hits (all over the past ten years). With Billboard I made up a simple formula calles BP. Essentially BP rewards those who have more charting and higher charting tracks. With RIAA I used a similar formula, awarding 3 points for a platinum certification and 1 point for a gold certification.

I would have liked to include more factors, such as spotify streams, social media following, pure sales, etc. But those things are very hard to track accurately going back to 2010. I even worry that the five factors I've included may skew too far towards recent years.

I measured these factors for a multitude of rappers including, but not limited to:

2 Chainz, 6ix9ine, 21 Savage, 50 Cent, A$AP Rocky, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Ace Hood, A Tribe Called Quest, Ayo & Teo, Beastie Boys, Big Boi, Big K.R.I.T., Big Sean, The Black Eyed Peas, BlocBoy JB, Blueface, B.o.B., Bobby Shmurda, Boosie, BROCKHAMPTON, Ca$h Out, Calboy, Cardi B, Chance The Rapper, Chief Keef, Childish Gambino, City Girls, Common, DaBaby, Danny Brown, Death Grips, Desiigner, Diddy, DJ Khaled, Drake, D.R.A.M., Dr. Dre, Earl Sweatshirt, Eminem, Famous Dex, Fetty Wap, Flo Rida, French Montana, Future, The Game, G-Eazy, Ghostface Killah, Gucci Mane, Gunna, Iggy Azalea, iLoveMemphis, Jay-Z, J. Cole, Jeezy, Jidenna, Juice WRLD, Juicy J, Kanye West, K Camp, Kendrick Lamar, Kent Jones, Kevin Gates, Kid Cudi, Kid Ink, Kirko Bangz, Kodak Black, KYLE, Lil Baby, Lil Nas X, Lil Pump, Lil Skies, Lil Tecca, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne, Lil Yachty, Lizzo, Logic, Ludacris, Lupe Fiasco, Mac Miller, Machine Gun Kelly, Macklemore, MadeInTYO, Meek Mill, Migos, Nas, Nelly, NF, Nicki Minaj, Nipsey Hussle, O.T. Genasis, Pharrell Williams, Pitbull, Playboi Carti, PnB Rock, Polo G, Post Malone, Pusha T, Rae Sremmurd, Rich Homie Quan, Rich The Kid, Rick Ross, Rocko, Roddy Ricch, The Roots, Royce Da 5'9", Run The Jewels, Russ, Sage The Gemini, ScHoolboy Q, Shabazz Palaces, Sheck Wes, Silento, Snoop Dogg, Soulja Boy, T.I., Tory Lanez, T-Pain, Travis Scott, Trinidad James, Trippie Redd, Ty Dolla $ign, Tyga, Tyler The Creator, Waka Flocka Flame, Wale, Wiz Khalifa, XXXTENTACION, Yelawolf, YG, YNW Melly, Yo Gotti, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Young Thug

I only chose to consider rappers who have released albums in the past 10 years.

And yes, I know I was kind of loose with the definition of rapper

The results were as follows