By Edward Clark
Danny Brown is on an all-time run. For a veteran rapper with over twenty years of experience behind him, Brown shows no sign of stopping, and even less sign of becoming out of touch. Stardust is stuffed with head-turning features. Although he has worked with cult artists Jane Remover and Quadeca before, collaborations with underground artists like 8485, ta Ukrainka, and NNAMDÏ is something unparalleled by any of Brown’s hip-hop contemporaries. As his collaborators frequently express online and in interviews, ‘he’s so tapped into the scene’ (underscores to The Face magazine); Brown’s assimilation of so many up-and-coming artists makes Stardust shine.
This album is Brown’s first ever made completely sober. As he worried to the Guardian in 2023, “I’ve seen so many artists get sober and their music sucks”. His concerns were unfounded: from the album’s first single, Danny Brown showed that he was not letting sobriety hinder his out-of-the-box style. If anything, ‘Starburst’ is one of Brown’s most inventive songs to date. Over a hypnotic beat produced by Holly – a collaborator on Brown’s previous album Quaranta – Brown displays his everlasting ability to rap over seemingly anything. Still as genuinely funny as ever, Brown comes in swinging from the first, wielding ridiculously inventive and memorable one liners. “Better shape up and get them squares up out ya circle” he demands in his first moments, his delivery so potent that you’ll probably consider it. Fantastically confusing songs like ‘Starburst’ are plentiful here. ‘1999’ with JOHNNASCUS is an overstimulating cacophony of glitchy synths and punk-rap; ‘Whatever the Case’ sees Brown and ISSBROKIE take a braggadocious approach over a syncopated, bubbling beat.
However, these outlandish alt-rap bangers are accompanied in equal measure by songs that would not be out of place at a pop club night. ‘Copycats’ features a mesmerising hook by underscores, an artist leading the wave of forward-thinking pop. Her mantra of ‘Rap star, pop star, rock star / Gimme that, gimme that’ is both an earworm and a reflection of Danny Brown’s career trajectory at this point. Stardust is an absolute refusal to be bound by genre. ‘Flowers’ features 8485 singing the chorus with ease, making a welcome accompaniment to Brown’s flora-related punchlines – all over an EDM instrumental which seems to have been sent into your speakers first-class from 2009. This is not to say that Brown relies on features to achieve this new sound. ‘Lift You Up’, a solo cut which functions as the album’s centrepiece, is a head-bopping banger, Brown fitting seamlessly into a Y2K pop-rap hit.
Whilst this blend of hyperpop and experimental rap may seem like a novelty, Stardust is far too refined to be a gimmick. Indeed, a recognition of the ‘terminally online’ nature of hyperpop is a running theme through the LP. Angel Prost, one half of pop duo Frost Children, provides narration throughout the album, which leans knowingly into online slang. “I essencemaxxed on half-severe vibe casts” she declares, merging the album’s message of self-betterment and optimism with an ironic recognition of the genre’s reputation. Building on Danny Brown’s reflections on his own career, she directly addresses him, and by proxy the listener: “To lighten the jealousy, you compare your star power to others / You jot down all the reasons you’re goated”. As the album develops, the use of internet slang blends with Brown’s actual self-doubt, suggesting that his being ‘terminally online’ is negatively affecting his sense of self. Prost’s narration functions as an embodiment of online criticism. In his sobriety, he’s forced to face his imposter syndrome head on.
Danny Brown ended his breakout album XXX on the line “Doin’ all these drugs, hope an OD ain’t next, triple X’. Thirteen years on, Stardust is an explosive meditation on his career; of all the colour on the album, his gratitude for his success and sobriety glows the brightest. ‘The End’, oddly the penultimate track, is a nearly-nine minute behemoth of a song, combining production from Rye Mann, Cynthoni (better known under her previous alias Sewerslvt), and Quadeca. Over Rye Mann’s mystical beat Brown reflects on his experience with alcohol and drug abuse: ‘Addiction had me by the throat, I couldn’t breathe, just choke’ he admits. The track is broken up by Polish indie-pop artist ta Ukrainka, who sings in Ukrainian and Polish, providing a satisfying balance to Brown’s frantic delivery; as Cynthoni’s overstimulating breakbeat production takes over, Brown is optimistic as ever. “It’s better days, my life got saved, I’m focused on the future”. Sobriety is where Brown is most stable, and as he brags on the album’s final moments, “I’ma keep goin’ ‘til my life is over’. If he keeps going at this standard, the future of experimental hip-hop is in good hands.
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