It’s hard to imagine what might have happened to Danny Brown’s career if he ditched the skinny jeans and linked up with 50 Cent. Instead of chasing a brass ring, Brown has held true to himself across every release, jumping from the breakthrough XXX’s homages to fatalism to the experimentation of Atrocity Exhibition to the traditionalism of unknowwhatimsayin to the unhinged collaboration with JPEGMAFIA, Scaring the Hoes.
Every project has been another left turn anchored by Brown’s compelling voice and barbed, witty rhymes. Brown’s restlessness embodies what’s always been exciting about Detroit–a deep well of talent working across nearly every genre. In that respect, he’s become one of the quintessential Detroit talents.
On the first couple of listens to Stardust, I must confess that I was underwhelmed. I didn’t click with the pivot Brown makes into hyperpop here, even though I’ve learned to expect the unexpected with each release. My favorite Brown projects are unknowwhatimsayin and Atrocity Exhibition, so I lean toward the more traditional end of his canon. Some experiments don’t pay off here. “Green Light”, a collaboration with Frost Children, sounds like an attempt at getting radio play. It’s simply too bland for Brown’s boundless creativity. “Copycats” begins strongly, but as it devolves into its mediocre chorus, not even Brown can save it.
As I listened to Stardust several times, I realized I was drawn more immediately to Brown’s other genre experiments because they were closer to my musical tastes. Throwing in with hyperpop and brighter, club-leaning beats isn’t the pivot that makes me smile immediately, as I did when I found out Q-Tip was producing unknowwhatimsayin, or when Brown rattled off his list of records that inspired Atrocity Exhibition.
That left me with a critical question: Is it fair to fault an artist I typically love for his adventurousness because this time out, he’s dabbling in genres that I have less love for? Perhaps the onus is on me to follow Brown’s muse, as I have for the last 15 or so years, to see what sticks. After a few listens, quite a lot of it did.
Opener “Book of Daniel” is the type of intro that is signature Brown at this point, a majestic statement of purpose. There are some truly outstanding tracks here. “What You See” is a beautiful ballad with some of Brown’s most vulnerable lyrics. “Starburst” is a synth-driven banger with some great one-liners. “1999” recalls the chaos of Scaring the Hoes, as does “Whatever the Case”, which features an explosive appearance from ISSBROKIE. “1L0v3myL1f3!” is a high-energy banger with breakdowns. “Right from Wrong”, a haunting collaboration with Nnamdï, is a late-record high point.
It took me a few listens to connect with Stardust, and there are a few songs I still don’t care for. However, Brown’s ferocious talent as a rapper remains as sharp as ever, and that is the through-line that kept me engaged across even the less successful swings. Even when artists like Brown, who have delivered such highs, take big swings and only land a solid double, they are still worthy of attention and admiration. Despite the mixed results on Stardust, two things remain clear: it’ll be impossible to predict where Danny Brown goes next, and it will be appointment listening.