Old – Danny Brown

Year	Album	Artist	Stars	Score	Genre
2013	Old	Danny Brown	★★½	54	Hip-Hop

Old is both a step forward (Side A) and a step back (Side B) for Danny Brown.

Compared to XXX, the production’s more electronic, dynamic and gripping, even though Danny continues to tackle (or maybe exploit is a better word) dark themes like depression and drug use. He better balances his high pitched, frantic vocals and more serious, natural voice. The added guest features help show Danny’s unique delivery and style compared to his peers, who provide nice verses without overshadowing him.  And the softer moments like “Float On” and “Lonely” really shine. 

The majority of Side A works. Freddie Gibbs goes off on “The Return,” which has a fun Outkast interpolation. “Dope Fiend Rental” has a cool drill-style beat and a fun, gritty Schoolboy Q feature. Even the feature from electronic indie-pop act Purity Ring sounds dark and cool on “25 Bucks.”

But, the club and party-centric beats on Side B come out of nowhere, and while Danny Brown matches their energy with his hyper performance, the mix doesn’t really feel natural or appropriate, and feels elementary compared to his best work. I wouldn’t say it’s commercial, but the dance elements definitely fill a different role than the other more traditional hip-hop tracks here. Stacking all of them at the end makes the second side easy to skip or avoid. 

Don’t get me wrong, there are some cool moments (the wobbly vibes on “Dubstep,” for example) but most of it is pretty stupid and basic. There’s a fun chorus on “Dip” that isn’t really good but gets stuck in your head instantly. “Kush Coma” has a dumb, terrible chorus, but the beat goes kind of hard and Danny and A$AP Rocky are having a good time on it. Ab-Soul is good on “Way Up Here,” but the beat on that song, “Break It” and “Handstand” are all annoying. “Smokin & Drinkin” is also forgettable even if it’s energetic.