Danny Brown’s second project under Fool’s Gold Records is slated to drop this upcoming Tuesday (October 8th). The Detroit native teamed up with Spotify to give fans an early preview before they go out and buy the album next week. The album has many of the same producers that Danny used on his first Fool’s Gold release, XXX. Paul White, SKYWLKR and Frank Dukes all return for the new project.
The new album, Old, is split into two “sides.” “Side A” features a Danny Brown talking about some serious issues coming from Detroit and “Side B” features the turn-up music that we really love over at POD. The first song on the album, “Side A (Old),” is one of my favorite songs on the entire album. Danny raps “Needles in they arms just to keep the lights on. Shit, fuck around, be on hardcore pawn. Tryna get this shit off, the winter, we snuck in. Won’t live for anything, but might die for nothin” on the opening track and really sets the tone for the first part of the album. Freddie Gibbs helps with rapping about the struggles in the hood on the second track, “The Return.” Can’t really think of anyone else in hip hop that would’ve been better for the track. The first glimpse of the second part of the album comes four songs in with the song “Wonderbread.” It’s one of my least favorite songs on the album, but its a sign of what is coming later on in the album.
The Schoolboy Q features on “Dope Fiend Rental” and “Red 2 Go” should have been saved for the second part of the album. Both are more fitting for the second half of the album and I’m sure “Dope Fiend Rental” will be a crowd favorite at shows. The song that immediately follows the Schoolboy feature is “Torture,” and it’s just as dark as the name suggests. Danny Brown rapping “I feel like a prisoner of war, Reacting sporadically to what the mind absorb. Probably need a shrink, can’t get a wink. So I smoke a lot of kush and pop a Xanax to sleep” definitely fits with the message in the first part of the album. “Lonely” and “Clean Up” follow “Torture” and make “Dope Fiend Rental” seem even more out of place.
The second part of the album is kicked off with “Side B (Dope Song).” The song was released a few months ago and is really something every Danny Brown fan needs to see performed live. We were lucky enough to see him perform this song at the North Coast Music Festival earlier this year. The song that follows is “Dubstep” and I know what you’re thinking, pretty simple name for a “dubstep” song right? Nope. The song is actually about Danny dealing drugs and having “dubs on the step.” It still has some dubstep elements in the song, so it’s still kind of stays true to the title. Towards the end of the song, we are introduced to Scrufizzer, a 24-year old from West London. I will definitely be looking forward to listening to some of his music in the near future.
My favorite song on the entire album, “Dip,” was released a while back and took a while to grow on me. But after a few listens and seeing Danny perform the track live, you can’t help but love the song. “Smokin & Drinkin,” which was produced by Fool’s Gold founder A-Trak, is another stand-out track on the album that has some of the best production on the entire project. Danny Brown shows a lot of range on the new album. He really made an album that I’m sure many hip hop fans will like no matter what your preference is. You are bound to like either “side” of the album, or like me, like both “sides” of the album. You can stream Old on Spotify or purchase on iTunes.
DOPENESS FACTOR
Key Tracks: “Dip,” “Side B (Dope Song),” “Smokin & Drinkin,” “Side A (Old),” “Dubstep” & “The Return”
