Atrocity Exhibition: Danny Brown’s Most Transparent Work to Date
Vivid imagery through profound lyricism has always been a key characteristic of Hip-Hop. Some emcees are more descriptive than others, but lately, I think it’s pretty safe to say that Daniel Sewell, best known as Detroit rapper Danny Brown, has been giving listeners the most unapologetic rhymes we’ve heard in a while. Unique would be an immense understatement. Since releasing his critically acclaimed mixtape XXX in 2011, Danny Brown has cordially invited us into his dark, grimy, and drug filled world that glorifies his punk rock lifestyle while also acting as the most twisted episode of Scared Straight that you could ever imagine. Danny Brown plays both the devil and the angel on each of your shoulders that are simultaneously contradicting each other in a way that keeps you frozen, eyes wide open, and mind racing as he walks you through the terrors of dealing drugs and also abusing them. His latest work, Atrocity Exhibition, is an ambitious “what not to do” manual that follows Danny’s drug-induced downward spiral.
With the album’s length sitting at a pleasantly compact 46 minutes, Danny somehow finds a way to express every single one of his outlandish personalities without exhausting the listener. Every track presents its own horrifying situation while still telling the same story; this isn’t the kind of life you want to be living. ‘Downward Spiral’ sets the tone with a hazy, abrasive, and hypnotizing instrumental by long-time collaborator Paul White, who produced ten tracks on Atrocity Exhibition. This head spinning instrumental matched with Danny’s opening words, “I’m sweating like I’m in a rave / Been in this room for three days / think I’m hearing voices”, creates a scene of a smoke-filled motel room where you can almost smell the stale stench of Danny’s cigarettes as he aimlessly paces back and forth. The self-aware hook (that alludes to a lyric in XXX) instantly speaks to the theme of the album as Danny repeats, in his trademark high pitch voice, “And it’s the downward spiral / gotta figure it out (out) / I gotta figure it out (out)”.
With the incredibly vivid and hypnotic opener speaking on his endless cycle of depression and drug abuse, Danny wastes no time in getting to the dark tales of dealing those drugs on ‘Tell Me What I Don’t Know’. Completely diverting from his coined voice, Danny Brown uses a softer, lower tone that sounds broken and tired over a synth driven beat that makes you feel like you’re exploring a dark and empty virtual world. The haunting cautionary tales continue as Danny flows from, “How long will it last? / Never ending race / chasin’ cash / one lane going wrong way ’til I crash / teacher find my sack going nowhere fast” into a hook that somberly recalls losing one of his friends to the hustle.
From the horn blazing ‘Ain’t it Funny’ that’s driven by a one-two rhythm so strong that you think Danny might collapse if it ceased, to the earie melody of The Alchemist produced ‘White Lines’ that Danny matches note for note in his most trance inducing flows yet, Danny Brown uses his unique sound to capture the horrors of addiction from all angles. Both of these tracks fall deeper and deeper into this downward spiral where Danny knows the drugs are killing him, but also knows no life other than the one he’s living. Daniel carelessly rides the line between life and death with a hook on ‘White Lines’ that goes, “Lines and lines of coke / heart beating hope it ain’t my time to go / take another snort / no way no no”. This idea that Danny can indulge in his deadly habits without consequence is again represented in his groovy, left-field track ‘Dance in The Water’ where the hook encourages the listener to “Dance in the water, and not get wet”, in one of his most energetic performances to date.
Whether it be dark and twisted tracks like these, bangers like the fast moving, boom bap track ‘Really Doe’ that features Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, Earl Sweatshirt, and production by Black Milk, or the satirical weed anthem ‘Get Hi’ featuring Cypress Hill’s B-Real, Danny Brown walks us through every single ounce of pain and pleasure that drugs have to offer. On the spacey piano led concluding track ‘Hell for It”, Danny sounds more composed than ever and for the very first time tells his listeners to stay away from a life of drugs and that regardless of his past, he’ll continue to push forward. “So my task / Is inspire your future with my past / I lived through this sh*t / So you don’t have to go through it / Stepping stones in my life / Hot coals / Walk with me”, is Danny’s way of telling us to learn from his own mistakes.
Troubled, intelligent, raunchy, and often hilarious, Danny Brown is the outcast cartoon character we’ve always needed but never deserved. Though a cartoon character perfectly embodies his chipped tooth smile, high pitched voice, and twisted sense of humor, Daniel relentlessly brings it all to life. Every pill swallowed, every line done, every deal made, it’s all real and his musical anecdotes act as a call-to-action, a warning of sorts. The infectious flows, suspenseful instrumentals, complex rhymes and vivid storytelling almost force you to keep your eyes subjected to the addictive horror like A Clockwork Orange. With the album’s title being a tribute to Joy Division’s opening track on their 1980 album Closer, Danny’s latest work has found a way to ambitiously encapsulate all of his greatest assets to create without a doubt his most refined, innovative, and comprehensive work yet. Atrocity Exhibition is a journey through Danny’s highs and lows like his listeners have never experienced before. While previously the ups and downs were clearly and evenly split, Atrocity Exhibition is a roller coaster of drugs, pain, depression, paranoia and euphoric highs that keep the listener just as dazed and confused as Danny himself.
Originally published at rapmeansmore.com on December 29, 2016.
