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Danny Brown      

Detroit Rapper, Singer & Songwriter

With his hyperactive flows, harrowing lyrics, and boundary-pushing beat selections, Detroit rapper Danny Brown is one of hip-hops most animated and inventive artists. Brown surfaced during the mid-2000s as a member of Reser'vor Dogs. The group advanced far enough to get the attention of the Roc-A-Fella label. A deal was not struck, but an A&R rep assisted Brown with the recording and release of a mixtape, Detroit State of Mind.

New York recording sessions placed him in the company of several contemporaries, including G-Unit's Tony Yayo. In 2010, Yayo and Brown released Hawaiian Snow, while Brown also released The Hybrid, among other mixtapes, such as additional volumes of the Detroit State of Mind series. While it was rumored that Brown would be signing to G-Unit, label head 50 Cent allegedly balked due to the rapper's fashion sense (which included a preference for skinny jeans).

Brown eventually found a home at Fool's Gold, where he issued XXX, his highest-profile mixtape up to that point. At the end of 2012, Brown announced that the follow-up to XXX had been recorded. Originally titled ODB, it was continually pushed back by the label, with Brown tweeting in August 2013 that he would consider leaking the release. In October, the retitled album, Old, appeared with guest appearances from A$AP Rocky and ScHoolboy Q.

After he provided the theme for the U.S. television sitcom Fresh Off the Boat, Brown signed with Warp and made his label debut in 2016 with "When It Rain." The single's parent album, Atrocity Exhibition, was issued later in the year, with guest contributions from B-Real, Black Milk, and Kendrick Lamar.

News


Made in America 2014: Danny Brown powers through the rain
Yet somewhere in the midst of the lewd and crazy is something vulnerable and real, that resonates with listeners in unexpected ways. Danny Brown seems like ...
Danny Brown: The Man Who's Making Rap Wild Again
Just as hip-hop is starting to feel a little top-heavy—a little, well, corporate-sponsored—here comes molly-popping, Carhartt-wearing Detroit party animal Danny Brown

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