A Lot on My Crate

Danny has always been one of the most respected hip hop artists of the underground. His nasal delivery makes his voice unique and the ability to flow over any beat the universe can throw at him are some of many reasons he is most formidable. His style gradually changing into the conventional to the most unorthodox has been a most interesting sight. I mean the man even rapped over a Crash Bandicoot beat with Zelooperz at one point. His rise hasn’t all been sunshine and rainbows. Danny Brown fans know back in the day he has been struggling with alcoholism. He made Atrocity Exhibtion, which I felt was his best album to date since he highlights his most personal lows, but I’m relieved he got better. His addiction got him to the point where he had to be admitted to rehab. It was a grueling process, where he had to do some self reflection and isolate himself. In an interview with NME, Brown said the thought of quitting music passed by his mind, but thankfully that was not the case. It was a success comeback story and seeing someone rise up always gives us a fuzzy feeling. Brown has taken things into stride and has shared his open mindedness by listening to and even participating with experimental music. Which makes sense as Atrocity Exhibition and Scaring the Hoes with JPEGMAFIA were in fact experimental. He even lamented the fact that Vince Staples (who can also rap with unconventional electronic beats) collaborated with legendary electronic producer SOPHIE and regrets he never would get to do it again since he didn’t want to be a copycat back then. But his open mindedness got his curiosity when he said his first exposure to hyperpop was listening to 100 gecs and it all started there. Danny said his moniker for Stardust, was to make ‘Make SOPHIE proud.’ And that slogan being stamped on this album and a huge fan of SOPHIE, I had to give this album a shot. Danny states this album was his first project being done sober and this album sounded like so much fun. You can tell he had fun. It didn’t matter what beat these talented electronic, hyperpop artists threw at him. And speaking of featured artists, you have so many talented big names who complement what he is going for. You got Quadeca, underscores, Frost Children, Jane Remover, and more. And props to him for collaborating with LGBTQ artists. With these weird ass beats, he makes it sounds so easy, so much as it was like he has been doing this all his life. And this sober album is uplifting and seems to have given Brown so much clarity in his thoughts by not giving a shit about album sales, according to the opening track. This album sounds like a new beginning for an uprising star. It’s a damn feel good time and Brown doesn’t skip a beat.

“Book of Daniel” is a great opener with these pop guitar loops with Danny talking about how he’s above where he used to be. “Sleeping real good at night ’cause I’m proud of myself. Say a prayer when I wake up, because that rehab helped.” And he wants to be proud of what he has accomplished and influences his fans and upcoming artists. “When the fat lady sings, just know you lived your dreams.” And then the Quadeca feature opens the heavenly gates. “Starburst” was a single I heard to prep for this album and I knew I was going to like what I was getting into. It’s an insane beat with Danny being a well-oiled machine. And if you thought that was insane, wait until you get to the last half of the track. “Copycats” with underscores is this fun infectious pop anthem with this sticky chorus. It’s a song and a warning to those who may lose their way on their walk to fame. Probably my favorite track on the whole album. “1999” sounds like an arcade on the fritz, which makes you question how Danny Brown can keep up with this production. You think, “This is an actual human being rapping?” And then we have this intense screaming alongside this insane asylum. Another favorite I want to go over is “Lift You Up”, which seems to be this house cut that just has a great groove. It’s relatable lyricism that talks about this one relationship with a friend. That friend doesn’t act like one by knocking Danny down only to make them look good. “Green Light” is a good representative on the sounds of this light music box like production with heavy bass. It’s emo hyperpop that is a little bit of a slow burner with some romance sprinkled on top. “What You See” is a song that even though it is slow paced, the vocals from Quadeca is a warm hug and piano accompaniment is sweet solace. Danny Brown shows his growth that he isn’t a young man who only longs for lust anymore. He doesn’t want to be that toxic lover anymore as he got a taste of his own medicine. This beat on “Whatever the Case” is so kooky as it sounds like falling down a cliff constantly and the feature ISSBROKIE keeps up the pace with Danny. “1L0v3myL1f3!” is such a crazy, ethereal experience as the background and jungle breakbeats get hazy. We also have femtanyl’s vocals and screams echoes throughout our path, to the point that it gets celestial at the end with Steve Albini’s outro sample being an inspirational force. Danny shows a lot of gratitude on this track that he sounds like a self-help panel, but it’s so out there yet sincere. The last leg of this album has been such a journey. “The End” I had to warm up to because of the length, but it was engaging enough with a lot of memorable segments with the heavenly Danny bars, the Ukrainian segments by Ta Ukrainia, and the insane IDM and jungle breakdown at the end and we taper off with Angel Emoji spoken word passages like before. “All4U” being the most beautiful moment and is one of the best endings to an album for 2025. It’s uplifting on how a man goes from rags to riches and is happy to spread his art for others.

There are a lot of tracks here and even though some tracks seem like we blaze through, some of them make the album only a bit bloated. The spoken word passages kind of slow down the record a little bit and some songs aren’t as catchy or avant-garde enough for me to come back to them.

Danny Brown being so creative and so upbeat on this album gives this whole thing a personality. Stardust is so much fun to listen to and any hyperpop head will appreciate the many elements they love about hyperpop, they will also love this for the same reasons. It’s introspective as Danny has always been with great lyricism and pen, but backed by beats that many rappers would and could not touch. It makes him one of a kind and it’s no mystery why he has so many fans. It’s no Atrocity Exhibition for me, but if Stardust makes his mentality for the better than I’m all for it. In an interview Grammys, he makes a quip that people are allowed to party during his performances, but he avoids it. He’s an old man now, since the darkness has engulfed his earlier years that was made into a catalyst for change of his mindset. Being anti-drugs isn’t being anti-fun. In his NME interview he says, “I want to have fun, but I still have something to say.”

FAVORITE TRACKS: BOOK OF DANIEL, STARBURST, COPYCATS, 1999, LIFT YOU UP, WHAT YOU SEE, 1L0V3MYL1F3!, THE END, ALL4U

LEAST FAVORITE: RIGHT FROM WRONG

You can purchase this album on Bandcamp and his discography is also available for streaming.

https://dannybrown.bandcamp.com/album/stardust-1