uknowhatimsayin¿ - Danny Brown: Review
is a Detroit rapper who made a name for himself in the world of experimental hip hop in 2011 with his breakout mixtape XXX. After releasing the conceptual Old in 2013 he received some criticism for dialing back on what made his style so unique but found more critical success despite this. After taking an extended break Danny Brown returned in 2016 with one of the most critically acclaimed records of the year, and one of the most acclaimed experimental hip hop records of the entire decade with his magnum opus Atrocity Exhibition. The record turned Danny into an overnight superstar in experimental hip hop and the anticipation for this new record was very high.
Review By Lavender:
Danny Brown's Atrocity Exhibition is one of the best albums I've heard all decade and his 2011 record XXX isn't that far behind it. Danny Brown has shown off consistent ability to deliver on both genre bending and boundary pushing instrumentals and pairing them with his zany and unique cadence to create songs that nobody else comes anywhere close to. His follow-up to Atrocity Exhibition has been highly anticipated by me and many others which made it a wandering loop of news stories, tracks ripped from twitch livestreams and Danny's ever increasing presence in mainstream hip hop media. While this record does follow up a classic I wasn't anticipating this album to be a sequel as Danny has always been one to push for a new sound and that is what uknowhatimsayin achieves, and it manages to be pretty satisfying at that.
The record got off to a solid if imperfect start with the three singles Danny released in the lead up to the record starting with Dirty Laundry. The song has a simple but effective beat from Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest fame, who executive produced this record and whose fingerprints are all over it. The track has some wiggly synths and a tight drum patters in the drop beat that gives Danny everything he needs to kill the song. The track has no hook just three verse the last of which is by far the best where Danny tells the hilarious story of the tracks name in his trademark sexually absurdist lyrics. While it wasn't his best single to date it did get the era off to a decent start and set up for the following single to be a memorable one, Best Life. Best Life has another absolutely killer beat from Q-Tip that works in some catchy vocal samples throughout the beat and serves as the backdrop for some tight and lyrically sharp verses from Danny, each of which are flanked by a simple but very effective chorus, another thing you'll hear a lot of on the record. The final single we heard was the first of some of the highly anticipated features that were confirmed for the album 3 Tearz features Run The Jewels as well as production from JPEGMAFIA. Peggy doesn't bring his typical genre bending style to the instrumental but instead dials back his typical sound into an admittedly pretty sharp conventional hip hop beat with plenty of wandering obscured vocal samples and a tight two step drum pattern. The hook is another simple but catchy one that I didn't love at first but has grown on me quite a bit, I think having each artist do their own version of the hook was a really nice touch that keeps the song fresh. EL-P delivers by far the best verse of the three rappers but both Danny and Killer Mike have their moments, Mike in particular has a great bar in the "Would you steal for me, Would you kill for me" refrain. The track is solid but doesn't quite reach the potential it had given that the last time Danny put together a feature heavy track he made Really Doe one of the great posse cuts of all time.
One of the things you'll be most surprised to find about this record is that Danny is uncharacteristically slow in a lot of the songs here, pushing back on his typically fast paced bars and flows. Change Up is the opening track and the first example of this that sees him getting lyrical over a Paul White beat, the whole thing is very out of character as he keeps his animated nature to a minimum but still manages to deliver on good verses with tight flows and excellent lyrics. Paul lets a little bit of his typical experimentation out when the track brings in some heavy keys and wild vocal samples out of nowhere but overall it is a tame starter. Things get better on Belly Of The Beat with yet another Paul White beat for a track that is unfortunately not a cover of the Grimes track with the same name. This beat is much more in Paul's wheelhouse with a steady but driving and experimental instrumental over which Danny delivers some of his sharpest verses of all the albums slower paced moments, switching up his flow for a particularly memorable moment in the first verse. Obongjayar handles a very solid hook on this track making it easily my favorite of the more lowkey cuts.
Unfortunately this is where we have to talk about the only song that really underwhelmed me on the record which is the title track uknowhatimsayin. It's unfortunate because the beat is tolerable and I really REALLY like Obongjayar's hook on the track but Danny's muttered delivery and repetition of the same refrain absolutely to death make this song one of the most taxing listens of any of Danny's songs I've ever heard. Unfortunately it also disrupts a part of the record that has a pretty tight flow in the second half of the record to.
Back in the first half of the album there are some solid track that sound more in line with what we are used to hearing from Danny. Theme Song has an absolutely amazing instrumental that sounds like something Madlib would have done about 5 years ago. Danny rattles off some absolutely hilarious and lyrically over the top verses flanked by A$AP Ferg adlibs for some reason. The song is a good listen if not at times a one dimensional one. Savage Nomad is yet another killer beat as Danny gets very animated even returning some of his classic adlibs. The track is fucking killer with wild bars a great performance and the punchy drums and descending key line of the beat have me completely enveloped.
One of the things I wasn't at all prepared for on this record was how fucking incredible a run the record was going t end off on. I would go as far as to say that the final three tracks combine for by far the best ending to any record I've heard all year that is just how much of an uptick the record takes immediately following its worst song. Negro Spiritual is everything that 3 Tearz could have been with a star studded roster on board. Thundercat and Flying Lotus assemble a sharp, jazzy and absolutely PERFECT beat that is one of the best rap instrumental you will hear all year guaranteed. JPEGMAFIA handles the hook here and knocks it out of the fucking park with a lights out Pharrell impression that had I not known going into the track was Peggy I would have bet my life was Pharrell himself. Not to mention on top of the perfect impression the hook is absolutely brilliant and all of this is even just in support two absolutely killer Danny verses that are catchy as hell in their own right, I can't say enough good things about this song I think you'd be hard pressed to find any better track in all of Danny's discography not called Ain't It Funny than this one.
Shine is another fantastic collaboration that sees Standing On The Corner and Paul White crafting a swelling atmospheric beat that I absolutely adore. Danny is pretty solid in his verses and even better in the songs bridge but Dev Hynes, AKA Blood Orange, absolutely steals the show. His overdubbed hook features him delivering some icy bars backed by his own gorgeous singing for a restless and beautiful chorus that I am completely in love with. On top of this he sings a short but excellent outro to the track wrapping up yet another fantastic performance by a feature. The final track Combat is a real treat with yet another absolutely stunning beat from Q-Tip and even some surprised uncredited features from both Q-Tip and Consequence that have me all the way fucked up and tie up a series of tracks I was just not prepared for ending the album on the highest of high notes.
Shine is another fantastic collaboration that sees Standing On The Corner and Paul White crafting a swelling atmospheric beat that I absolutely adore. Danny is pretty solid in his verses and even better in the songs bridge but Dev Hynes, AKA Blood Orange, absolutely steals the show. His overdubbed hook features him delivering some icy bars backed by his own gorgeous singing for a restless and beautiful chorus that I am completely in love with. On top of this he sings a short but excellent outro to the track wrapping up yet another fantastic performance by a feature. The final track Combat is a real treat with yet another absolutely stunning beat from Q-Tip and even some surprised uncredited features from both Q-Tip and Consequence that have me all the way fucked up and tie up a series of tracks I was just not prepared for ending the album on the highest of high notes.
On uknowhatimsayin Danny Brown had very high expectations and I think by all reasonable measures he lived up to them. Most of this record is fantastic with some of the best beats you'll hear on a hip hop record this year and features that knock it absolutely out of the park almost every single time. Despite all the positives it is Danny himself that provides most of the inconsistencies, his albums are so dependent on his unique personality both lyrically and in his vocal performance and on most of these tracks he brings it in spades. But on the tracks where he dials it back and relies on lyrics or storytelling to pick up the burden, it doesn't always work. Despite a few moments that could be better uknowhatimsayin is still absolutely essential hip hop listening for any fans of Danny, experimental rap, or any rap in general, and should have a comfortable place on many year end lists come this December. 8/10
For more great experimental rap check out my review of JPEGMAFIA's All My Heroes Are Cornballs here
