Danny Brown - Stardust

Detroit rapper Danny Brown has been in some dark places in his time. Perhaps none darker than during the Covid-19 pandemic, when he spent all his money on alcohol and drugs in a spiral that could've killed him. From that darkness emerged fifth studio album 'Quaranta', a trip to rehab, and sobriety for the first time in years.

All of which is to say that new album 'Stardust' is Danny's first album to ever be written and recorded while he was sober. Not just sober but, as shown in the video for lead single 'Starburst', hitting the gym pretty hard too. No drugs, no partying - has hip-hop's weirdest star finally calmed down? Well, not quite.

Enlisting a grab-bag of hyperpop's finest artists, he's instead got even weirder. Glitched out instrumentals dominate 'Stardust' and genre-blending acts like Underscores, Femtanyl and 8485 bring catchy hooks and ramp up the tempo. The vocals are as idiosyncratic and yelpy as ever, but the lyrical content has shifted, with Danny embracing positivity and positioning his troubles as definitively in the rearview mirror.

There are some absolute bangers on here, too. 'Copycats' is a club-ready earworm, while '1 L0v3myL1f3!' sees Danny reflecting on his journey to date as he effortlessly skips along the top of abrasive, drum and bass-esque beats which would leave most rappers in the dust.

It's not a perfect album, although it is the closest Danny has come to making one. Spoken word additions from Angel Prost (one half of Frost Children) knit everything together on first listen, but mileage may vary on second or third rotation, with the retreat into near-poetry throwing the handbrake on and killing any momentum. This is especially true as they pop up at the end of other songs rather than being standalone tracks, so aren't easily skippable.

Aside from this minor quibble, this is Danny Brown's most complete and best work to date. Sobriety may have taken a long time to achieve, but it's strapped a rocket to this album without sacrificing any of the glorious weirdness that always made him such a compelling figure.