Eccentric Detroit rapper Danny Brown is now past 40, and we're allowed to know it. Quaranta (his sixth solo album) is his first project following the collaborative record SCARING THE HOES with
JPEGMAFIA. Brown's wild 'weirdo' rap style (familiar from his earlier albums) can be heard on Jenn's Terrific Vacation and the
Alchemist-produced single Tantor, on which Brown (who was struggling with drug
… addiction around the time of its release) astutely captures his inner contradictions: 'this that black lives matter, still sniff cocaine, paid for a therapist but I still ain't change'. Mainly, however, Brown opts for subdued raps on somber productions that nod to classic (experimental) boom bap. This provides Quaranta (specifically in the second half) with a sound that oscillates between nostalgic and dejected, with life's contradictions forming an overarching theme. Witness also the title track, on which Danny raps, "this rap shit saved my life and fucked it up at the same time.(SD)more
