Credit: Photo by John Anderson

Danny Brown

Auditorium Shores, Nov. 3

A draped black shirt over a skinny silhouette, hair defiantly asymmetrical, gap-toothed, wearing pointy shoes: Almost exactly a year after his breakout debut album XXX, Detroit rapper Danny Brown remains completely flabbergasting. He writes songs about Adderall, cunnilingus, and the combination thereof. A whole crowd of boring white kids united in purple light. “Poppin’ these pills! Sniffin’ cocaine!” On disc, Brown bounces schizophrenic between a pupils-dilated, pharmacy-raiding cartoon character and a ruminative, lonely addict well aware of the destructive path he’s on. None of that dampened his 45 minutes. Here, “Die Like A Rockstar” is a rallying cry, not a foreshadowing. Danny Brown plants his feet in the center of stage, takes a deep breath, and shouts every uncomfortable joke in his catalog. A rough, unmusical scraping sound emerges from the DJ. It’s centerpiece “Monopoly.” “I’m a smart nigga that do dumb shit – in your baby momma crib not flushing after I piss.” I’m sure if the doughy frat dudes considered the precarious character behind the heavy enunciation, smiles might be swallowed. Until then, Danny Brown remains a new favorite rapper, and misrepresentation can pay bills.

This article appears in November 2 • 2012.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US