Old
A brilliant, bipolar double-feature splitting raw, trauma-scarred street memoirs from hyperactive, drug-fueled EDM-rap club anthems.
A brilliant, bipolar double-feature splitting raw, trauma-scarred street memoirs from hyperactive, drug-fueled EDM-rap club anthems.
Bipolar commercial breakthrough
A cold, metallic snare snaps against the smell of damp basement concrete before the floor drops out into a neon-lit rave. This record splits itself clean down the middle, trapping you first in the claustrophobic anxiety of a Detroit winter, then throwing you headfirst into a sweaty, strobe-lit crowd. The bass rattles your teeth while the vocals shift from a desperate, raspy whisper to a manic, high-pitched squeal. It feels like a long night that refuses to end.
This record introduces a signature shift toward maximalist production, colliding dusty, melancholic beats with hyperactive grime basslines and neon-lit electronic frenzy.
Critics warmly received the album as a deeply resonant work, praising its thoughtful, two-part structure and a production style that gracefully weaves electronic and rap influences into a cohesive journey. Reviewers were particularly moved by how the record looks beneath the artist's wild public persona, finding a compelling inner conflict and a sharp, empathetic understanding of his environment.
“A free-wheeling, Molly-popping collection of dizzying trap-rap set atop an equally unnerving soundtrack”Read review
“It isn’t traditionally enjoyable, and it isn’t supposed to be. But for Danny Brown, the pill-popping, pussy-eating squawk-box, it’s the most daring record he could’ve made”Read review
“What’s most striking here is Brown’s deep, consistent sense of song structure and pop sensibility”Read review
“This is Brown at war with himself, proud of success but tired of the persona it required”Read review
“You get the feeling that Brown’s knowledge of his medium is key to his ability to produce a well-rounded listen, as the 32-year-old has done with Old, his biggest release yet”Read review
“The best and most resonant album of Brown’s career”Read review
“Old doesn’t sound like anything approaching a conventional hip-hop record—and in a year when the majority of rap’s big hitters failed to deliver, it couldn’t feel more indispensable”Read review
“The popular perception of Brown as a lewd-yet-talented harlequin fails to take into account his most important asset, the one Old makes abundantly clear; his acute understanding of the environment such bromides are born from. It is there, in that seminal muck, where Brown’s true artistry lies”Read review
“A perfect example of why 2013 is a very exciting time for hip-hop”Read review
“An album that transcends much of the typical hype bullshit and seems destined to stand as a unifying record”Read review
“Crafted and paced, split down the middle like a great LP with a sure start and a freeing finish”Read review
“Old certainly is focused on production, showcasing disparate elements of electronic and rap music into one all-encompassing journey”Read review
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