To paraphrase psych-rockers Spacemen 3, 42-year-old rapper Danny Brown loves taking drugs to make music about taking drugs. However, his compulsion collapsed into addiction after lockdown and a painful breakup, and Brown went into rehab to get sober. Quaranta (Italian for 40) was recorded in the maw of his illness yet it’s a hard stare in the mirror, something Brown’s always been brilliant at. “This rap shit done saved my life and fucked it up at the same time” is its opening salvo, with plenty of pithy but bleak shots to follow.
The Detroiter dazzles brightest when a producer forces his nasal, chewy flow to make nice with fractures of melody. His recent Scaring the Hoes set with Jpegmafia exemplified that – exhilaratingly dense glitch-hop, invigorating as a dip with Wim Hof. By comparison, Quaranta’s production proffers a wet towel. The title track and single Tantor are decent, and Shakedown a warm beachside strut, with Brown’s lyrical ice shards speared through. Bass Jam is lovely nostalgia, shimmering harmonies surrounding him like ghosts of his former selves. Otherwise, the beats feel slightly tired, casting a pall greater than any of Brown’s recent misfortunes.
