Danny Brown

With his malleable vocals, demented sense of humor, and expansive production choices, Danny Brown is one of hip-hop’s most unforgettable personalities. The hustler-turned-rapper survived several false starts in Detroit’s underground scene before signing to Fool’s Gold Records and releasing his breakout 2011 mixtape, XXX, a showcase of raps about street life, sexual mischief, and recreational drug use, featuring a voice that shifts from a chalkboard-scratching shriek to a menacing scowl. Subsequent records found him rhyming over an adventurous palette of boom bap, prog rock, techno, and more, with lyrics just as divergent: Atrocity Exhibition (2016) revealed vulnerabilities around mental health and substance abuse, while the follow-up, uknowhatimsayin¿ (2019), executive produced by rap legend Q-Tip, is comparatively more straightforward. But 2023 was somehow Danny Brown’s bravest year. He collaborated with rapper-producer JPEGMAFIA for the cacophonous SCARING THE HOES, and the somber solo LP Quaranta wrestles with the losses his addiction has cost him.