Danny Brown talks hip-hop legacy, new direction ahead of Bruiser Thanksgiving X

Peter Beste

Danny Brown.

For two decades Danny Brown has been Detroit’s most eclectic, diverse, and consistent hip-hop artist. He has released a dozen mixtapes and group projects since 2003. He introduced his patterned high-pitched voice in The Hybrid (Rappers I Know, 2010) and redefined what a dope emcee could be in XXX (Fool’s Gold Records, 2011). He’s routinely been a festival fave — if you haven’t seen him perform “Ain’t It Funny” in front of a mosh pit edible-induced crowd then you’re not living your best life. Brown is also known for dropping a litany of lyrical gems as he did on the A$AP Rocky classic “1 Train” and Eminem’s Motor City anthem, “Detroit vs. Everybody.”

Brown’s newest album Quaranta is his most mature and self-analyzing album to date. He talks about being incarcerated on “Celibate,” trades bars and Detroit grind stores with Bruiser Wolf on “Y.B.P.,” speaks on a failed relationship in “Down Wit It,” and gets into some heavy social issues on “Jenn’s Terrific Vacation” that features Kassa Overall. Detroit producers Quelle Chris, Chuck Inglish, Denmark Vessey, and Nick Speed are just a few of the beatmakers that contributed to the project.

“A lot of stuff has just been ideas and trying to execute them the right way,” he tells Metro Times during a phone interview. “I’ve done so many different styles of music, it’s always something new.”

The biggest difference between 2023 Danny vs. 2003 is that he’s accomplished several of his musical goals. He’s 42 and not looking for superficial validation, but trying to cement his reputation by releasing timeless bodies of work. He’s at a late Vince Carter-type place in his career where he wants fans to know that he was more than a flashy dunker; that there is substance and significance to his game.

“Now it’s just about leaving behind a legacy,” he says. “I know it’s the only thing that’s going to be around when I’m gone. … Now I feel like at this point it’s the only thing I got that’s going to be around longer than me.”

Right now he’s preparing for his 10th annual “Bruiser Thanksgiving” hometown holiday show, scheduled for Wednesday evening at the Russell Industrial Center — which Brown has also suggested will be his last. The concert (named after the Bruiser Brigade, his X-Men group of super talented emcees) started as a way to give them a platform but has evolved into his personal homecoming for his family and friends who want to see him perform. Over the years there have been plenty of memorable moments.

“My favorite was when we had DJ Assault,” Brown says. “It just took me back to when I was a kid growing up and we always heard him at parties. But I had never seen him spin live before.”

While national artists like Joey Bada$$ and Lil B have made appearances in the past, Brown is more nostalgic when speaking on the Detroit artists who took the Thanksgiving Bruiser stage.

“The coldest was when we had all the Detroit guys, it was my first time meeting them,” Brown says. “We had Babytron super early, Sada Baby, and this year we got Certified Trapper. I’ve been listening to this music for some years now so I’m excited to meet him.”

The show will also feature performances from the rest of the Bruiser Brigade, JPEGMAFIA, and sounds by AK. “I just hope it runs smoothly,” Brown says. “Every year it runs a little more smoothly.”

Brown has also been busy outside of music. A quick Google search and you’ll see he’s still the talk of the fashion world as he can be seen in several distressed and extremely baggy fits courtesy of designer Done by Doug. He also appeared in the movie White Boy Rick in 2018 and on May 17 of last year Brown launched his podcast The Danny Brown Show via YMH studios. The show highlights Brown’s natural charm, candor, and sense of humor, where he talks about everything from his tour life to what would you do with your clone.

“Just people giving me the opportunity to do things outside of music is a blessing,” he says about the podcast. “It’s just like everything else; it has its ups and down, it has its learning curve. We got a cool staff at YHM, it’s all them really, I just show up to talk shit,” he adds through a laugh.

But as Stephen Covey famously said, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” And Danny Brown’s main thing is still music. Brown and JPEGMAFIA just finished their 19-city tour this past summer in support of their joint album Scaring the Hoes, released earlier this year, and received positive reviews at every stop. Outside of some concert dates in the U.K., Brown plans to take a little time away from the stage this winter but promises he’ll be back on stages across the globe next spring.

“I’ve always been a fan of the U.K. scene, so I want to work with more U.K. artists — the jungle and the drum and bass,” he says.

Brown says there is more breaking news he wants to tell but he can’t speak on it just yet. His focus is being the best version of himself, being known as an emcee who valued his craft and made the kind of hip-hop music that impacted others the way he was impacted as a youth.

“I want to be remembered as someone that just cared about the music,” he says. “In the beginning you always want to be the coldest and say the dopest shit, but now I want to say something. And that’s where you leave your legacy, you know? There’s a lot of kids that grow up without fathers, and hip-hop was a lot of niggas dads. I’ve learned a lot more from music than anything else.”