Danny Brown - Quaranta

Released: 19/01/24

Pitched by Danny Brown as a kind of spiritual sequel to 2011's breakout XXX,which infamously catalogued a life lived on the edge at 30, Quaranta is a glorious admixture of chaos and wisdom. Blessed with one of the most recognisable flows in hip-hop, the Detroit spitter is a preternaturally gifted rapper who mixes ferocity with rhythmic imagination to brilliant effect “ but what elevates Brown to the Pantheon of hip-hop greats is his musical adventurism and ear for a killer hook.

Very much to our benefit, Brown's heterogeneous taste is on fill display, and the form and content of every track on Quarantais a genuine surprise, giving the listener a thrilling jolt at every step “ my favourite being the move from the opening, titular track “ all thoughtful lyricism over a lovely, downbeat Ennio Morricone-esque backing “ to track two, which begins with a sample of an old-school dial-up modem before going full-tilt on a sample of Oreja Y Vuelta Al Ruedo' by the late-70s Argentinian prog/fusion band. Featuring excellent guest turns from Bruiser Wolf, Kassa Overall, and, on the drop-dead gorgeous Celibate' (featuring a sample from Claude Denjean's Moog classic Alone Again Naturally'), MIKE, Quarantais absolutely breathtaking in its scope and ambition.