Old on Old: A Track-By-Track Review of Danny Brown's New Album, By a 72-Year-Old Woman

You think Danny Brown is old? We got a senior citizen to review his album.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Have you been listening to the new Danny Brown album, Old? It goes on sale at record stores today, but it's been available for streaming on Spotify since last week. I have been listening to it and enjoying it immensely.

But then, I would. I love rap music. And I loved the Detroit rapper's last album, XXX, which came out in 2011. So I am an easy target.

Danny Brown is 32. A little old for a rapper who just recently achieved national recognition. But not, like, ancient. The name of the album has more to do with the fact that a lot of people from Detroit have been telling him that they want him to go back to the musical styles he used on his older material. I'm pretty old, myself—42. Also not quite ancient. But, getting there. My back hurts all the time. If you ever stand next to me while we're watching my kid's little league game, I'll tell you more about it.

Seeing as how the theme of Danny Brown's new album is the passage of time, we got to wondering, as we often get to doing around the Complex offices: What might a really old person might think of Danny Brown and his new album. A much older person than me or Danny Brown? A person who perhaps hadn't listened to so much of his music before. A person who was older than 70 years old.

We found one. She lives in Pennsylvania. She works as a professor at a university near there and she is a grandmother and she's 72. Seventy-two! Man, that's old! We asked her to listen to Danny Brown's new album and tell us what she thought about it. She said yes, and emailed her impressions of each song.

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"Side A"

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Producer: Paul White

"The first sounds heard are very pleasing melodic chords. Then the music changes to a driving beat, connoting urges of addiction. I did not understand exactly what he was talking about, but my impression was confirmed when I heard reference to a 'dope fiend.' The song made me curious who Danny Brown used to be and who he is now. I began looking for a story."

"The Return" f/ Freddie Gibbs

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Producer: Paul White

"I thought I heard something about a 'gangster' returning to feed his child. I really liked the music and the rhymes."

"25 Bucks" f/ Purity Ring

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Producer: Corin Roddick

"'25 Bucks' has even more poetic rhymes than does 'The Return.' The female singers and new rhythm were attractive to me. I could not discern a story, though, for he spoke too fast. I could not tell what he was doing to 'get a couple of bucks.' The dreamy music at the end sounded nice."

"Wonderbread"

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Producer: Paul White

"Again, the introductory instrumental is lovely. The voice is strange, however, and I could not understand any words other than 'On my way to get Wonderbread.' So I did not hear a story at all."

"Gremlins"

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Producer: Oh No

"The music evolves interestingly. The lyrics seem repetitive. They are not exactly the same as the past song's, but the sentiment and message seem similar."

"Dope Fiend Rental" f/ Schoolboy Q

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Producer: SKYWLKR

"The voice speaks too quickly for me to get the words. The music is different, but not as attractive to me as the music in the previous songs. I realized part way through that the speed of speech probably reflects the feeling one has when one needs a fix."

"Torture"

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Producer: Oh No

"I welcomed the change of pace and pleasing instrumental. I was relieved that the lyrics were slow enough for me to understand. They seem to describe a (male) child's view of an environment that was too 'grown up' for a child. 'It's torture.' The story is interesting psychologically. The background beat, percussion, and vocals are great."

"Lonely"

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Producer: Paul White

"The song has a nice background and feeling to it. It is a clear account of being on one's own without emotional support or financial resources. Heartfelt."

"Clean Up"

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Producer: Paul White

"The lyrics are understandable. It is 'time to clean up.' 'I came too far to fuck it up.' He is now 31. He is introspective and reflective. He regrets and has goals. This song put me in mind of David Sheff's book Beautiful Boy. I felt sad and (very) cautiously hopeful. The song evokes emotion. It left me 'pulling for him.'"

"Red 2 Go"

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Producer: Oh No

"This song has the high voice again, but the speech is not quite as fast as the past one. I could hear separate words, but I do not know what they mean. What does 'Red 2 Go' mean? It seems to denote smoking something, but I do not know what. I liked the rhythms and percussion though."

"Side B" [Dope Song]

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Producer: Rustie

"There is a beautiful introduction to Side B. The high voice, however, has gotten annoying. 'I don't do that shit anymore.' The expansive music at the end of the song is gorgeous, though, as is the ocean sound."

"Dubstep" f/ Scrufizzer

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Producer: SKYWLKR

"There are interesting and different background instrumentals, but I had NO idea what the words mean. Then, after the song sped up, I could not even distinguish the words."

"Dip"

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Producer: SKYWLKR

"This song is very danceable. I moved through the whole thing. I could not differentiate most of words; but, by now, I knew that I would not know their meaning anyway. 'Don't let me injure (?) (into ?) myself' sounded too dependent to me for 30-something man. I liked the song, nevertheless. The tune is catchy."

"Smokin & Drinkin"

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Producer: A-Trak, JMIKE

"'Smokin & Drinkin' has the same danceable rhythm but is not as likable as 'Dip.' The feeling is darker and, somehow, grating. And I still do not hear a story."

"Break it [Go]"

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Producer: Rustie

"I was tired of the rhythm and the emotion by now. They felt numbing and redundant."

"Handstand"

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Producer: Darq E Freaker

"The whizzing sound in the background is interestingly different, but the rest seems repetitious. I continued to feel clueless regarding a story. I could tell it is about a woman, and that is all."

"Way Up Here" f/ Ab-Soul

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Producer: Rustie

"Except for the disappearance of the whizzing sound, this song seems the same as the last one."

"Kush Coma" f/ A$AP Rocky & Zelooperz

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Producer: SKYWLKR

"Finally, there is a unique song. I welcomed the change, even though the lyrics are WAY too fast for me to recognize. I do not know why 'coma' is in the title; the song seems too excited to portray a coma. I do not know what 'kush' is either. And what is molly? While listening, I realized that an old person like me would have to invest the time and effort necessary to master current drug use idiom in order to understand this album's stories. Nonetheless, the vocals and instrumentation of this song are enjoyable."

"Float On" f/ Charli XCX

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Producer: Frank Dukes, BadBadNotGood

"This song has a pleasant beginning as well. I thanked goodness that the annoying masculine voice is gone too. Furthermore, there is a soothing, feminine voice. The lyrics refer back to Wonderbread. Because of the attractive voices and music, I wanted to know the story. The song evokes hope and relief. I liked the bell sounds and soft beat. This is a delightful ending."

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