Album Of The Week: Danny Brown Quaranta

“This rap shit done saved my life and fucked it up at the same time.” That’s the kind of insight that a rapper, or even a fan, might reach after months of intensive therapy. It’s also the very first thing that Danny Brown says on his new album. If you’ve been listening to Danny Brown for the last decade-plus, then the statement isn’t exactly a surprise. Brown has always made music about trauma, partying, and the futile scramble to process trauma through partying. But it’s especially intense to hear him lay it all like that at the very top of Quaranta, the XXX sequel that he’s been promising for forever. That first line is the thesis statement. Everything that follows is the evidence.