Danny Brown All Good (Demo)

Danny Brown, Danny Brown, Danny Brown. The Detroit MC is one of the most technically consistent, eccentric, knowledgeable and hard-working rappers in the game today. He keeps hip-hop exciting and he is also very timely. He's literally dedicated his life to get where he is and on his new album, Old, it shows. Danny is the biggest rock star in hip-hop, in the most debaucherous sense of the word.

Like every true original in the history of art, Danny has always had that something that made him stand out. At times it made him seem a bit goofy, or perhaps even nerdy and he's certainly been able to convey menace and anger and sexuality convincingly but what I miss about the younger Danny is his innocence. He's road-tested and experienced at this point, but there was a time when Danny Brown was still getting his footing as a musician and as a person.

"All Good" comes from that time. Recorded after 2008's Hot Soup, which broke him into the grassroots circle that broke him into the "underground" circle that broke him into the cool crowd that is breaking him into the mainstream, this demo features Danny trying his hand at making a beat on the MPC 1000. His Ramsey Lewis loop is simple but effective. He gives us optimist, stay-in-school bars but doesn't sound corny. He sounds like he's trying to turn a genuine feeling into a song and his advance grasp of his craft is still very much evident. You can hear his hunger and his drive. He didn't pick up the MP much after this and he's never been this family-friendly ever again but I've always dug this.