Bleep

Released back in 2011, Danny Brown’s second album has long since confirmed its status as a cult classic. At times unfiltered and wild, at others providing a harsh reality check, XXX documents the tale of the Detroit rapper’s miraculous survival from drug addiction, wrapped up in raunchy party life tales. With features from his Bruiser Brigade crew and a highly accomplished list of producers, XXX saw Danny Brown rise from the underground, claiming the spotlight of hardcore hip hop.

The title serves as an indication of the record’s content (drugs, sex, and profanity abound) as well as denoting Brown’s age at the time. At thirty, he’s the life of the party, but also old enough to reflect on the consequences: addiction, burnout, and the eventual crash. A decade later, his similarly titled Quaranta would become the album’s spiritual successor, musing on the tailspins and sugar rushes of XXX and the equally high octane Atrocity Exhibition with a more sage and solemn tone.

The opener’s drug-fuelled braggadocio turns into a more chilling reality, but quickly snaps back to hard hitting beats as he places himself amongst the greats on ‘Die Like A Rockstar’. Alongside an explicitly detailed ode to cunnilingus on ‘I Will’, idiosyncratic and soporific flows, and thirty years worth of dark memoirs, hints at Danny’s life and psyche are hidden in the album’s ecstasy. The rockstar veneer begins to melt away on ‘DNA’, with overdriven psychedelic samples detailing generational addiction. Danny’s zany vocals disappear for more dramatic narratives, with titles like ‘Party All The Time’ becoming a heavy admission over rhodes tinged with regret.

Danny Brown said he made XXX “with the aim of getting great reviews”. Even more than that, he landed a career-defining success.