Danny Brown Finds Peace on "Uknowhatimsayin¿"

by Isaiah Anthony

How does an artist follow up what is most certainly their magnum opus? How does an artist recover after their magnum opus underperforms and puts them in financial debt? 

For Danny Brown, the answer seems simple; move on.

Three years after the release of Atrocity Exhibition (2016), Brown’s most experimental and gritty project to date, which was critically acclaimed but a commercial disappointment, Detroit rapper Danny Brown is back with his fifth studio album, Uknowhatimsayin¿.

For those familiar, there are few voices more recognizable than Danny Brown, whose vocal range allows him to compellingly deliver lines chock-full of goofy humor and harsh realities. While Brown’s flow on Uknowhatimsayin¿ feels familiar to past projects, there is an undeniable shift in Brown’s vocal delivery. He oozes confidence with every bar. Where previously Brown thrived on wacky, high toned suede-yelling, he now feels settled in and comfortable with his sound. It suits him well. 

No track better highlight’s Browns stylistic evolution than ‘Best Life.’ Produced by A Tribe Called Quest veteran Q-Tip, this soulful track is a melancholic reflection of Brown’s past with an unavoidable sense of optimism. Brown reflects on his difficult upbringing and how his success has changed his life. ‘Best Life’ offers insight into Brown’s profoundly mature perspective. Despite career setbacks, life troubles, and poor album sales, Brown knows that there “ain’t no next life, so now I’m tryna live my best life.”

It’s interesting to compare the Brown on ‘Best Life’ to that of its spiritual predecessor, ‘30,’ off Brown’s XXX (2012). On ‘30,’ which feels more like a confessional than a song, Brown bears all. Telling of adversity, despair, and the struggle to keep going, Brown crafted one of the most emotionally evocative hip-hop ballads of the decade.

Now, 7 years on, Brown has accomplished a lot, but that does not mean life’s perfect. On the album’s title track, Brown addresses regret, betrayal, fear, and other ubiquitous emotions that have the potential of trapping people where they are. Here, the album’s message, seemingly the culmination of Brown’s journey to this point, is delivered through a feature from London-based artist Obongjayar; “My guy, don’t stop now, keep moving.”

The fundamentals of Brown’s positive psyche is further explored throughout the album. Self-awareness is at the forefront of ‘Theme Song,’ where Brown reflects on his once iconic look, which now feels like a long, bygone era. Humor, another fundamental in Brown’s discography, is present throughout the album, intertwined with serious themes, making the difficult parts a little more digestible. Whether that manifests as a goofy one-liner (“I don’t give a fuck, I could talk a cat off the back of a fish truck”) or explicit anecdotal sexual escapade (“I ignore a whore like an email from LinkedIn”), the lighthearted approach feels essential in coping with life.

‘3 Tearz,’ the apex of Brown’s confidence and bravado, is, unfortunately, the weakest on the album, with the feature from hip-hop duo Run the Jewels to blame. EL-P’s verse plays like a bad MF DOOM impression, and Killer Mike feels like a parody of himself, coming across as incredibly basic and shallow (“I don’t give a fuck ‘bout Trump, who got dump?” *eye-roll*)

Uknowhatimsayin¿ is not Brown’s most groundbreaking project. Observed from a distance, it comes across as a more consumer-friendly version of its predecessor, Atrocity Exhibition. But upon closer inspection, Uknowhatimsayin¿ has an intoxicating essence that comes across as so genuine, so well-deserved, that it’s impossible to not feel happy for Brown, and perhaps look at life a little differently.