Danny Brown continues to amaze at levels nearly none of his peers are capable of – Stardust is the sun after a disastrous, catastrophic flood.
Release date: November 7, 2025 | Warp Records | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Stream/Purchase
We’re at a point where Danny Brown has to be viewed unquestionably as one of the greatest of our time, if not all time. The best part is he agrees with no braggadocious hyperbole: ‘Now I made it past a decade, who the top? Dot and Thebe/And that’s me, the big three, don’t give a fuck what they say‘. Like his music or not, the progression, dedication to realness, and raw skill have all culminated in an artist who gets creative blank checks to do whatever the fuck he wants and always has the acumen to pull it off. It’s genuinely impressive.
Still, I was a little cautious going into Stardust after seeing the track list with features and, from it, surmising where the hell it would go. It seemed a little too quirked up for me, but for context, I’m not super into hyperpop as a general sound which might surprise some that know what I do like and listen to. It’s not like I needed barred-up rappers standing side-by-side by Danny on each and every track, but it would be more of what someone would expect from recent work like how MIKE and Bruiser Wolf showed up on Quaranta. But you also have to remember back to his album Old where he was getting features from a fledgling Charli XCX, up-and-coming Purity Ring, or rapping over dubstepped-up beats on that album or standalone collab tracks with producers Darq E Freaker and Evil Nine (I probably just awakened memories in like-minded millennials like sleeper cells).
Really, what we do get on Stardust is two primary facets: a sober, healthier, happier Danny Brown that radiates sunshine on a disco ball to set a dancy vibe; and, therefore, a spiritual successor to Old in that sense. Old was written when Danny was full-bore party mode after breaking through with XXX, maybe his most dangerous time with the wild boy antics and hedonism that would eventually give way to one of the most harrowing albums ever, Atrocity Exhibition. In a very recent interview with The Needle Drop, Danny divulged on that time, how he was attracting the wrong crowd with his music and playing frat houses. Women DMed him praising his music, but saying his shows were dangerous due to dudes assaulting them. He was also assaulted himself often – long-time fans will recall a woman from the audience getting on stage with him while performing and giving him a blowjob without his expressed consent. His response to all this was simple: disavow that aspect of his fandom and turn his creative focus into cautionary tales and wounded reflection to heal the inside.
Stardust is a celebration of a life lived after merely surviving and limping through decades. It’s also very communal – when I saw there was over ten features on the album across 14 tracks, I got worried that Danny himself would be drowned out, but after hearing it several times, it’s clear that it was part of the point. Danny didn’t make it into his 40s without those that cared about him just as he didn’t make this album without the help of several of his artistically forward-thinking pals. From Quadeca and Jane Remover who’re having moments of their own right now, to people I’m less familiar with like underscores and ISSBROKIE, every contribution is odd enough to fit Danny’s own progressive tendencies, but slipped neatly into a poppier rap album than he’s ever made before. Worth noting that many – more than half by my estimation – are LGBTQ artists, emphasis on trans/gender nonconforming, which is awesome to see someone like Danny with his adjacency to rap’s mainstream do in a way that doesn’t feel tokenized. He’s been shouting out some of these artists and calling them GOATs for years now and since GOATs like to be with other GOATs, these collabs were inevitable I suppose.
So how does it sound? It’s a lot. “Copycats” is probably a good make-or-break point with it being a glossy, glittery track with pristine electronic production and a hook from underscores relishing the rapstar/popstar/rockstar life as Danny has before, but more in the pedestaled fame sense rather than drugs and pulling infinite women. It feels… more responsible? Danny recognizes his status as a potential role model after all he’s been through and how he escaped certain death in the hoods of Detroit as a kid. If nothing else, he’s come a hell of a long way since when he rapped ‘‘posed to been dead, but bitch, I’m still up in this bitch!‘.
Contrast that greatly with “1999” which is a much more confrontational track with jutting, noisy production from JOHNNASCUS still based in the electronic sphere, just rougher. The lyrics are the most intriguing part with references to the Y2K technoapocalypse that never happened (another memory for that millennial ass) and The Matrix, positing how life feels like we’re trapped in a simulation and maybe the world did end in 1999 after all leaving us all dead inside. Of course, my bias interpreted this is a word on AI’s soulless takeover and robots replacing humans which is a key plot point in the greater Matrix trilogy. It also has more laid-back, fun lines like ‘I’m ’bout to start a website called lameassn***a.com/Put you on the front page, like what the fuck is you on?‘. This is one of Danny’s hardest, heaviest songs in a couple different ways.
While I like those tracks, I think the middle ground between them is where Stardust really shines. “Lift You Up” is classic ’90s house rap with a lovely vocal sample throughout while Danny works through interpersonal struggles of being broken down just to lift someone else up. Love the simplicity of this track – you could hear it in the club or on the soundtrack of a racing game. “Baby” is a thumping, saccharine, genuine love song done his way that sees the return of underscores on the beat and hook. If you told me I’d like a song like this by Danny ten years ago, I’d… not believe you probably. “Whatever The Case” is one of the strongest tracks when it comes to rapping-ass raps with shit-talking lyrics and succulent flows from Danny and guest ISSBROKIE who’s fiery on this bouncy beat from Holly. I also must shout out the breakbeat focus of “1L0v3myL1f3!” with scene favorite femtanyl.
There’s a lot more to cover – because of the diversity at play, literally every song is worth dissection and gushing over to various degrees – but “Book of Daniel” and “The End” contain the most of the album’s soul. “Book of Daniel” is where the first lyric quote I wrote comes from, a sunny, sobering reflection of where Danny is now, able to see his life in a completely new light not to mention set the positive mood for the album. The song is a drive down a coastal highway with the top down, almost rapturous in its tones and melodies. “The End” is the longest song he’s ever made split into two parts where the first laments on his past of self-destruction and the second basks in the attitude and affirmations that got him to where he is now, sharing with us to inspire and uplift. It avoids the cheesy motivational speaker trappings when you’re a fan as long as I’ve been because you’ve seen what hell this dude has burned his feet on. It’s what ultimately makes Stardust feel like a triumph, not just named for the prettiness of its romanticized, poetic implications, but for how high in the sky his demeanor is since regaining control over his life.
Stardust notes a new mastery within Danny Brown. This album at its core doesn’t sound very far off at all from his earlier years, but where the chaos in his art was very much informed by his life’s own chaos, he now holds it on a leash at his command. It’s cleaner and clear-headed, but still uncompromising even as he drifts into the pop end of the pool. That’s what makes it hit harder than Quaranta did because this really feels like Danny evolved, Senzu beaned back to exuberant life, Super Saiyaning in the booth with his shirt off to spread his knowledge and growth with the rest of us. While I try to avoid taking in others’ thoughts and reviews of things I’m reviewing, it’s been nigh impossible to miss all the high praise from fans and critics alike giving him his flowers. As he raps in “All4U”, he does it all for us now, and in return we give him the recognition and support he’s deserved for years. He made it through 30 and 40, now here’s to Danny’s upcoming 50th.
Artist photo by Ariel Fisher
