On Thursday, October 18, the Society for Arts and Technology (SAT) welcomed one of the iconic figures of underground hip-hop in the 2010s, Danny Brown. Fans of experimental hip-hop gathered to witness the Detroit-born artist on a short tour across Canada.
Before the main attraction arrived, DJ Charles Cozy mixed mostly rap songs, warming up the crowd and giving them a taste of what was to come. Danny Brown took to the stage just after 8pm, making a grand entrance dressed in an outfit straight out of the future. He began his set with a few songs from his latest album, Quaranta, released in November 2023.
From start to finish, Danny was incisive. No backtrack, just the instrumental framework. The African-American rapped every word with precision and a clear delivery, despite that singular voice that could alter the perception of clarity. Although some of the rapper’s more experimental songs are less accessible to the average listener’s ear, the acoustic quality of the venue made it all worthwhile. Even the most disconcerting tracks became quite catchy to our ears!
Danny Brown continued with several cult tracks from his catalog, such as “Monopoly”, “Dip”, and “Smokin & Drinkin”. Sung like festive anthems, these three songs helped raise the energy a notch. He also performed a few tracks from his collaborative album Scaring The Hoes with JPEGMAFIA, which helped to draw the crowd into his special world. The fans were very familiar with the various sounds the rapper had to offer, and greatly appreciated his performance. The majority sang along to the songs, adding to the overall energy of the room and hooking those who didn’t know the lyrics. A few mosh pits also formed in front of the rapper, a rare event at the SAT.
Brown concluded with his most popular songs, such as Really Doe, Ain’t it Funny, and Grown Up, all of which generated strong reactions from the crowd. The crowd chanted loudly for an encore for several minutes, even though he had only played for an hour and ten minutes, but unfortunately to no avail. Despite a rather short set and an encore that would have been more than welcome, Danny Brown put in a solid, concise performance, satisfying the audience at the SAT.
