Credit: Warp Records
Stardust
[By: Danny Brown]
Genre: Experimental hip-hop, Hyperpop
Rating: 75
Cohesiveness: 59
Track quality: 69
Beginner-friendly? not really unless you like both danny and hyperpop
Written 2025/11/29
Danny Brown may not be the most popular artist in the American hip-hop scene, but he's certainly one of the wackiest - and with the newfound hyperpop influences on "Stardust", it seems he's only getting wackier.
Previously known for his contributions to experimental hip-hop on albums like "Atrocity Exhibition", Danny's intentionally warped vocal style has been the standout feature of his music for a while now. It's a voice that doesn't quite take itself seriously, spewing words like waterfalls from a mouth that never shuts. Certainly his enunciation is a little polarizing - you either love it or you hate it - but, undeniably, it suits his flows very well, and Danny has had a history of ripping up rhythms on his faster-paced tracks. It's also a voice that's garnered him a lot of respect in the hip-hop industry, having worked with heavyweights like Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky and JPEGMAFIA, and thereby a voice that has garnered him a lot of attention
The hyperpop, though, is relatively new. Only recently, over the past few years, has Danny been experimenting stylistically with the likes of Quadeca and Jane Remover, but he picked up the genre surprisingly well, and by the time "Stardust" was announced he was slotting into the hyperpop space quite nicely.
"Stardust" is Danny Brown's first album written entirely sober. And it shows through in the album's tracks, too. Where his previous albums have been uncannily crazed freakshows emblazoned and enveloped by Danny's harrowing surroundings, "Stardust" looks to the future. It brings on youthful talent from the hyperpop underground, along with spoken-word samples recorded by Frost Children's Angel Prost that explore new emotions with a literary touch. Altogether energetic, layered beatwork - perhaps Quadeca's immersive atmospheres reminiscient of his "Vanisher, Horizon Scraper" album released just months before; or underscores' sharp, powerful beatwork and synth stabs; or even the full-blown drum n bass/breakcore orchestrated by Cynthoni on "The End" - constantly drive "Stardust" forward, a burgeoning force that posits much hope for the future. And as much Danny's borderline ridiculous vocal yowling dominates the soundstage, "Stardust" still carries itself with a surprising amount of emotion and maturity.
Although I can't help but feel that this is an album which feels a little scattered. There are plenty of strong cuts, but equally there are a plethora of weak ones. This is to be understood, I suppose - Danny's still finding his way around this style, and we as listeners continue to be a little uncertain as to where to place it in the modern industry. But sometimes tracks on "Stardust" find themselves slipping into faults that are no stranger to any typical album - repetitiveness, muddy mixing, awkward songwriting choices - despite it distancing itself from the typical album as much as possible. The record ends up being a good introduction, but it doesn't quite blow open any doors.
Undoubtedly, this is one of the most refreshing albums in modern hip-hop, and it begins to bridge the gap between hip-hop and electronic in a way that no album has done before in the past. I find myself hoping that, ever the pioneer, Danny continues to surface talent whilst never compromising on his style and craft. But I also hope that he's able to bring out a breakthrough album in this new hyperpop-leaning style, in the same way he was able to for his provocative hip-hop style.
Listen on Spotify here.
Book of Daniel [Emotive] | (/100)
w/ Quadeca
Danny takes the edge off his voice, though it's still a little altered, but also more personal with the lyricism and instrumentation. Quadeca's production is intimate and well-done and the vocal he puts in is heartfelt but doesn't last long enough. This is a really strong opener for the album, but not so strong as an individual track.
Starburst [Intense] | (/100)
Where "Book of Daniel" is a more reserved version of Danny, "Starburst" is him at his wackiest. Backed by a powerful sub bass and a bunch of bizarre synth lines, this track has a nice and intense pacing. But the chopped-up vocal inserted into the middle gives the track a weird vibe, and even though the beat goes twice as hard afterwards it doesn't quite make up for it.
Copycats [Fun] | (/100)
w/ underscores
An almost dancepop twinge - a distinctly hyperpop one - makes "Copycats" a really fun track, and Danny spins off some clean flows in his verses, whilst underscores' autotuned chorus and hook grounds the glitchy beat in catchy fashion.
1999 [Switchup] | (/100)
w/ JOHNNASCUS
Danny's verses start out fine but the beat is completely nonsensical, having truckloads of distortion and overly crunchy sound design. JOHNNASCUS' shouty vocal is really not up my alley, and occasionally the beat spontaneously revs up to Mach 10 for no apparent reason. Definitely a creative track, definitely not something I would want to listen to again.
Flowers [Standout] | (/100)
w/ 8485
The hyperpop chorus is great - styled similarly to acts like Charli xcx - and Danny's flow is, once again, on point, with the beat embarking on some very punchy movements, bolstered by a clean synth line and generally well-made songwriting. The main factor that drags this one down is the short length, but stylistically it works well.
Lift You Up [Standout] | (/100)
For the second solo track on this album, Danny opts for a bouncy house beat, and it works wonders. This is some of the best rhythm work on the whole album, whether that's the catchy chorus or the confidently delivered verses, and the repeating vocal sample lends its helping hand too.
Green Light [Catchy] | (/100)
w/ Frost Children
"Green Light" shifts its pacing constantly yet subtly, with Frost Children's vocal being a little more intimate whilst Danny runs his verses through the expansive beat. The pseudo-subtle sexual lyricism is pretty funny, I just wish the track went further in terms of song composition.
What You See [Emotive] | (/100)
w/ Quadeca
Quadeca returns to put in a second shift and this one feels more complete as a song, with his vocal being almost ghostly here - his beat is nothing flashy, but the pianos and layered instrumentation hits the vibe of the track nicely. And Danny's voice is practically normal now (it seems he exists on a spectrum of wackiness).
Baby [Fun] | (/100)
w/ underscores
"Baby" hosts, I would say, one of the stronger beats on the album, and Danny shows off just how dynamic his voice can get, with underscores' accompanying vocal putting on another good show.
Whatever The Case [Intense] | (/100)
w/ ISSBROKIE
The production is so climactic it's almost ridiculous, and, to be honest, that's the appeal of this track. Particularly with that squelchy synth leads that pitches in from time to time. ISSBROKIE's verse is so enthusiastic and fast-paced it's difficult to process fully, though it's a good thing it's short because the style is so extreme.
1L0v3myL1f3! [Standout] | (/100)
w/ femtanyl
Now, this track was a total surprise. With femtanyl's breakcore-leaning production motoring along in the back, "1L0v3myL1f3!" takes a surprisingly cinematic route, with Danny's verse giving way to a massive, echoey movement with powerful synths and a faint vocal. Yes, Danny's still pretty good here, but it's definitely the production that steals the show by technical skill alone.
RIGHT FROM WRONG [Catchy] | (/100)
w/ NNAMDÏ
The hook is catchy but the muted mix to it feels a little muddy. For the most part, "RIGHT FROM WRONG" doesn't do much that the rest of the album doesn't do - glitchy beat, verse-chorus songwriting, and the spoken-word section at the end.
The End [Standout] | (/100)
w/ ta Ukrainka, Zheani, Cynthoni
No, this track technically isn't the end of the album. Yes, it pretends that it is. Hefting a mighty 8:43 minutes of runtime, with a powerful break that peppers the first half where Danny has less input, with the features putting in Ukrainian and Polish vocal performances. Then, randomly, the track goes completely quiet and switches to a full-on drum n bass track with Danny at center stage. Loved the second half, not so much the first half, wish it was split into two songs.
All4U [Emotive] | (/100)
w/ Jane Remover
"All4U" acts as a strong album closer, with Danny seizing the spotlight and never letting go, but it's so, so short, and as a result it doesn't get to do any of the cool things it could have easily done.
- Lift You Up (/100)
- Copycats w/ underscores (/100)
- 1L0v3myL1f3! w/ femtanyl (/100)
- Flowers w/ 8485 (/100)
- What You See w/ Quadeca (/100)
- Baby w/ underscores (/100)
- Whatever The Case w/ ISSBROKIE (/100)
- The End w/ ta Ukrainka, Zheani, Cynthoni (/100)
- Green Light w/ Frost Children (/100)
- Book of Daniel w/ Quadeca (/100)
- Starburst (/100)
- All4U w/ Jane Remover (/100)
- RIGHT FROM WRONG w/ NNAMDÏ (/100)
- 1999 w/ JOHNNASCUS (/100)