Scene

Coming out of Detroit, Danny Brown operates in a lane all to himself and after working his way through being labelled or put in a box, we are now graced with his fourth album. 'Atrocity Exhibition' is the first entire project I have listened to from Brown, as I'd heard him feature on a variety of songs from many of my favourite artists, serving up his unique delivery that sees him change the tone and speed of his voice without any sense of difficulty. That ensured that Brown made me take note and I was happy to venture into Atrocity Exhibition to see what came of it.

Songs

Downward Spiral - Noise, general noise featuring some low key introspective lyrics.
Tell Me What I Don't Know - That tempo though.
Rolling Stone ft. Petite Noir - "People say I think too much, I don't think they think enough"
Really Doe ft. Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, Earl Sweatshirt - Posse cut!
Lost - Let Danny Brown guide you through some quality production.
Ain't It Funny - Manic and poetic from 'the blacksmith of hip hop'
Golddust - Try resist not to feel the chaotic vibe.
White Lines - Wonder what it's like...
Pneumonia - Peep the switch in flows.
Dance In The Water - No genre.
From The Ground ft. Kelela - Dreamy, as dreamy as it's gonna get.
When It Rain - Feel the suspense creepin' in this modern Detroit anthem.
Today - UK garage ting, yeah?
Get Hi ft. B-Real - Jah bless.
Hell For It - Danny Brown in a nutshell.

Vibe

Everything about Atrocity Exhibition is unique and while there are elements of what Brown offers here that have come from other artists, that Brown can create an album which purely reflects his musical style is a testament to his ability as a creative. Those familiar with Brown will know his penchant for drugs and generally livin' it up, a few themes that pop up in various forms but there's also an opportunity in Atrocity Exhibition to reflect and explore the positives and negatives of the world, or his lifestyle.

Brown has said that it took a few years to simply write this album, let alone put it all together with the production. The time and effort put into building lyrics and how Brown's flow explores all the little cavities in the production reflects this, ensuring that not a word or second of music is wasted. That my friends pushes Atrocity Exhibition into rare-air for an album where the album itself is a holistic piece of art, with Brown standing up for the creatives out there who aren't restricted in any way shape or form.

Music

That 'piece of art' vibe means that there's no way you can label the production on Atrocity Exhibition as it's a wide range of music that comes together perfectly. Paul White is responsible for much of the production and he's a long-time collaborator with Brown, coming out of England who has also worked with Open Mike Eagle, Guilty Simpson and Homeboy Sandman.

White encapsulates everything Brown needs and wants nicely, which could be put down to White existing outside of the typical hip hop producer sphere. There's far more variety in instrumentation with White's production, coming from his United Kingdom background and musical influences while the way in which songs build their tempo or add layers as the song goes only adds to the overall piece of art.

There's not too much need for guest features, with Brown calling on Kelela for 'From The Ground', Petite Noir for 'Rolling Stone' and B-Real for 'Get Hi'. The standout track though is 'Really Doe' which features Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul and Earl Sweatshirt in a collection of my favourite rappers, produced by Black Milk. Playa Haze, Evian Christ and The Alchemist also produce a track each to offer a cheeky splash of variety, while fitting into the overall vibe of the album expertly.

Finale

Trying to settle on 'best album of the year' is difficult because we are lucky to live in a time where artists are exceptionally talented and free, as well as being able to drop an album without too much hassle. Atrocity Exhibition though, has to be up there as a contender and it's already one of my favourite albums perhaps of all time.

The way in which Brown and White are able to bring together a whole lot of crazy noise and make it sound pleasurable on the ear, while also weaving lyrics that offer a never-ending supply of rewind quality is musical perfection. Not only are you hearing musical composition that you've never heard before, you're hearing a delivery that only Brown offers, from a perspective that only Brown offers, it's kinda like a giant work of abstract art that pushes boundaries without tarnishing its beauty.