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This album was released on March 16th in 2010. I’m starting the Danny Brown Marathon now I guess. I’m not gonna check out any of his mixtapes or EPs for this one. I’m only gonna do his actual albums. I’ll probably check the other stuff out someday, but I wanted to get this shit done as quickly as possible so I can check out Atrocity Exhibition, which I’m actually really looking forward to. I’m not super familiar with Danny Brown, but I’m definitely a fan. I think my introduction to him was that Grown Ups song he released, which I fucking love. However, the only full project of his that I’ve ever listened to was Old, and I really only skimmed it. So yeah. I’ve still never heard XXX. I don’t really know anything about this project in particular. I never see anybody talking about this. Usually if people bring up Danny Brown they talk about XXX. I like Danny Brown, but I don’t know how I’m gonna feel about this project. The album cover is pretty weird. I don’t know. I’m sure there’ll be a handful of good tracks on here. I doubt it’ll be bad.

Track 1: Greatest Rapper Ever (Prod. Quelle Chris)

Alright, here we go. He pretty much starts rapping as soon as the track starts. His voice kinda sounds like that signature, high pitched, goofy ass voice that he usually does, but it doesn’t sound like he’s intentionally being as over the top as he can. It just sounds like he’s yelling and being aggressive. If you’re usually turned off by Danny Brown’s eccentric delivery, this’d probably be a little more accessible for you. I love the way he sounds on this track. The beat is nothing special, but it works. I typically go really easy on production tho, so that may be a deal breaker for people who value hot beats over good lyricism. I really like the simplistic structure of this song. It’s just one long ass verse. At one point he describes being so poor and desperate that he sold a pregnant woman crack and let her smoke it in his house after she paid him extra. He killed this shit. I love his aggression on this track. This is dope af to me. 5/5

Track 2: Need Another Drink (Prod. Mainframe)

This beat is nothing special. It’s cool tho. The same thing can be said about the hook. Umm… Nah. I’m not feelin’ his delivery on this one. I mean… I guess it’s the same as his signature delivery that I mentioned during the previous track, but the flow he’s using his kinda annoying. This isn’t really that interesting to me lyrically either. I guess this is supposed to be the party track. I’m really not feelin’ this hook. Nah. The second verse just ended. Hell nah. This track is annoying as FUCK to me. The way he kept stretching out his words was just… Well, you know. It was annoying. This is wack to me. 2/5

Track 3: New Era (Prod. Nick Speed)

This beat isn’t bad. The production style on this album is pretty different from what you typically expect Danny Brown to rhyme over these days. Instead of that gritty, dark sound that he’s more famous for, he’s rapping over shitty, almost Electronic sounding beats. This is coming from someone who knows absolutely nothing about Electronic music tho. The beats are basically what I’d expect the robot on the album cover to rap over, so I’m sure it’s intentional. They really aren’t that bad actually. This one’s dope to me, especially during the hook. The first verse was cool. The subject matter isn’t super interesting, but it’s not bad. He’s rapping about representing his hometown with a New Era fitted cap. He’s obviously not blowing me away with anything he’s saying. “You know where I’m from no matter where I’m at / ‘Cause of the logo on my New Era hat.” I’m enjoying this tho. I like his delivery on this one; he sounds good over this beat. The third verse was cool. I like this one. The production was kinda underwhelming at first, but it grew on me. I liked the instrumental outro too. This is dope to me. 4/5

Track 4: Exotic Feat. Dopehead (Prod. Danny!)

You know what? Forget that shit I said about the Electronic production. That was really only true for the first track, and even then I’m not sure if it can be considered “Electronic.” Anyway, this beat is alright. The first verse was nice aside from that shit he said about those two Asian girls he was allegedly fuckin’ with. “Fucking two Asian bitches ’til they couldn’t cum / And when them hoes squirt it taste like Hong Kong wonton / Said, ‘Oh my; biggest dick I’ve ever seen‘ / Showed her on the webcam, she start licking the screen.” Yeah. Nah. I really wasn’t feelin’ that shit. The first part of the verse was dope tho. I liked how he described himself as Sean Price mixed with Lil Jon. The hook is nothing special. I don’t know who this Dopehead guy is, but his name actually sounds kinda familiar. Maybe I’ve heard him featured on a Danny Brown song before. He’s goin’ in now. Huh. He’s using the same over the top delivery that Danny Brown is known for. I don’t know how I feel about that. He kinda just sounds like Danny Brown Lite. His verse was alright I guess. There were like 3 different lines about him getting his dick sucked. Nah. I’m not really feelin’ this one. I don’t really think it’s bad, but I wouldn’t ever wanna listen to this again. It’s alright. 3/5

Track 5: I’m Out (Prod. Chuck Inglish)

Okay this should be good. Chuck Inglish is a really under appreciated producer. Danny’s using his more toned down, less eccentric delivery. He just sounds like he’s rapping with his normal speaking voice now. He’s goin’ in about his homie who got murdered. This beat is dope. The first verse was really good. The hook is cool. The second verse was definitely less interesting than the first, but I still enjoyed it. The song just ended. Huh. I don’t really have any gripes with this track, but I’m not super impressed. I enjoyed it tho. The beat was nice, the hook was pretty good, and Danny Brown did his thing. This is dope to me. 4/5

Track 6: Re-Up (Prod. Quelle Chris)

This beat is really dope. It actually kinda reminds me of Brooklyn Zoo by ODB. Just a little bit tho. The first verse was great. He’s rappin’ about sellin’ drugs. The first line of this song is literally about getting his dick sucked by a crackhead. The second verse was really good. He rapped more about selling weed when he was still in school. I loved how his delivery got more and more aggressive as he kept rapping. This is definitely one of the better songs on this album so far. I fuck with this one. This is dope af to me. 5/5

Track 7: Nowhere 2 Go (Prod. Denmark Vessey)

OH SHITFUCK. What the fuck? What the… FUCK? This beat is fantastic. Wow. I really wasn’t expecting that. This beat is so much better than any of the other instrumentals. YES. I love this shit. Danny’s goin’ the fuck in right now. “The fridge ain’t got shit but the bread with the mold / And some ain’t got shoes; just the ones with the holes / The ones you call talkers with the fucking flapping soles.” He’s not using that super eccentric delivery that he’s known for. It just sounds like he’s rapping without trying to sound weird. The first verse was dope af. The hook is pretty good. The second verse was great too. I don’t have any problems with this track. This is dope af to me. 5/5

Track 8: Shootin’ Moves (Prod. Frank Dukes)

This beat is dope af too. GOTDAMN. Frank Dukes put his ASS into this beat. Fuck… Danny just dropped a hard F bomb. Aside from that, the first verse was pretty good. The hook isn’t bad. The second verse was pretty nice too. The song just ended. Huh. You know, I really liked the beat, but every thing else about this song is pretty average. I like it tho. I just don’t think… I don’t know. I’m not really blown away by anything Danny did on this song. I’m more impressed with Frank Dukes. Danny Brown still did a good job tho. I fuck with the song. This is dope to me. 4/5

Track 9: The Nana Song (Prod. Danny!)

This beat is dope af. Damn. Has the production really improved as much as I think it has? The first verse was cool. The hook isn’t bad. The last verse was fine I guess. I don’t know. He’s rappin’ about eatin’ pussy. That’s not really something I like hearing about in my music. This song is just alright. If the subject matter was more interesting for me personally I’d like this more. The production is the best aspect of this song for me. It’s decent tho. I just wouldn’t ever wanna hear this again. 3/5

Track 10: Guitar Solo (Prod. Quelle Chris)

This beat is pretty dope. Oh shit. This first verse is crazy. He’s describing the life of a 14 year old boy living in a rough neighborhood. “At night he never dreams ’cause he hardly ever sleeps / Laying in the bed, facing someone else’s feet / So late night he creep; walk around these streets / With the same hoodie on he been wearing for a week.” I loved the first verse, and I didn’t even mind the hook. I usually dislike electric guitar solos, but it didn’t bother me here. I didn’t particularly like it, but it didn’t really hurt the track for me. GodDAMN. This second verse is even more fucked up than the first. He’s painting the picture of a pregnant 14 year old girl in the hood with low self esteem. I definitely fuck with this track. This is dope af. 5/5

Track 11: White Stripes (Prod. Quelle Chris)

This beat is pretty dope. Hahahahaha. “This is not a diss, but your bitch looks like Hurricane Chris.” The first verse was nice. Okay, this shit is REALLY dope. I love the structure of this song. It’s just two dope ass verses with a short break in between. This beat is kinda weird, but the more I listen to it the more I like it. I feel like I could listen to Danny Brown spit every verse from this whole album on this one beat and I would enjoy the whole thing. I don’t even know why. Why is this song called white stripes? Is the beat a sample of a White Stripes song? It kinda sounds like a Rock sample. Oh, The White Stripes are from Detroit. I guess it makes more sense now. Whatever. That shit doesn’t really matter. I don’t even know why, but I REALLY like this one. This is dope af to me. 5/5

Track 12: Juno (Prod. Mosel)

I’m not really feelin’ this beat to be honest. The song is about a single mother struggling to take care of herself and her baby. The hook isn’t doing much for me, and I don’t like the beat. The verses were cool. I like the content, but the actual music isn’t doing it for me sonically. It’s cool tho. I don’t think this is a bad song. I just don’t really like it. It’s not something I’d ever have the desire to return to. It’s alright tho. 3/5

Track 13: Thank God (Prod. Mosel)

I’m kinda surprised by how good this album is so far. I mean, that last song wasn’t really that good to me, but the majority of these tracks are dope. I didn’t think this album would be bad, but I thought it’d be a lot more… I don’t know… Boring I guess. Or average. One of the two. Anyway, this song has a pretty nice beat. The first verse was cool. The hook is alright. The second verse was dope. He’s just describing the desperate situation he’s in as a drug dealer in the hood. “You know we out of place when welfare the only thing that put a smile on her face.” I fuck with this song. I’m not super blown away or anything, but I enjoyed it. This is dope. 4/5

Track 14: Drinks on Me (Prod. Quelle Chris)

This beat is dope af. The first verse was awesome too. I don’t know how to explain it… Lemme see. So, he’s rapping to this girl about how she’s an alcoholic, and he’s pointing out how sad it is, but he’s still exploiting the situation and smashin’ her while she’s drunk at a party. The production and the way he’s rapping makes it sound like he feels guilty tho. This is a pretty sad song. The hook is cool. In the second verse he’s rapping about his mother who was an alcoholic. Damn. This is definitely the saddest, most personal song on the album so far. I definitely fuck with this one. This is dope af to me. 5/5

Track 15: Generation Rx (Prod. 14KT)

This beat is dope. Man. This album is actually REALLY good. Danny’s goin’ in about addiction. “This shit legal, it must be alright then / Nigga, yeah right; this shit even worse / When the doctor wrote prescription your addiction was birthed / Turn your kids to fiends with a drug called Ritalin / This is for my niggas popping Xannies, not remembering.” This kinda reminds me of Prescription by ScHoolboy Q. Oh God… He drops another F bomb in the second verse… It’s pretty bad… “Fags take hormones to grow a set of titties.” The rest of the verse was really good tho. “My granny turned out on them blood pressure pills / And if she don’t pop ’em she might not be here / But is it really helping? Make a nigga shed a tear / I wonder, do they make a pill to take away your fears?” I really like this one. It’s a shame that he dropped that hard F bomb in the second verse. It’s still a great song to me tho. This is dope af. 5/5

Track 16: S.O.S. (Prod. Slopfunkdust)

This beat is pretty good. The first verse was dope. I just listened to the whole song. It’s dope. I don’t really have much to say about it tho. I really liked the smooth production, and the two verses were very good. It doesn’t really stand out that much compared to some of the other tracks on here, but I still like the song. I fuck with this one. This is dope. 4/5

Final Thoughts:

This album is actually really great. Again, I’m a little shocked by how much I enjoyed this project. As I said earlier, I wasn’t expecting it to be bad, but I thought it would be a lot rougher than this. I’m actually having trouble choosing a favorite song tho. He hadn’t started using his signature, over the top vocal style at this point in his career, so I think this would be a good starting point for people who might be a little turned off by his eccentric delivery. Most of the songs on here contain horrific descriptions of Detroit, so if you’re into gritty, gangsta shit I really think this album is worth checking out. Sonically, the album started off a little slow, but it got a lot better for me once I got closer to the middle. I really don’t even have any consistent problems with this album. I would probably complain that 16 tracks is too much music for most albums, but the majority of these songs are less than 3 minutes long, so it isn’t really that bad. I really fuck with this album. It’s dope.

Favorite Song: Nowhere 2 Go

Least Favorite Song: Need Another Drink

Verdict:

82%

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