While Old often seems like a hip-hop kaleidoscope exploding across the speakers, it's also crafted and paced, split down the middle like a great LP with a sure start and a freeing finish.

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100

Sputnikmusic

Even though the emphasis of the record is on its expansive production, the lyrics are more telling than they’ve ever been. While each song has a solid musical backbone, it’s Brown’s narratives that make the most profound impact, and move the album forward.

What makes Old great is its refusal to be one coherent statement. The album is as messy and wild as Danny Brown’s life.

More than ever, Old allows even passive listeners to care about what Brown is saying, to form a bond with him and to trust there is more of interest to him than women and drugs.

In his berserk originality, writerly flair, emotional impact, and old-fashioned craft, Danny Brown belongs in any conversation about the best rappers working, and he's at the top of his game here.

The popular perception of Danny Brown as a particularly lewd-yet-talented harlequin, one who banters about absurd rap tropes indicative of a healthy respect for the hoary even as he transcends it, fails to take into account his most important asset, the one Old makes abundantly clear; his acute understanding of the environment such bromides are born from.

Old, from its quirky beat selection to its more classic hip-hop moments leaves the listener more than happy but steeped with a sense of jealousy.

Brown's nu-skool genius is out in force here on his third album. The record's producers take their cues from his truly singular flow – a terse, hectoring blend of squawking cocaine mania and ghoulish, punk gruffness – and respond in kind with an album of unprecedented production styles.

Old is XXX without that fun first half. It isn't traditionally enjoyable, and it isn't supposed to be. But for Danny Brown, the pill-popping, pussy-eating squawk-box, it's the most daring record he could've made.

With Old, Brown has bettered XXX by putting in the same kind of hard graft that has given him the edge on his endless run of tours. It’s an album that feels measured and well timed and yet avoids sounding over-polished or awkwardly stage-managed.

Old is so successful because it reflects Danny Brown the person, Danny Brown the persona, and Danny Brown the artist.

Old consistently offers up words and music that, while certainly extremely enjoyable on the most basic aural terms, also holds up to deeper dissection and analysis.

Simultaneously targeting fanatics who believe Danny Brown can do no wrong and traditionalist skeptics who show up for highlights like the Oh No produced “Red 2 Go,” Old requires the patience and empathy one would lend to a friend suffering from a bipolar disorder.

The protean image we get of Brown, instead, is at its best when the complications of identity clash with complications of sound and fit into fascinatingly confining structures.

It's an album that mirrors the Detroit native's constant cycle of drug-fueled partying and remorse that was introduced on 2011's XXX. The major difference this time around being heavier instrumentals and Danny's split personalities feeling even more at odds.

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LepardRyan

Y'all sleep on this cuz fantano told you to like the purple album instead smh

WhatTheFunk

Rap has always made room for eccentrics - from Ol' Dirty Bastard to Busta Rhymes. Now, we have Danny Brown, the legendary crazy rapper with one of the most amazing discography in the game.

Danny Brown is a funny guy. In 2013, he was 32 years old -barely four years younger than Kanye West- he was regularly mentioned among the new generation of rappers 2.0, among "kids" who often barely exceeded 20 years of age.

Daniel Dewan Sewell was born in Detroit in 1981. His mother was 17 years ... read more

2y*

GelatoM0

[78.05] Danny Brown rapping about people wanting, the old Danny Brown. I see Danny on OLD as a hip/hop artist making a hip/hop record, XXX felt like ____ making a hip/hop record if that means anything to anyone else. I like the sound of Danny, the scores here actually more subjective than praise for creativity. XXX will def get another listen cause of this experience on this one, cause most say the previous is better I'm pretty sure cause of the experimentation that is lacking here compared to ... read more

7mo

Plats

"OLD" isn't nearly as good as his more experimental works and Side B suffers from the club banger cliches of 2013, but it's still a very fun, energetic record with great verses from Danny and some of his best bangers yet. It's also a great segway into his next record.

Fav Tracks: 25 Bucks, Lonely, Old, Float On, The Return, Smokin & Drinkin, Dope Song, Dope Fiend Rental, Torture, Clean Up

Least Fav Track: Break It [Go]

Score:
7.9
Very Good

2y*

swifty30

too many songs imo but i loved the features
a bunch of really really good songs charli and freddie had great chemistry with him
and it was interesting to hear how he sounded on here compared to atrocity exhibition later

[TOP 3]
- Float On (feat. Charli XCX) -
- Kush Coma (feat. A$AP Rocky, Zelooperz) -
- 25 Bucks (feat. Purity Ring) -

1mo

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Track List

1	Side A (Old) 2:23	82
2	The Return 3:10 feat. Freddie Gibbs	80
3	25 Bucks 3:30 feat. Purity Ring	62
4	Wonderbread 1:58	69
5	Gremlins 2:05	54
6	Dope Fiend Rental 2:55 feat. Schoolboy Q	78
7	Torture 3:46	66
8	Lonely 2:19	60
9	Clean Up 3:01	70
10	Red 2 Go 3:18	76
11	Side B (Dope Song) 2:36	54
12	Dubstep 2:16 feat. Scrufizzer	63
13	Dip 3:31	53
14	Smokin & Drinkin 2:53	66
15	Break It (Go) 3:12	56
16	Handstand 2:55	32
17	Way Up Here 2:36 feat. Ab-Soul	34
18	Kush Coma 4:41 feat. A$AP Rocky, ZelooperZ	67
19	Float On 3:31 feat. Charli XCX	55