MY “ULTIMATE” DANNY BROWN THREAD!
RANKING 18 PROJECTS & 384 SONGS!

@xdannyxbrownx is, as some of you might know, my favorite artist - only Q-Tip & Dilla come close.
So, I decided to do an ultimate thread, ranking EVERY project & song he’s been involved with AFAIK.

100% BIASED!

Disclaimer:

You might notice a surprising lack of 10s for a favorite artist, but I don’t really hand them out. Look at a 7 from me as an 8 for you etc.

First of all, there are a few things I won’t include in the ranking (but do love):

- His “Tesla Mix (Warp 30)” mix
- iFruit Radio
- Danny’s House
- “Reign Supreme” by Bruiser Brigade

Before we start; huge shout-out to Paul White, Black Milk, Oh No, Nick Speed, Frank Dukes, Rustie, brandUn DeShay, Q-Tip, Skywlkr, Quelle Chris & every other legendary producer who’s contributed to the best sound in hip hop!

RANKING ALBUMS
#18

Despite some powerful tracks and good performances from Danny, him & Tony Yayo of G-Unit unfortunately doesn’t compliment each other too well, and dropped a mediocre project with a lack of personality & direction.

#17

Danny’s skill had already been proven by the time he dropped his 3rd instalment in the Detroit State of Mind mixtape series. His performances are strong, but this is the project where he stands out the least personality-wise.

#16

Detroit State of Mind 2 lacks some of the personality shown on DSoM1, but the mixtape doesn’t suffer too much from it. Most, if not all the beats are taken from Dilla’s beat batches, and Danny most definitely does them justice.

#15

With the final instalment of Detroit State of Mind, Danny has truly proven himself as a professional rapper. With guest appearances from other Detroit legends, he drops a grim, but enjoyable mixtape which sounds less homemade.

#14

Almost every track on The Hybrid is dope, and is a great example of how Danny could kill it over ANY type of beat. As a full project it’s not too noteworthy, but as a collection of B-sides it’s way above average.

#13

This remains one of the most unique-sounding records I’ve heard, with incredible production from Paul White, Oh No, Rustie and others. The first half is incredibly strong, but while well done, the other “songs made for festivals” half doesn’t do it for me.

#12

This one is special. The creativity from both Danny & Johnson&Johnson is top tier. Every song with a new idea, and unique vibes. J&J & Danny’s approach together is SO drastically different from the rest though that it's almost like feeling, but not seeing someone’s tipsy.

#11

Arguably Danny’s first major project. Some of his uniqueness seems temporarily abandoned in an attempt to prove himself, but it barely matters, because he totally does.

#10

Rese’vor Dogs! The oldest project I could find from Danny (from 2003?). A group project with Chip$ & Dopehead, all dope AF. I’m surprised this didn’t blow up, despite their sound not standing out too much (at times eve reminding me of Clipse) - because the talent was there!

#9

Danny’s firs solo mixtape! I think.

Man, I love this project. Already from the beginning Danny showed incredible talent, a STRONG personality, and an adventurous and great taste in beats. Its role in history and personal nostalgia DOES help, but this is still sick.

#8

Hot Soup is an essential listen. As Danny explains on the record, the concept’s the sounds themselves, and the production on here (from Nick Speed & likely Quelle Chris) IS extremely noteworthy. But Danny is still able to grab most of the attention, and for the right reasons.

#7

This “Twitch album” w songs not released because of label- and copyright stuff is the only project I’m not confident about placing this high, as I first heard it this year. But MAN, is this thing ENTERTAINING. And there’s a KOЯN cover on here?! Dope behind the scenes-content.

#6

Another Twitch album, this time with more involvement from Bruiser Brigade. Eerie, unique and hard AF, from the most unique voices in hip hop. I don’t really know what else to say.

#5

Out of every mixtape, this is the best one. I wish I could explain why, but it’s really just because of the constant flow of amazing & consistent songs, with some of them already released before.

#4

I guess this is the part where all of you rage quit (if anyone’s even reading).

But I LOVE this record. Everything on here completely pulls you into his mesmerizing & messed up state, in a soundscape unexplored by any rappers or producers. HUGE shout-out to Paul White too!

#3

An EP with producer & rapper Black Milk. Yeah, above AE. Things might be much more surface level here, but to this date I don’t think ANYONE has brought out this level of ENERGY from Danny, before OR after. The production is slick AF too. Blows me away.

#2

Out of every genre, this is likely the album that means, and will mean the most to me, ever. I’ll keep it short and rather recommend you listen for yourself, but this is close to a perfect record, and is what truly started my serious dive into hip hop a decade ago.

#1

Danny’s latest studio album wins.

It takes all the essentials of hip hop, nails it, and soaks it in subtle genius touches that makes for pure gold, but also impossible to describe for me. The record makes it feel as he’s been in the game since the 70s. And fking Q-TIP, man!

384 SONGS RANKED
#384-#300

PLEASE READ:
I’ve included songs that Danny’s only been a guest on too, so you might have to go digging for your favs! I am NOT confident in any placement below #50, but found this fun.

And, do no bother comparing placements here with album ratings.

#299-#200

#199-#100

#99-#1

THE END

If you read through all of this; thank you, and don’t hate too hard.

Ending it with a plug;
HERE’S A DANNY BROWN A CAPELLA OVER ONE OF MY BEATS: https://twitter.com/HarveyGoldMusic/status/1271904325741219842