Album Review – “Atrocity Exhibition”

Album Review - Atrocity Exhibition

Detroit rapper Danny Brown’s fourth studio album, Atrocity Exhibition, is haunting, introspective, and inventive.  It released September 26th, and has been met with rave reviews.  In this album, Brown paints a brutally honest picture of his life, filled with depression and addiction.  The intense and experimental production, while still balanced, makes this album distinctive.  In a time of extremely fine tuned and expansive instrumentals, the more minimalist production on this album puts a focus on the rapping that many old school hip hop heads will appreciate.  That is in no way to say that the beats are boring or forgettable.  Just like the dark subject matter of the lyrics, the beats manage to remain ominous and always interesting while still being subtle enough to let the rapping shine.  According to Keilani Williams, ‘17, “I have only listened to half of it, but it was really good.  Danny never disappoints.”  One of the standout tracks from the album, “Really Doe”, features Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, and Earl Sweatshirt.  Under a sparse beat fueled mainly by bells and a snare drum, these four rappers each seem on top of their games as they share some intense bars.  Another impressive track, “Ain’t It Funny,” features a beat with a lo-fi repeating vocal motif that almost seems like it comes from a late night infomercial or old radio show.  Brown has some of his best lines of the album on this song, and the track’s focus on Brown’s journey through his career frames the concept of the album nicely.  The second verse starts with the lines, “I can sell honey to a bee/In the fall time make trees take back their leaves/octopus in a straight jacket/savage with bad habits/Broke serving fiends/Got rich became an addict.”  This brief excerpt shows how Brown focuses on his transition from a poor, unknown drug dealer to a rich, famous addict, and the troubles this has brought.   It has been well received among the student body of Whitney Young.  Jack Fahey, ‘18, says, “Atrocity Exhibition creates a new vibe for the hip hop world and is big for experimental rap.”  Graham Burleigh, ‘18, says, “I haven’t actually listened to it much yet but I’ve heard it was really good.” The album might be slightly hard for people who do not normally listen to rap to get into, due to the lack of catchy hooks and density of the lines, but if they give it a chance the sheer quality of the music will likely turn them into fans.  This daring and innovative album was a great addition to 2016’s music catalog, and will make listeners both curious and hopeful as to what the future of rap will hold.