Welcome to another week of “Split Record Review,” where two writers give their takes on an album. In the spirit of a recent Danny Brown release, the deluxe version of “Quaranta” from last year, let’s glance at an interesting point in his discography, his 2013 album “Old.” If you can get down with his style of over-the-top and often vulgar rap, most of his music is acclaimed across the board — not this record, though. It’s the career equivalent of Tyler, the Creator’s “Cherry Bomb,” an album equally praised and criticized for its moments of genius and missteps, but that’s for another week, so what do Henry and James have to say about “Old?”
Henry’s Review:
This might be one of the stranger records we’ve covered on “Split Record Review.” There certainly are parts of this record that I didn’t enjoy, but as a whole, I had fun listening to “Old.” I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I found myself, given the discourse surrounding this album, but there weren’t many points that left me scratching my head.
I’ve always admired what Danny Brown was doing in the rap scene; however, I can’t say I ever really got into his work until “Scaring the Hoes.” That record in particular made me realize how much I had been sleeping on him. I had heard “XXX” and a few other singles, but I never considered myself a Danny Brown fan until just last year.
I went into “Old” with a feeling of nervous excitement, not really knowing what to expect. Overall, I see both sides of the argument. Parts have undoubtedly aged poorly, but other parts showcase Brown’s evolution as an artist.
Side A had better songs. In fact, I was really enjoying the record up until side B. The sudden switch to a harder, club-oriented sound was an unexpected change, and didn’t really work all that well. Brown’s lyrics and delivery lend themselves to the energetic vibe, however it’s unbelievably corny.
“Side A [Old]” is an excellent opener, featuring an infectious sample and one of Brown’s best flows on the entire record. “The Return” carried the energy, with a fantastic feature from Freddie Gibbs. The pleasant surprise from the first two tracks soured somewhat with “25 Bucks.” The reverb-drenched club sound almost gave me whiplash. Brown’s flow didn’t interest me as much as the first two tracks, and the Purity Ring feature was alright, but didn’t sound quite right over the beat. If this song hadn’t been done in an over-the-top EDM style, it could’ve really worked.
“Wonderbread” was another highlight. Truth be told, I’m a sucker for wonky beats like this one. The rest of side A was full of infectious samples and brash, yet humorous and clever bars from Brown. The feature from ScHoolboy Q on “Dope Fiend Rental” was a highlight for me, that track did the overly flashy high-energy sound right. If Side B had the same energy, I really wouldn’t have had as much of an issue with this record.
Side B kicks off with “Side B [Dope Song],” and was the first sign that the acrimony associated with this record might be a little deserved. Overall, Side B featured dated beat after dated beat, and not even an A$AP Rocky feature could save it. Credit where credit is due, Brown’s wild personality shines through on some tracks, like “Dip.” I see why many might enjoy this record, however I just couldn’t get into it as much as Side A.
The album’s closer has an interesting feature from Charli XCX, and is probably my favorite part of Side B, being more mellow and laid back than everything else on the album. It was the best way to close the record, and quite the diamond in the rough.
As a whole, “Old” has its strengths, but Side B dragged the whole thing down. The cheesy club beats were far too goofy to legitimately enjoy, although there were some funny bars here and there from Brown and company.
Rating: 2.5/5
James’ Review:
My focus with this review will be on this album’s second side, but I will compliment areas deserving of praise from the first side. The beat on “The Return” with Freddie Gibbs, who obviously cooks, combines woodwinds and sitar, along with bloops and bleeps to make for a unique track. “Wonderbread” is memorable for even more woodwinds and an interesting rhyme scheme from Danny, while “Gremlins” must be a B-side from his previous album “XXX” (which is a good thing). “Torture” is an introspective cut about growing up in Detroit produced by Oh No, a curator of the “Grand Theft Auto V” soundtrack and brother of Madlib. “Red 2 Go” is a skittery and fitting segue into the up-tempo second side, which is unfortunately where the problems arise.
My biggest gripe with this album, ironically enough, is many of its songs sound old. There are tunes from almost 100 years ago that I can get down with; yet, something about the dubstep beats behind Danny Brown’s manic voice is like oil and water. The issues start arising on Side B of this record, noted by track 11, “Side B (Dope Song).” The first 20 to 30 seconds are promising until the song’s beat comes in and Danny proclaims, “31 years old so I done been through all that dizzirt.” A lackluster chorus that repeats the song’s title and voice changers that he especially doesn’t need to be paired with his high-pitched delivery all signal a steep decline for the album’s second half.
While the lyrical content of “Dubstep” is mostly a play on the term, referencing weed when he says, “I had them dubs on the step,” the woozy and washy beat doesn’t reflect the outdated genre. The classic clap sounds, hi-hats and cowbell also don’t work on this song which fails to go anywhere, and neither does the verse by Scrufizzer, who drops the questionable “I’m a Mac Miller, spittin’ A$AP Rocky.” You can tell what he’s trying to say, but it just doesn’t stick the landing. The agonizing repetition on “Dip” includes multiple 15-second blocks where a digitally altered voice rehashes “Dip, I dip, you dip.” Danny promotes the club lifestyle, yet I really can’t see this going hard in such a setting because people will think they’re having a bad trip when stuck in the time loop of “dipping.”
“Smokin & Drinkin” is a little more tolerable than the previous tracks, likely due to the production by the legendary A-Trak, though “Break It (Go)” actually still slaps in 2024. After Danny says, “she go in and make that booty go,” clap sounds follow; it’s a clever production choice that recurs throughout the song. The bass embellishments and distant yelps on “Handstand” work well as Danny continues to bring the energy. I would argue there’s a bit too much bass on “Way Up Here,” which features Ab-Soul; him and this beat are like a puzzle piece that doesn’t fit, too.
You would think the album’s best track is “Kush Coma” featuring the aforementioned A$AP Rocky and ZelooperZ, but the latter’s chorus with a vocoded voice is terrible, ruining the song for me. Rocky’s output from this time sounds dated at this point, yet this song as a whole takes the cake for a song that should be sealed in a time capsule and forgotten about. The album’s actual best song is “Float On” with a young Charli XCX. The brat sounds angelic when paired with Frank Dukes and BadBadNotGood production, while Danny matches the sublime vibe with a toned-down delivery.
As with “TA13OO” by Denzel Curry, the separation between the separate sides on “Old” aren’t too far apart from each other but there’s plenty of material on here that would put this album in the same league as “XXX” or “Atrocity Exhibition.” As a whole, however, that’s not how I and many others feel about this album.
Rating: 3/5