Detroit-based rapper Danny Brown is sober and happier than ever, and it showed during his performance at The Rave in Milwaukee on Saturday.
Toronto-based artist femtanyl opened the night with her unique electronic brand of hardcore that had the crowd as excited for an opening act as I’ve ever seen. She ran up and down across the stage, delivering manic screams to songs like “GIRL HELL 1999” and “P3T” as her DJ threw water into the crowd and lights strobed, a trend for the performances to come.
Next up was underscores, one of many hyperpop artists Danny Brown has collaborated with lately. Her iconic autotuned vocals crooned over electric instrumentals, with a particular standout being “Spoiled little brat,” a fan favorite that the crowd, clearly here just as much for femtanyl and underscores as they were Danny, was excited to hear.
Danny Brown finally emerged from a glowing box in the center of the stage at 9:25 p.m. to the tune of “Starburst” from his most recent album “Stardust”. Silhouetting the stage, he jumped around rapping in his signature wacky style in an unzipped fur coat.
Next was “Flowers,” one of the slowest tracks from the new album. The Milwaukee venue truly lived up to its name with the ensuing “Lift You Up,” a rap song with a club instrumental that had the room entranced.
The stage lighting aptly changed during “Green Light” as Danny’s coat came off, a symbolic falling into recklessness that set up the songs to come.
These songs began with “Lie4,” a song from his breakout project “XXX” that other oldhead Danny Brown fans in the crowd and I were delighted to hear. During the chorus, he would pause his own rapping so we could scream the song's title for him, which we obliged.
After a few other older tracks, he concluded this part of the set with “When It Rain” and “Ain’t It Funny” from his 2016 album “Atrocity Exhibition,” which was produced in what is regarded as the climax of Danny’s drug-fueled years. During the latter, arguably the most damning musical depiction of drug addiction ever made, he performed with far less excitement than he did his newer material, almost falling out of his trademark rapping voice at times.
To lighten the mood, Danny followed with the title track from his joint album with JPEGMAFIA, “Scaring The Hoes,” and a number of songs on which he is a guest, like Jane Remover’s “psychoboost.”
femtanyl and underscores came back on stage for “1l0v3myl1f3!,” “Copycats” and “Baby” to immense fanfare from the crowd. Danny shared heartwarming hugs with each of them as they exited the stage for him to perform his final songs of the night.
For his penultimate song, he played “25 Bucks,” an older track that served as a last introspective look into how far he's come. Then, he spoke to the crowd for the first time, giving a humorous speech on his affinity for the Midwest and Milwaukee that included shout outs for Culver’s cheese curds and local Milwaukee icons like Certified Trapper.
Finally, he expressed his love for his fans and hope for his future, concluding with “All4u,” a song which shares this sentiment. Despite demand for an encore, this would be his final song of the night, which felt fitting. He encapsulated his struggles, his adversity, his love for his craft, his experimentation, his genuineness and his positivity all in one show. It simply had to end on a hopeful note. As a fan, I couldn’t help but be proud.
