It's been 28 months since Danny Brown released his last album Old. Like Brown, the album has aged well. But his fans are getting impatient. We've heard about Old Danny Brown. Where is the NEW Danny Brown?
In music, it's easier to imitate than innovate. Brown is an innovator by nature of his singular personality -- his vivid imagination, keen humor, punk aesthetic -- and hip hop stands to benefit from Brown dropping new material sooner rather than later.
Click through the galleries to see what Danny Brown has been up to the last couple years.
Tours
Brown spent the first half of 2014 on the road. He kicked off the year with 14-date European Tour with Vic Mensa, then dove immediately into his 30-date "Old Danny Brown" United States tour. In June, he whipped around a golf cart with Hannibal Buress at Bonnaroo. In July, he opened for Eminem & Dr. Dre at Wembley Stadium and brought out A$AP Rocky for "1Train." (Brown would later return the favor at Yams Day 2016.) In fall 2015, he joined A$AP Rocky & Tyler, the Creator as an opening act on the "Rocky & Tyler" tour.
These tours don't include shorter excursions to places like Australia. Brown traveled to Australia on three separate occasions in 2014. He lost his phone while partying at Bondi Beach on New Year's Eve.
It seems that the Aussies can't get enough of Old Danny Brown. He will be returning to The Land Down Under for another mini-tour this spring.
Where the fuck imma watch the Super Bowl in Sydney, Australia??? .. Got me hot coming on at 10:30am
Chilling in Australia ... Lol like a broke lyrical rapper should be 😭😭😭😭😭
Headed to Australia to ring in the new year!!!!!!!!!! Come party wit the Bruh Bruh!!!!! ... So excited this is about to be crazy!!!
Headed to Australia .. Hopefully I find a big booty white girl to write raps for ... I'm jugging bruh bruh Hahahaha 😝
I have to be the king of losing iPhones ... Lost 2 6 pluses now I just lost my 6 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
I tracked it down its in Bondi Beach bout to be over there pressing fools lol ... I give up on cell phones I'm to irresponsible
Dr. Seuss-inspired children's book
During an interview in early 2014, Brown revealed that he has been working on a "Dr. Seuss-y" children's book
“It’s really about self-esteem in black girls,” he said. “You know how black women do so much like process their hair, change their eye color. It’s really about a little girl who does all these things to herself and changes herself and she realizes she’s just better off the way she is. It's something for my daughter too."
While we're on the topic of random side-projects, Brown has done a bit of voice acting, portraying a Rastafarian/psychedelic voyager named Jumanji on the animated FOX Show "Lucas Bros Moving Co."
“I’m from a magical land,” Jumanji says. “Where there’s nothing but white sand and beautiful blonde girls with tans.”
Musical collabs
Danny Brown has released a smattering of songs over the course of the last two years, mostly as a featured artist. His best known song from this period is probably Rustie's "Attak." See the complete list below and check out a few select cuts in bold.
2013 (Post-'Old')
2014
2015
2016
Quality time with his cats
Danny Brown used to only have one cat, a tabby named Siren. Then, their family grew by one when Chie joined the fold about a year ago. Brown is very fond of his cats and regularly documents their activities on Instagram.
About that next album...
And now for the question everybody is asking: when is Danny Brown going to release his next project?
In October 2014, a year after he released Old, Brown told the Huffington Post that he "just got to back up on this next album."
In Jan 2015, he mentioned that he was in "the early stages" of the album. "[I've] pretty much just working with the same producers I always work with, Paul White and Skywalker," he said. "I went to LA and worked with Alchemist for like a week. I think there's one [song] that's gonna stick."
After a long year on the road, Brown was spending most of his time in his new house in rural Michigan, where had just installed a home studio. "I got a studio in my house now so I’ll just wake up, stretch, record whenever I want," he said. "I've been recording like a maniac."
Recording like a maniac. That was 13 months ago. Last month, a fan wondered aloud on Twitter if Brown would be releasing a new project soon. Brown replied, "Nah."
Despite this discouraging answer, we are optimistic that Brown will release new music in 2016 that will set the hip hop world aflame, for those who care to listen.