Danny Brown has become a legend in the game, an auteur with one of the most consistent catalogs in the game. No stranger to critical acclaim nor creative reinvention, the experimental Detroit rapper has enjoyed quite the journey throughout his career. With his new album 40 on the way, Brown took a moment to speak with Andrew Barber on The Coda Collection, where they discussed several interesting subjects.
"That was the time when you'd go to a label and they'd be like 'I love the music but you don't have the look," says Danny, reflecting on his unsigned days with a laugh. "I had a busted up grill, teeth missing, nappy-ass braids. Look malnutrition. That was when 50 had the muscles, everyone had their shirts off. Rap was different. You had to look a certain way and I didn't look the part."
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Despite the emphasis on image permeating the industry, Danny's talent eventually caught the ear of Tony Yayo, as they shared a recording engineer. "I was with Yayo for about a year," says Danny, pointing to his oft-forgotten Hawaiian Snow as a result of their partnership. "I had a great time and learned a lot around him. Shout out to that whole crew, Fif and G-Unit."
Given the connection, Barber asks if 50 ever tried to sign him. "50 was down with signing me but now I’m already set into my look," reveals Danny. "So this is when I’m wearing the skinny jeans and thrift store clothes and shit like that. So he like “no you need to look non-approachable, you need to look mean, you need to wear big jeans and shit. "I wasn’t with that shit so 50’s like fu*k that shit.”
While it would have certainly been interesting to see how Danny Brown might have fared in the G-Unit camp, we're more than happy with the way things turned out. Check out Danny's conversation with Andrew Barber below, and look for his upcoming album 40 -- a project that calls back to the days of XXX.