You’ve got to hand it to Danny Brown: he is nothing if not unpredictable. The rapper’s discography is a wild collection of unhinged ideas and feverish executions, ranging between the nightmarish claustrophobia of 2016’s ‘Atrocity Exhibition’ and the outlandish indulgence of 2023’s collaborative cut ‘SCARING THE HOES.’ If Brown left us any clues as to where he was headed next, it was his feature on Jane Remover’s ‘Psychoboost’ earlier this year— ‘Stardust’ sees the rapper fully embracing hyperpop, lending his unconventional voice to a shockingly upbeat crop of tracks. The results can be a little hit-or-miss, though you can be sure that Brown will have you nodding along nonetheless.

For many listeners, Brown’s bizarre vocal inflections may well have been a turn-off: hell, we’d levy that exact criticism against much of his catalogue ourselves. On ‘Stardust’ though, the rapper surrounds himself with a posse of artists who each bring their own voices to the project, distorted and inhuman as they may be. Indeed, Brown himself settles into the background throughout much of the record, allowing his presence to be felt more through the project’s bold production choices than via his delivery on the mic. ‘Stardust’ fully commits to a frenetic soundscape full of processed vocal layers, racing percussive loops and bright synth blasts, all of which make opener ‘Book of Daniel’ an intriguing outlier in the tracklist. The lush guitar chords that make up the bulk of the cut pair well against Brown’s calm delivery, seeing him pen some of his most optimistic and self-assured material to date: it’s here, as well as on the Quadeca-featuring ‘What You See,’ that we get to catch our breath and enjoy seeing this new, softer side to a figure as eccentric as Danny Brown.

“Don't care about awards, not what I'm doing it for

Believe in yourself, and don't have a care in the world

About what anybody think, can't p*ss what they drink

When the fat lady sings, just know you lived your dreams”

It’s once ‘Book of Daniel' comes to a close that ‘Stardust’ finally reveals its true colours: though the album feels worlds away from something like ‘Atrocity Exhibition,’ the commitment to weird and bizarre song ideas remains in full force. Lead single ‘Starburst’ is all go-go-go, coupling some of Brown’s most aggressive deliveries on the mic with beats on the verge of self-destruction: varied and explosive as it can be, the track feels far more ambitious than its five-minute runtime might suggest. Really, ‘Stardust’ is in its element whenever it can get you moving (and get you moving it shall). ‘Copycats’ feels like the perfect distillation of its genre, bringing one of the mostly annoyingly catchy hooks on the project to the table, as well as a thumping beat that feels nigh-on irresistible. ‘Flowers’ and ‘Lift You Up’ both give us that exact same feeling, showcasing Brown’s penchant for bold, radical production choices that heap energy into songs— even if this is one of his most accessible outings to date, there’s no denying that his fingerprints are all over it.

Highlights that dazzling do have a tendency to overshadow their peers though, and ‘Stardust’ is a prime example of just that: inconsistency is the album’s Achilles’ heel as we ping-pong between the phenomenal and the pedestrian. ‘1999’ is an outlandish experiment that probably wanted a little more time in the lab— the song’s overpowering mix teeters on the edge of winning us over, but never manages to coalesce into much more than a scattered collection of samples and vocal snippets. At times, it feels like the track somehow managed to vacuum up half the energy from the entire album, as where it feels overstuffed, other cuts are left barren. The beats on songs like ‘Baby,’ ‘Whatever The Case’ and ‘Green Light’ feel somewhat underbaked, like Brown forget to unmute several key instruments before sending the record out the door. When its guest features are consistently bringing so much enthusiasm to the project, it’s bizarre to see ‘Stardust’ struggling to meet the same bar— Brown’s latest album is never unlistenable (save for ‘1999,’ which really doesn’t pan out for us), but might leave you feeling cold in some pivotal moments.

The record places the majority of its appeal on those show-stopping beat switches and high-energy hooks, but doesn't end up feeling like a one-trick pony: the reassuring message Brown kicks the project off with persists across ‘Stardust,’ adding food for thought to most of these cuts. Now, it must be said that Angel Emoji's pseudo-philosophical ramblings are more confusing than truly thought-provoking, talking around the topics of nihilism and self-image in a manner only rivalled by the likes of Jordan Peterson. It’s on ‘The End’ that the record really dives into its deeper themes, taking a staggering nine-minute stretch to run through Brown’s entire life. The song is not just a multi-phased collection of some of the strongest percussive blasts and production ideas on the record (though it certainly is that), but a meditative look back for Brown, who’s put together some of the strongest verses of his career here. Coupled with the spacey outro ‘All4U,’ it’s the perfect note to round out the record on, placing the rapper (and his scores of fans) in a satisfying headspace.

“It's never too late to find your place: got to figure out what's your purpose

I know my place in Christ, yeah, safe: I'm thinking about, "is it worth it?”

I seen that light, put up a fight even though them days got dark

Know it's in my sight of what is right and I know I came far”

Danny Brown always seems to be caught in the throes of evolution, yet manages to land on his feet without fail: listening to ‘Stardust,’ you’d be convinced the rapper had always found his home in this style. The record is certainly uneven, as you might expect from a performer as wild and untamed as this— still, there are more highlights than lowlights here, not even mentioning how staggeringly good those highlights can be. Brown has done it again, revealing sides of himself as yet unseen: what his next project will sound like, no-one can say.