The Motor City Enigma Rolls the Dice

When I saw the rollout coming with Stardust, I didn’t even need to see a tracklist or features to know Danny was going to be doing something unique. And I wouldn’t want him to do anything less. This album hits many different notes and genres, but Danny keeps things hip-hop at the core, which I appreciate and keeps me hooked into this musical journey.

First of all, if you don’t like experimental sounds and styles with hip-hop, this may not be for you—and I get that. Personally, this is what I like when it comes to experimenting with hip-hop, as opposed to some “unique” underground artists who sound like trash. Danny Brown didn’t bail on his base as a rapper. I’d say he’s rapping his ass off all over this album. It’s really the beats and hooks where everything shines differently.

Book of Daniel opens the album and has a guitar strumming as Danny raps and builds the beat up to a beautiful crescendo. All over this album, Danny gets personal and opens up like he’s always done, but in 2025 he’s got more stories and more life experience than ever before to share. Starburst is a song I mostly avoided before release because I don’t always want to catch singles out of the album’s context. I’m not sure what I’d have thought of Starburst as a single, but I love it in the context of the album. I love how it evolves and what it evolves into.

Copycats is very poppy, and I kind of love it even though I feel like I shouldn’t, ha. Like I said, Danny goes off on each track, and when the raps and the energy are right, I’m into hip-hop spreading its wings. 1999 is kind of the first song I’m slightly less into, but that’s mostly from the beat. Danny and even JOHNNASCUS both did their thing. Flowers and especially Lift You Up are both good songs. Green Light is probably my least favorite song here. Frost Children seems like they are not my style at all, and the whole song just wasn’t for me.

I could go on and on about this and all the different things going on—some high highs and a couple lows, but nothing I can’t get through. If you like the first four songs of this, I think you’ll enjoy the rest of the ride, even if it doesn’t all keep that same energy and high throughout. This album feels like Danny Brown put his all into it, and I hope he gets the acclaim this deserves for what it is and what he aimed for with this album.

Standout Tracks: Book Of Daniel, Starburst, Copycats, Lift You Up & What You See

Album Rating: 👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑 (8/10)