We Found Out What Danny Brown Is Up To In 2014

Danny Brown is a busy man these days. After wrapping up an extensive European tour, the Detroit native is jetted to Austin, TX to attend the SXSW festivities. To be more exact, Mr. Brown will headline the Saturday leg the Red Bull Sound Select Presents 4 Days in Austin fest. We had the opportunity to chat it up with him while in Austin and checked on his plans for 2014.

You just wrapped up a European tour, you spent some time out there last summer too. What was it like going back after the success of OLD?
It was definitely a lot more intense, I would say that. I for sure gained a lot more fans out there. I don’t know, I think I’m actually bigger over there than in America to be honest. It’s just a lot more intense, I’m not used to that type of attention. It was tight. London is like one of my biggest markets, so every time I’m over there it’s crazy. I really think it’s the fact people just really fuck with the music over there you know? In America, something could be crackin’ and mothafuckers will just go to it because they know it’s crackin’ or be bitches there or whatever you know what I’m sayin’? It’s a whole culture thing, people out there if they don’t like the music they’re not going to the show.

I noticed you and Action Bronson had just mentioned needing to collaborate over Twitter, can we expect anything there?
For sure, that’s my brother! I’m working on the Bruiser Brigade project now and I for sure got a song that I want him on that he’d be perfect on. It’s funny that you said that, because we were listening to that shit last night like ‘He’d be right for this shit’ and then he said that shit today. We put it in the air and it came back you know?

Who else do you plan working with in terms of producers and artists this year?
Pretty much just a lot of in-house. Just trying to build my thing, more so than go out to other people. Focusing on people in my camp, the Bruiser Brigade right now.

You’ve showed a few people around Detroit during interviews in the last few years, is there anywhere that you haven’t got to show off yet that you want people to know about?
I mean I just want people to know it’s not all bad. Every time people come and want me to show them around, they want me to take them to the hood and show them the bad parts. I always try to tell them as bad as the shit is, everywhere can get bad. You can still live here and be good and not get into those troubles. So I always try to show them the good parts, like midtown and corktown, but they never want to go over there, they just want to go to the block.

What’s on your playlist right now?
Right now? I mean I love that new St. Vincent album, but I’ve been getting more into that more traditional hip-hop I would say. I’ve been going back and listening to a lot of old stuff, I’ve been listening De La Soul and a lot of Prince Paul stuff. Recently I’ve gotten into a lot of Kevin Gates, Starlito and Freddie Gibbs, just traditional real rappers not too much of extra gucci glamor. But yeah, Kevin Gates, Starlito and Don Trip too, I’ve been listening to them a lot.

I feel that matches the ‘Old Danny Brown’ style.
Yes this is true, this is true. Starlito is one of my favorite lyricists right now, I think he’s so underrated it’s a shame.

Just to wrap up, what’s your main goal going forward for the rest of the year.
Right now just getting my whole Bruiser thing going right now, that’s really my number one thing. About to put out the mixtape in a few, hopefully this month – it’s got to be this month. Then I’m taking them on the road with me, so they’ll be on the road get to see what it’s like and then when we get back we should be wrapping up this album. I was wondering on the Bruiser Brigade album before I started working on Old so I’ve been working on this for years and am just ready to wrap it up.

Interview: Eric Montanez