Danny Brown

Danny Brown is a Detroit MC who embraced his unique hood/hipster personality, took full advantage of social media, and — fueled by his experiences with drug dealing and drug taking, as well as a wicked sense of humor — delivered some of the most vivid and side-splitting rhymes of his era. Brown (real last name: Sewell) surfaced during the mid-2000s as a member of Reser’vor Dogs. The group advanced far enough to get the attention of the Roc-A-Fella label; a deal was not struck, but an A&R rep assisted Brown with the recording and release of a mixtape, Detroit State of Mind. New York recording sessions placed him in the company of several contemporaries, including G-Unit's Tony Yayo. In 2010, Yayo and Brown released Hawaiian Snow, while Brown also released The Hybrid, among other mixtapes, such as additional volumes of the Detroit State of Mind series. While it was rumored that Brown would be signing to G-Unit, label head 50 Cent allegedly balked due to the rapper’s fashion sense (including a preference for skinny jeans). Brown eventually linked with the Fool’s Gold label, where he issued XXX, his highest-profile mixtape to that point.