On the cover of Danny Brown’s new album, “Stardust,” the rapper’s face appears in shadow, but his well-defined abs are clearly visible. Is the 44-year-old excited to show off the results of his hard work at the gym? “Totally, totally,” he said.
In 2023, Brown entered rehab, and he’s eager to discuss sobriety’s positive impact on his physical and mental health, his relationships and his artmaking process. Brown is a Detroit native with a classicist’s appreciation for language, but an ear for beats that are anything but traditional. Years ago he heard the glitchy sounds of 100 gecs and thought that he could rap over that, or something like it, and began to explore the experimental pop scene.
His collaborators on his sixth album — including the genre-resistant New Jersey radical Jane Remover, the sibling duo Frost Children and the alt-rock-adjacent artist Underscores — have little history of working with a rapper like Brown. They all joined a group chat where he would share Dropbox links to in-progress material. His only prompt: “What would you want a Danny Brown song to sound like in the mix of these?”
Opening up his art project to the energy of others dovetails with a recent lesson from a book Brown is reading, about calming your ego. Over the phone, he discussed his new habits and cultural passions that keep him grounded. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
Meditation
In rehab we had a meditation class. It was something that calmed me and got me out of my head. Once I stopped looking at it as a way to help me with a problem and looked at it as an everyday, normal thing, like breathing or eating, it started to work for me: I should clear my thoughts every morning and start fresh.
Coffee
As you age, your energy goes down, and when I turned 40 I got into coffee. I’m not a snob — I drink cheap black coffee. I wake up at 5 or 6 a.m., then I journal and I go to the gym, and I drink coffee until 10 a.m. Then it’s water time.
‘The Artist’s Way’ by Julia Cameron
My favorite band is the Bobby Lees and I was listening to an interview with the lead singer, Sam Quartin, and she was saying that she found “The Artist’s Way.” I picked the book up and started doing the exercises. Writing every day became a part of my morning routine, and I do it so fast and write so nasty I could never read it back.
Working Out
I’ve always wanted to be in shape because of the clothes I like to wear, but I never understood the dieting part. I’ve just now grasped the concept of macros. When I started, I couldn’t do a pull-up to save my life, and now I can do 10 or 15 straight. Kids go outside and play, but as adults, we don’t play. Going to the gym is playing.
Hermès Sandals
Going to the gym, I discovered that I have real weak feet. You’re not supposed to wear basketball sneakers every day; I had basketball feet, toes all bunched up. One of my trainers said I should get toe shoes and I should wear a lot of sandals, too. Now I have an addiction to Hermès sandals.
Pedicures
I was always ashamed of having my feet out in public. And about 10 years ago I started taking care of my nails, and I really love it.
The Power of Love
I met my fiancée at SXSW about 10 years ago. I’ve been in relationships before, but I never had someone who pushed me so hard to be a better person. She’s seen things in me that I didn’t see in myself. Getting sober, I give her all the credit for that. That’s the power of love. I know that sounds corny.
Dogs
I was the cat guy for the longest, but you know how cats are: I would leave for tour, come back and have to get to know my cats again. They would act like they ain’t like me, scratch me, hate me. But with my dogs, I never felt this kind of love.
Cologne
I love Mind Games, Double Attack. I don’t get really too mad when I see someone wearing the same clothing as me, but yesterday I smelled someone wearing Double Attack. Maybe I’m bougie with my scents, but I’m wearing Byredo today.
‘Prometheus Rising’ by Robert Anton Wilson
In rehab they watch a lot of movies, but I’m not so big into that. I would just go to my room and read a book. And being on the internet, my brain has gotten worse — I would read whole chapters and not retain any of the knowledge. I had to train my brain to get engaged. I’m into reading spirituality and self-help. Right now I’m reading “Prometheus Rising” by Robert Anton Wilson. It’s some “breaking the Matrix” type of thing. It will alter the way you look at your life.
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