Review and Photography by Robert Barrett

With Danny Brown you never know what to expect. With every release he’s consistently pushed the bar, challenged himself and listeners all whilst creating some of the best hip hop of the last 15 years.

With latest record “Quaranta” Danny has taken a more sombre and reflective tone, you might expect the same from his shows, but in classic Danny style he still delivers an electric madcap set at the O2 Ritz.

Dressed like an extra from the matrix in a long leather trenchcoat Danny kicked into the opening tracks of his latest effort “Quaranta”. Dannys older and wiser vocals cutting through the smoke, lyrics reflecting on growing older and looking back.

“I know you want that old shissss” joked Danny before kicking into “Monopoly”, its beat as hard hitting as the day it dropped. The energy continued to rise as Danny took us on a tour of the most explosive songs of his back catelog, from tracks from breakout “XXX” and its half EDM inspired follow-up “Old”.

The biggest crowd reaction came from the verses hey played from recent JPEGMAFIA collab album “Scaring the Hsssssss”, every track causing the mosh pit to double in size with bodies flying everywhere.

I used to be able to jump around with y’all all night, I’m too old for it now” he said before his iconic cackle. That didn’t stop him turning the energy up to breaking point for the encore of “Side B (Dope Song” and his collab with Rustie “Attak”.

A sweaty end to the show, a gig that proved Danny is still a force to be reckoned within Hip Hop.