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#Frank Dukes
nofatclips · 1 year
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La fama by Rosalía featuring The Weeknd - Directed by Julien Christian Lutz
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universalanguage · 11 months
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Past to Present: The Hybrid in Retrospect
In the world of Hip-Hop few and far apart are the seminal voices that shake up traditional styles to birth something new and dynamic. Detroit's Danny Brown is one of those voices, who's managed to win over a cult-like fanbase due to his unique stylings and often strange antics.
With the recent release of his joint album w/ JPEGMAFIA accurately titled "Scaring the Hoes" I couldn't help but harken back to the Danny Brown cuts that initially caught my ear.
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Sometime in late 2010 an acquaintance of mine was playing various new rap cuts in between bits of a writing process to generate our own rhymes. Early in the mix of songs that was something that I had never heard before and it stood out like a sore thumb. The track was "Shooting Moves" from Danny Brown's critically acclaimed debut album "The Hybrid". To clarify, while many see "XXX" as his initial album there is a large swath of folks who remember and revere the former record as their intro.
To be quite honest, at the time I would've considered myself a purist of sorts whose favorite hip-hop records came with a more backpack kind of sound so my initial reaction to Danny was something of disgust. It's truly bizarre that I had an outright distaste for what I was hearing but for some reason or another I couldn't help but revisit that song for about a month wondering why someone would voluntarily listen to it. His voice was shrill at times and often totally out of tune and the beat selection was something otherworldly altogether but I couldn't leave it alone..... and then it clicked.
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To those of you familiar with the Kingsway Sample Library the name Frank Dukes will ring plenty of bells. To those who aren't, just know that Frank is a sort of musical savant who plays and records original samples that have been used by producers such as Jake One, Hit-Boy, Kanye and even the elusive Madlib. Before the unfolding of what's become a brilliant career Frank Dukes was another producer on the rise and many early Danny Brown tunes including "Shooting Moves" featured Frank's inventive brand of sampling and arrangement.
"Shooting Moves" happened to be the tip of a rather bizarre iceberg. Once I managed to wrap my head around the wild sonics and strange flow patterns I was hooked. Soon after I discovered "The Hybrid" which was then and still is one of my personal favorite albums of all-time.
The opener "Greatest Rapper Ever" starts in with a spacey modulated sample and the perfect drum break crafted by none other than Quelle Chris. Danny's starts in immediately with the following lyrics:
My homie a magician with the Tec (Tec) Make your chain disappear and reappear on his neck (Neck) I ain't tricking with your hoes (Nah), but, shit, don't ask 'em (Nah) Only thing I give a bitch: A fucking orgasm (Chyeah) I'll throw you in the river (River), hands tied tight (Tight) Watch your ass drown, feel it in the air tonight (Tonight) I'm spitting that dope shit (Dope), smoking on regulars (Ugh) Writing sixteens like internet child predators (Chyeah)....
To say I was floored is an understatement. Never in my life had I heard something so awe inspiring, it's the kind of reaction that only happens on very rare occasions like when you first heard Kid A by radiohead or something but if I were to put it into a rap nerd perspective is comparable to the kind of feeling I get when I listen to "Ready to Die" by Biggie. Something so viseral yet indescribable that it makes you wanna punch something and cry heavy tears at the same time. I'd wager that I played that track at least ten times before starting in on the rest of the album which was immaculate from track to track.
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Most notable on this release in terms of cadence and approach to rapping is the intermingling of Danny's various vocal tones. Post "XXX" his signature high pitched register is a calling card of sorts but "The Hybrid" is an example of his early attempts at perfecting such a cadence. Albeit biased this is my favorite era of his work for just that reason. Danny was in the up and comer space and as a result was still trying various sounds and deliveries. As a result from track to track the album gives us a wise spectrum with which to engage and paints fine brush strokes with a myriad of colour palettes. Songs like "Greatest Rapper Ever" feature a more brash and confrontational tone that harkens to his background in the ghettos of Detroit while others like the closer "S.O.S." have a more soft and poetic undertone.
A great example of the projects versatility is a track titled "Juno" which I assume is titled after the Elliot Page (formerly Ellen Page) and Michael Cera film. This cut has Brown giving an unadulterated observation of the struggles and disappointments that are birthed as the result of unplanned pregnancy in a poverty ridden landscape. The opening line references Tupac's "Brenda's got a baby" directly paying homage to what might've been the songs direct inspiration but rather than take the more soft and thoughtful tone Danny's delivery embodies the type of frustration and disgust that breeds itself among those in dire straights. It's quite literally the ugly truth in it's purest form and as ugly as it might be it draws you in and keeps you coming back.
Another stand out is "Drinks on Me" features an utterly intoxicating instrumental and has Danny reflecting on the ills of alcoholism through an introspective lens. This track observes the various angles and vantage points that "normalize" alcohol within society and touches the core of the subject matter succinctly. From drinking as a means of celebration to drowning one's sorrows in a bottle of their choosing it's one of those songs that's managed to get me into my feels even when I'm in the best of moods and although counter-intuitive pairs well with a drink.
For those familiar with Danny's work beyond this period, you'll feel right at home with joints like "White Stripes". It's one of the earliest examples of the pitch and delivery we've all come to know so well. The sample is a grungy mix of dirty guitar fuzz and big drums that function like an 80's power ballad. The rapping is something all it's own as the vocal inflections aren't quite as embellished as Brown's subsequent releases. The tone is a great range of vocals from low to medium and higher registers and is a lot more fluid than the years that followed in my own opinion. You can hear the energy of something new being brought forth. It's the kind of thing that happens when someone makes something they know is good but hasn't field tested it to see if the flame will catch. Nonetheless it makes for one of the most memorable and awe inspiring offerings.
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I could wax nostalgic about this album from front to back for ages. it holds a really special place in my heart and in my library and for those who haven't explored it I urge that you do so with urgency and the utmost intent. From Danny's off the wall fashion to his unique and eclectic style of rapping/songwriting much of what the so called modern era syphons from is owed to albums such as this that birthed and inspired so much of what proceeded them.... but don't just take my word for it.
-YOSHI
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edenradio · 1 year
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Me when siblings where one of them dies young and the other is doomed to live a long life
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hehether · 3 months
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PJO x Batfam crossover because I love them to meet someday 🧎‍♂️
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enretrogue · 1 year
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Me reading fanfics about characters in shows/movies I don’t plan on watching anytime soon:
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the-gom-jabbar · 4 months
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Paul: *makes a throwaway comment*
Irulan:
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etchif · 15 days
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some design ideas n concepts
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patosduck · 3 months
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The watcher scares me like if I looked up to the sky and he was there I’d shit myself
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bakastandotsukai · 18 days
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"that movie where Oscar Isaac plays the dad of a soon-to-be messianic figure" which one?
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misschino · 1 month
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Ethan saying "we love u seniors" my whole heart🥺🥺🥺
This makes me cry
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pedroam-bang · 2 months
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Dune (2021)
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random-jot · 5 months
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Little Things I wanna know more about in Hatchetfield:
Pete & Ted’s dad sells women’s shoes. This is the ONLY bit of information we have on the rest of the Spankoffski family
Duke has a cat
Frank has a dog (or had depending on which timeline 😢)
Solomon Lauter made a deal with the Lords In Black
Barry Swift is/was married (timeline dependant)
Barry Swift also called Wiggly his “little boyfriend,” wanted Tom & Becky to “skip to the fucking,” and Paul* & Emma* to “Just kiss already” (Well, Not Paul and Not Emma, but, splitting hairs) — the point is, in every appearance except ‘Daddy’ Barry seems to be, not unlike another Hatchetfield resident, something of a horny bastard 👀
On top of that, Barry was invited to Paul & Emma’s wedding?? (again, splitting hairs)
James’ shopper character from Black Friday. Just, generally, what’s his deal, who is he?
Curt’s plant worker from Black Friday too
And everyone else in the line at ToyZone
In fact every minor character, I need their names and full backstories, stat!
And above all, just WHAT exactly was being protested at the Hatchetfield Kennel???? 🤔
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94mestapa · 6 months
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A good portion of the umich live today!
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lmao remember when Jason died
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jasontoddssuper · 10 months
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The solution to characters of color popularly having their canon personalities erased to make them boring as an excuse to not create actual content of them is not to turn them into,and i quote,'feral gremlins'.Please just treat poc like people oh my gods
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