SXSW: Danny Brown invited JPEGMAFIA and Hannibal Burress to his Dr. Martens party

The underground hip-hop success of Danny Brown is something of an enigma. The Detroit native and now Austin-based emcee, has released numerous bodies of work that all make up his cohesive, ever-developing trajectory of work as an artist. With a seminal day-time appearance at the 2023 edition of South By Southwest (SXSW), Danny Brown delivered a set that made a statement for what the artist has planned for the future.

For the uninitiated, Brown is a rapper who has been shattering the boundaries of modern hip-hop for several years now. With blogosphere sensations such as Atrocity Exhibition, XXX, and Old under the hip-hop phenomenon’s belt, Danny Brown has made a name for himself through the festival circuit and word-of-mouth.

For the Collide Magazine / Dr. Martens day party on Rainey Street’s Clive Bar, Brown was set to play a 6 p.m. set inside a venue that housed not nearly enough that his cult following has garnered. Lines were eternally long for badge and badge-less alike to enter the venue. Aside from a fabled VIP line, the process of seeing Danny Brown play a SXSW day show was proving to be a daunting order. Folks were finally allowed in, free to buy $7 beers and bask in the underground hip-hop glory of Danny Brown.

The popular emcee took the stage at 6:02 pm, just two minutes after the stated start time. Diehard underground fans were instantly revealed as the front-and-center audience section started cheering and hollering for the long-awaited set from the experimental hip-hop powerhouse. The energy in the air had been ambiguous until Brown took the stage. Still, when rap underground star launched into a tune from his cult classic XXX album Die Like A Rockstar, the crowd went into a total frenzy to sing along to the song from what many consider Brown’s magnum opus.

Brown discussed his upcoming album early in the set with fellow experimental rapper JPEGMAFIA. As the Brooklyn artist was mentioned, JPEG appeared onstage with Brown. It was a surprise guest appearance. The crowd lost their minds. Then, the pair delivered an incendiary performance of the upcoming album’s first single, Lean Beef Patty. A mosh pit broke out instantly, and the pair of rappers rejoiced with running-all-over-the-stage antics. This was a modern hip-hop match made in heaven, and the only people who witnessed it were the people that waited in line all afternoon. JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown’s new album is titled Scaring The Hoes, Vol. 1, and will be released next Friday, March 24. 

When JPEGMAFIA left the stage to thunderous applause, Eshu Tune, aka Hannibal Buress, appeared onstage to join Brown in a rendition of the Eshu Tune track Veneers. Having caught Buress earlier that day at Austin’s beloved venue Empire Garage, this was another welcome surprise. The pair went together perfectly, sometimes even rapping side-by-side for a mesmerizing production of two artists that are undeniable masters of their craft. 

Brown pulled the bulk of the set together with other fan-favorites such as Ain’t It Funny, When It Rain, and even songs from Brown’s 2013 album Old, including Dip and Smolkin’ and Drinkin were included in the set list. Since all of the records that Danny Brown sculpts his set list from are critically all acclaimed, the performance felt like a colossally demented singalong, a lot due to the abrasive nature of the rapper’s lyrics. 

Towards the set’s end, Brown told the crowd that he was going to rehab in the coming weeks, a statement he shared on his podcast just a week before the performance. “I’m going to get some help….but I’m still broke, so I still have to do shows,” the hip-hop legend said. As prolific as Brown is in the hip-hop world, the rapper’s sentiment about trying to get better was met with warmth and encouragement by fans.

Since it was Brown’s 42nd birthday, the rapper’s hip-hop collective, Bruiser Brigade, joined him onstage at the end of the set along with Hannibal Buress and JPEGMAFIA to deliver him a cake and candles for the occasion. The audience joined in singing Happy Birthday to Brown, and the energy in the room was ecstatic. The audience’s cheers were loud, Danny’s smile was big, and the whole affair felt like a moment in time for the now-Austin–based artist. “I’m not leaving,” Brown said mid-set. Since Brown lives in Texas now, we can only hope these intimate performances become more frequent.

All photos Case Cockrell. 
Video content courtesy of YouTube. 

Please follow and like us: