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Album Review: Not only is Danny Swain’s Payback! pretty amazing, it’s what got me hired at Prefix Magazine.
So I’m kinda indebted to Danny Swain right now, on several levels. Not only has Danny managed to release one of my favorite Hip Hop albums of this year (and let me preview it a week before it was even out), it was the inspiration I found from Danny’s awesome that made me get up and write again after a long break… and also helped me land a spot at the kickass Prefix Magazine. I submitted this review to Prefix when I applied, and they actually loved it. I’m actually shocked, but I’m not going to question this epic victory. What I will do is post the review for you to read, strongly encourage you to listen to, then BUY Danny’s album while I go write my ass of some more for Prefix before they change their mind about me.
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Despite the impressive back catalog, intriguing back story and various internet hypes, Danny Swain has flown fairly low on the hip hop producer radar; though not by choice or lack of hard work. 9 years and 10 albums into his career, Danny! has seen major musical collaborations and interest from a myriad of music labels, although nothing manifested into the long term deal he was searching for. Regardless of the industry setbacks and true to his love of hip hop, this self-produced rapper continued to amass a diverse discography of solid tracks backed by a lyrically cohesive and comical dry wit rarely seen in hip hop. With the release of Payback! and his move to Okayplayer Records, fans will finally have a chance to hear the oft-delayed, long awaited album for themselves.
The re-release of Where Is Danny? project in 2011 with Interscope was a solid musical venture, signaling great progression in his career. However, it wasn’t until Swain found his upcoming Payback! project being pushed back by his new label — and the record at the center of an album review plagiarism scandal – that people started paying attention to Danny! as a whole; music fans finally taking heed of an album/artist that already had a fair amount of buzz. As a result of the rabble rousing and scrutiny surrounding the album, the project found its way to Ahmir ’Questlove’ Thompson, who happened to be in the process of relaunching his own music label and searching for talent. Opportunity presented itself, and after quietly exiting from Interscope, Danny signed to the newly revamped Okayplayer records, completed album mastering with Questlove, received musical endorcement from Jay-Z, and obtained a solid release date on Payback! after a 9 month delay.
Despite the hold-ups and delays, the extra time and tutelage under Questlove might have been to Danny’s benefit after all. Where previous projects might have been “rough around the edges” in recording style or faltered in mastering aspects, Payback heralds the arrival of a clean and concise sound for Swain. The well-executed theme of Payback! revolves around “revenge, resolve and redemption” – the protagonist of the album awaiting the results of his criminal trial, (musically) assessing his life, actions and the road that led him to where he is today — a moral metaphor, perhaps, to the unfortunate issues Danny faced as a student attending Claflin University… or the issues hes faced with music as a whole. But what stands above the stellar narrative (as told by Joi Gilliam) and equally impressive guest appearances scattered throughout the project are the immaculate beats and clever production style Swain has produced for himself.
Seemingly an ode to the late 90s-early 2000 era style of music, several tracks on Payback! pay homage to some of Swain’s favorite musicians/producers, with obvious (and wonderful) Missy Elliott ‘Supa Dupa Fly’ influences prevalent from the start of the album (MyIntrotoletuknow) on. Introspective reflections of childhood on Little Black Boy lead into amazing flips of inspirational Amel Larrieux songs and a brilliant performance on Get Up. Go That-A-Way shows off that sarcastic yet hilarious cynicism and bravado we love from Danny- along with stunning usage of Missy’s Beep Me 911 - while Swizz Beats and Tanya Morgan take impressive turns on the track Even Louder. Making his presence felt throughout the album, Questlove finally drops in with some awesome drumwork on Do It All Over Again while Phonte appears on his own self-titled track for a brief yet hilarious skit/interlude. Danny even managed to pull in the ever-elusive Blu and a somewhat tolerable Lil B for a superb appearance on their appropriately-titled track, Misunderstood.
Other tracks you definitely need to listen to: Shit Starters (feat. Agallah, El-P and DJ Kay Slay) and the awesome I Don’t Wanna Hear That Shit Remix, featuring mystery female rapper ‘Sup Boo… who turns out to be Danny Swain himself with a bit of a change in tone and studio magic play behind it. I could honestly go in on each of the 17 tracks for a while… each one unique, distinctive and stunning in its own way – but we all know I’m not trying to bombard you with all of that.
With his recent appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and settling with a new label who is seemingly interested in supporting his projects, it appears as if Danny! is finally starting to receive the support, accolades and exposure he’s deserved for a while. With Payback!, Swain pulls off a wonderful balance of excellent production with meaningful storytelling, leaving me lyrically satisfied, excited and wanting more… along with high replay value, which is hard to pull off nowadays. Definitely worth the wait, Payback! is an impressive outing overall; a wonderful addition to his catalogue or a great place to start if you are new to Danny’s discography.
Payback! drops September 25th on Okayplayer records.
1. Overture (feat. Chell)
2. Myintrotoletuknow
3. Little Black Boy (feat. Res)
4. Get Up (feat. Amel Larrieux)
5. Evil (feat. Gavin Castleton and Amber Rose Tamblyn)
6. Even Louder (feat. Tanya Morgan and Swizz Beatz)
7. Phonte (feat. Phonte)
8. Shit Starters (feat. Agallah, El-P and DJ Kay Slay)
9. Overture Reprise (feat. Chell)
10. Speed
11. Go That-A-Way (feat. Travie McCoy) ????
12. Misunderstood (feat. Lil B and Blu)
13. I Don’t Wanna Hear That Shit (Remix) (feat. ‘Sup Boo)
14. Do It All Over Again (feat. ?uestlove)
15. Keep Your Head To The Sky (feat. Collette)
16. Far Away (feat. Collette)
17. Payback (feat. iLLmont)
12. Misunderstood (feat. Lil B and Blu)
13. I Don’t Wanna Hear That Shit (Remix) (feat. ‘Sup Boo)
14. Do It All Over Again (feat. ?uestlove)
15. Keep Your Head To The Sky (feat. Collette)
16. Far Away (feat. Collette)
17. Payback (feat. iLLmont)
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