Atrocity Exhibition

# Atrocity Exhibition by Danny Brown: An In-Depth Review Danny Brown's fourth studio album, *Atrocity Exhibition*, was released on September 30, 2016, through Warp Records. Named after both the Joy Division song and J.G. Ballard's novel, the album marked a significant artistic departure from the more festival-friendly sound of his previous record *Old* (2013) and solidified his reputation as one of hip-hop's most singular and uncompromising voices . --- ## Lyrics and Themes The lyrical content of *Atrocity Exhibition* is dominated by addiction, paranoia, depression, and the psychological toll of fame. The album functions as a dark companion piece to his 2011 breakthrough *XXX*, picking up where that project's most harrowing moments left off . The opening track, "Downward Spiral," immediately establishes the album's thesis: Brown is caught in a cycle of drug abuse from which he cannot escape. He raps about being "high this whole time" without realizing what he's accomplished, isolating himself, and smoking "blunt after blunt 'til my eyes start burning" . The song's title is literal—it describes an actual psychological descent, not a metaphor . "Ain't It Funny" contains perhaps the album's most devastating line: "Broke serving fiends, got rich, became a addict / Ain't it funny how it happens" . This encapsulates one of the album's central ironies—success has not alleviated his struggles but exacerbated them. The title track function of the song's hook essentially asks the listener whether they find his suffering entertaining, a direct nod to the Joy Division song's theme of being observed as a "freak show" . "Tell Me What I Don't Know" explores urban decay and the normalization of violence in Detroit. Brown details a friend being killed at a liquor store with chilling understatement—"breaking down the weed when the call got received"—a "show, don't tell" approach that demonstrates his growth as a lyrical stylist . The song also critiques rappers who glorify street life, with Brown reflecting on how he once idolized that existence before experiencing its true costs . "Really Doe" features a murderer's row of Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, and Earl Sweatshirt. While Brown holds his own, Earl Sweatshirt's verse has been singled out by multiple critics as a highlight, with his dense, internal-rhyme-heavy delivery matching the album's dark tone perfectly . The track functions as a rare moment of competitive rap bravado within an otherwise deeply introspective record . "Hell for It" closes the album with Brown addressing his legacy directly: "Respect for lyricism in this game ain't none left / Have a bitch like Iggy think she sicker than me / And that's so fucked up, that's just how this shit be / I just wanna make music, fuck being a celebrity / 'Cause these songs that I write, leave behind my legacy" . This is Brown at his most self-aware—he understands that his art matters more than the trappings of fame, even as he acknowledges the commercial pressures of the industry. --- ## Music and Production The production on *Atrocity Exhibition* is the album's most distinctive feature and the primary reason it sounds like little else in hip-hop. Paul White handles the majority of the production, with additional contributions from Evian Christ, Black Milk, The Alchemist, and Petite Noir . Brown has cited an eclectic range of influences for the album's sonic palette: Joy Division (the title and thematic tone), Talking Heads, Björk, Raekwon, and System of a Down's *Toxicity* . These influences manifest in production that draws from post-punk, industrial music, psychedelic rock, and avant-garde electronic music rather than traditional hip-hop beatmaking . "Downward Spiral" features wonky Western-style guitars and off-kilter drums that mirror the song's theme of disorientation . "Ain't It Funny" is built around manic horns that sound like "a swarm of angry bees," creating a sonic representation of a panic attack . "Golddust" incorporates Stooges-style guitar riffs, bringing a punk energy to the proceedings . The album reportedly cost over $70,000 to clear its samples, a significant investment that reflects Brown's commitment to realizing his artistic vision . Brown's vocal delivery remains his signature weapon. He alternates between his manic, high-pitched squawk—often described as "shrill and unhinged"—and a more subdued, almost numb register that conveys exhaustion and emotional depletion . On "Tell Me What I Don't Know," the "normal" voice he uses doesn't carry emotional warmth so much as a sense of numbness, which fits the song's depressive tone . The juxtaposition of his frantic delivery with the often-dark production creates a tension that defines the album's listening experience . --- ## Influence and Legacy *Atrocity Exhibition* is widely regarded as a landmark of experimental hip-hop and a defining statement of Danny Brown's career. At the time of its release, critics recognized it as a bold departure from the EDM-influenced *Old*, signaling Brown's commitment to his own artistic vision over commercial accessibility . The album's influence can be seen in several dimensions. First, it demonstrated that a major-label-adjacent rapper could release a deeply experimental record without commercial compromise. Brown had departed Fool's Gold Records for Warp, an electronic music label more associated with acts like Aphex Twin than hip-hop, and used that platform to pursue his most difficult work yet . Second, the album solidified Paul White as a major production talent and demonstrated the potential of a sustained rapper-producer partnership built on shared eclectic tastes . Their collaboration proved that hip-hop production could draw meaningfully from post-punk and industrial music without sounding like pastiche. Third, the album expanded the boundaries of what emotional territory hip-hop could occupy. While rap had long dealt with addiction and depression, *Atrocity Exhibition* presented these themes with a level of psychological specificity and sonic integration that few records had attempted . In 2026, the album received a tenth-anniversary reissue and was performed in full for the first time at a series of shows, confirming its status as a touchstone work . "Ain't It Funny" has found new audiences through Brown's recent tours, connecting the record to his ongoing artistic evolution . --- ## Pros and Cons ### Pros **Uncompromising artistic vision.** The album never hedges or softens its message. Brown committed fully to the "bad trip" aesthetic, and the result is a cohesive, immersive listening experience unlike anything else in mainstream rap . **Exceptional production.** Paul White and the other producers create a sonic world that is genuinely original. The use of post-punk guitars, industrial textures, and off-kilter rhythms gives the album a distinctive character that rewards repeated listening . **Lyrical depth and craft.** Brown has grown significantly as a writer, moving beyond shock-value lines into detailed, emotionally resonant storytelling. The "show, don't tell" approach on tracks like "Tell Me What I Don't Know" demonstrates real literary maturity . **Strong features.** Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, Earl Sweatshirt, Kelela, and B-Real all contribute meaningfully. The *Really Doe* posse cut is a genuine event, and Earl Sweatshirt's verse in particular is a standout moment in his career . **Cohesive vision.** At around 45 minutes, the album maintains its intensity without overstaying its welcome. It feels like a complete statement rather than a collection of songs . ### Cons **Accessibility.** Brown's voice—shrill, unhinged, and aggressive—remains a significant barrier for many listeners. The album is "pretty tough to stomach at first," even by his standards . Some listeners find his delivery genuinely unlistenable . **Uneven vocal performance.** At times, Brown's "normal" voice lacks the emotional warmth needed for the album's quieter moments. On tracks like "Tell Me What I Don't Know," the subdued delivery can feel numb rather than vulnerable . **Production inconsistency.** While the album's experimental production is a strength overall, some tracks suffer from beats that feel unfinished or underdeveloped. A few reviewers have criticized specific tracks like "Hell for It" and "Golddust" for production that doesn't match the quality of the album's high points . **Limited replay value for some.** The album's relentlessly dark and intense atmosphere can make it difficult to return to frequently. Some listeners report that the album's emotional weight makes it an occasional rather than regular listen . **Feature imbalance.** While *Really Doe* is a highlight, the quality of the features is not entirely even. Some listeners feel that the non-Brown performances occasionally overshadow the main artist on his own record . --- *Atrocity Exhibition* stands as one of the most audacious and artistically successful hip-hop albums of the 2010s. It is not an easy listen, and it is not meant to be. Brown created a record that functions as a horror film in musical form—a harrowing, vivid, and ultimately unforgettable portrait of addiction, fame, and survival .

It's really nice to listen to something that is easy to recognize as a potential future classical. 😎

Yeah, I really didn’t care for this. What an annoying voice.

Very nice, I like how he raps

Good grief that was awful

I keep listening to this one but not writing anything down. Today I get it off my plate. I like Danny Brown. His voice is a little gratting, but he makes fun hip-hop. This album had it's moments, but it's not really one that I intend to come back to. I feel like there's a Danny Brown album out there for me, but I just didn't really click with this one 3/5

Some of the beats are pretty good, but I really find his voice annoying. A very low two.

3.2 I can't remember being this conflicted during an album. Normally a 3* is a middle of the road, average or boring album. No matter what mood I'm in it would score a 3, or breaking it down into it's constituent parts it would be 3's across the board. This however...mind melting. - The beats are pretty phenomenal. The last time I remember being this blown away by beats on a hip hop record was the first time I heard Kendrick. 5*. - However, *that* voice... So incredibly grating. For the most part, 1*, however inexplicably it works in a couple tracks (eg when it rain). I think if it was used sparingly (like one of Kendrick's alter ego voices which sounds equally nasely) I'd be really digging it. - Song length and album length, 5*. Nothing overstays its welcome. Not enjoying a track? Don't worry it'll be over in a minute. - Constant obsession with pussy/sex/ass - 1*. One of my biggest pet peeves with hip-hop. I don't even think I'm much that of a prude, I just think it makes them sound like a horny 15yo and find it insanely cringy. "Hey guys I have sex". Grow up. Score reflects an average of my 1*-5* feelings about this album. Great inclusion on the list though, reckon it should be on the original. Everyone needs to hear this. But not everyone needs to enjoy it.

My personal favorite Danny Brown album. I think it contains his deepest lyricism and the beats are dark and interesting throughout.

Uniquely dark and psychedelic hip-hop. Headphones recommended.

I've wanted to further explore Danny Brown's crazy hip hop artistry for a long time now, so I can't thank the user who suggested *Atrocity Exhibition* warmly enough. Overall, listening to this record has been a great ride -- far greater than *uknowhatimsayin¿*, in spite of the good press that subsequent LP received and the implication of many luminaries in it (such as Q-Tip, Run The Jewels, JPEGMFIA, Obongjayar and Blood Orange... ). And *Atrocity Exhibition* doesn't come short when it comes to stellar featurings anyway. There's Kendrick Lamar, Earl Sweatshirt, B-Real, The Alchemist, Kelela, Petite Noir... But more than anything, having the album primarily helmed by British producer Paul White -- admittedly a versatile composer, but also one that can be focused as hell when he wants to -- makes the record sound more cohesive and solid than anything from Brown I have listened to so far. And the few contributions of other producers (Black Milk on the toybox-driven gangsta rap exercise-in-style that "Really Doe" is, Playa Haze on the jazzy "Lost", The Alchemist on "White Lines" and Evian Christ on "Pneumonia"...) just perfectly fit in the decidedly off-kilter surroundings. Taken as a whole, the music goes into all sorts of directions. Some tones hark back to rock, others to jazz, and some others to techno, samba or industrial music. And when it comes to strictly hip hop influences, the palette goes from nineties golden age breakbeats to contemporary trap. Incredibly, those very different tones and intents all feel like they're somehow coming from the same insane part of the metaverse. One that's probably a drug-induced illusion anyway, but more on that later... And then there's Danny Brown himself, of course. His high-pitched flow. His punchlines. His overall demeanor and persona, which never shy away from being menacing or disturbing if need be, and yet often also come off as endearing or very self-ironic... First awesome surprise from *Atrocity Exhibition*, its second track "Tell Me What I Don't Know", where Brown adopts a chiller, far more poised flow. I love when the guy's machine gun flow sounds so fast and unhinged -- that's his trademark imprint on hip hop, very obviously -- yet I also wish he could alternate a little more with this calmer mode. About that mode, by the way, see also "Book Of Daniel", the opener from Danny's last album *Stardust*... A whole LP like that? No way. But when a track is as well done "Tell Me What I Don't Know", I think it's worth riding your caravan through that hairpin curve. Apart from that, "Ain't It Funny" is considered as one of the very best tracks Brown has ever released, and rightly so in my opinion, given how unraveling, anxiety-ridden AND YET also deliciously catchy that banger sounds. And it's actually a very self-aware / self-conscious rap track, where Danny questions his own drug habits to paint a vivid picture of the tragic situation of addiction within his community. After, Brown doubles down on that very topic, probably what the titular "atrocity exhibition" is all about... -- first with the psych-rock-adjacent highlight "Golddust", and then the coke-infused "White Lines", sounding psychedelic in other ways. I love how Danny tries to follow The Alchemist's impossible-to-sing synth pattern on this track, and by failing to do so, perfectly underlines the desperate topic of the song. The picture of addiction is bleak. The words are rough and raw. Yet the thing is also very honest. It is quite a cinematic plunge into the mind of a drug fiend, and even with the quick mentions of fame, money, "hoes" and porn stars thrown around, it's easy to understand that Brown doesn't actually boast here -- that he's constantly afraid of "losing it". African-American trauma also gets mentioned -- not to commiserate or as an excuse for the man's habits, but simply as a cold contextual tidbit to "tell it like it is". Brown wants to shock his audience, of course. But his words never entirely come off as gratuitous somehow. There's more that's going here on a deeper level. Does the LP stick the proverbial landing in its last leg? Not entirely. The techno beat of first single "When It Rain" is interesting, but it's also admittedly a little too one-note, and does not lead to a particularly decisive place at the end. A couple of lesser tracks then follow. Inviting Cypress Hill's B-Real to "roll up trees" on "Get Hi" makes tons of sense: both he and Danny Brown share that high-pitched vocal timbre and taste for big fat blunts (among other products for Brown). But maddeningly, the result is underwhelming -- more like an amusing footnote than anything else. Fortunately, closer "Hell For It" is a masterstroke, with its minimalistic piano pattern modulating in a totally hypnotic fashion. And Brown is at its most straightforward and considerate in this more serious depiction of what makes the man tick -- how his poor upbringing, his personal demons, and his dedication to his art led him to the place he is right now ("I'm a give em hell for it / until it's heaven on earth"), and also how he sees himself as an anti-role model of sorts. As Brown confirms himself on that closer: "I live through this shit / so you don't have to go through it". Thank you Danny. For this, and also for your music. 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list dedicated to essential albums, rounded up to 4. 8.5 /10 for more general purposes (5 + 3.5) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 108 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 117 (including this one) Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 251 ---- Message 4/4 pour Émile: Je suis en train d'écouter Choses Sauvages. Funk indolent mais très ample, en français du Québec... Je ne suis pas surpris que tu sois client de cette crémerie ! J'ai lu que Félix Bélisle, qui fait partie de ce groupe, fait également partie de La Sécurité, qui a ses fans chez Mowno -- ou en tout cas son service de presse attire en ce moment l'attention du site sur leur post-punk soft et spoken-word que... je n'aime pas du tout ! J'ai l'impression d'avoir entendu mieux ailleurs dans le genre vingt fois ailleurs ! Par contre, Choses Sauvages, je trouve ça très cool, et y a des morceaux que j'aime beaucoup, comme "Homme-Machine" sur le 2nd LP, ou encore "Fixe" et "Deux Assassins" sur le 3ème (vachement plus kraut et abrasif, ce que je ne peux que valider, perso). J'y trouve également cette saveur un peu Corridor dans les voix pas trop mixées en avant (mais vu l'âge de Choses Sauvages, c'est ptet Corridor qui copie sur eux, lol?). Franchement, je préfèrerais que la promo de Choses Sauvages drague Mowno plutôt que celle de La Sécurité (qui doit être considéré comme plus proche de l'ADN originel rock et punk du site). J'ai cru lire dans une de tes récentes reviews que tu as bien kiffé le concert en tout cas. Coolos ! Dernier point, qui explique que je peux t'envoyer quatre message à la suite... Je suis tombé de mon vélo en rentrant du travail il y a une semaine et demie, et je me suis cassé le gros orteil et fait une entorse au poignet. Un mois d'arrêt de travail, environ un mois avant l'arrêt des cours. Bingo. Je suis donc un peu en vacances, même si je suis coincé à la maison. J'ai raté quelques concerts que j'avais prévu de voir, mais je peux écouter plein de trucs, écrire mes retranscriptions d'interviews pour Mowno, et j'ai même le droit de profiter de la piscine dans le jardin avec un bandage sur mes pieds, le tout pendant la canicule qui sévit en France! C'est plutôt pas mal. Le seul vrai souci, c'est qu'avec mon poignet foulé, je peux pas écrire sur mon téléphone aussi vite que d'habitude. Je devrais ptet utiliser la fonctionnalité "parler en mains libres", comme toi... Je t'en dirai ptet des nouvelles en réponse à ton prochain message ! Bises ! Cyril

Kiinnostavasti tuotettua hoppia. Tähän pitää palata!

Blech. Hated this.

What's with that voice? Straight outta Sesame Street?

Quite good hip hop.

Started off a bit weak IMO, but I got into it a little. Some great beats and lyricism, but his voice became a little grating after a while. Maybe a slight bit repetitive, but overall it's decent.

I don't have much of a frame of reference on what to think of this. Enjoyed listening to this, it was chill for sure.

This really wasn’t for me, but I guess it was also pretty different from what we saw on the main list. But, in the other hand, what even is it, and did I need to listen to it? I don’t know.

Rap progresivo. Ni fu ni fa.

Hip Hop: Abstract, Experimental, Hardcore Hip Hop. ¿La voz es así o canta así adrede?

Love me some Danny Brown, but this is not among the first albums I think of recommending of his. That credit would go to XXX and Old in that order. In any event, been a while since I spun this. Let's see how it's held up. Danny was never a stranger to beat experimentation, but this album is a trip. He takes some real risks here that payoff unexpectedly. Like I can't imagine any other artist flipping Ain't it Funny effectively, but somehow the deep bass acts as a ballast to hold down an otherwise cartoon ass beat with his nasally vocals weaving in and out of traffic. Speaking of vocals, I think that is mainly the reason this album isn't among the first I pull to. At some point post Old, he ditched his vocal range in favor of a continuous high-pitch snarl. And while I don't necessarily dislike that delivery, I appreciated the variety and muscle that his low-end delivery provided (update: I guess From the Ground and Hell For It both apply this -- the latter more effectively IMO). Really Doe is a fantastic posse cut that just gets better with each pass of the mic. Dope beat + Ab-Soul sounds actually healthy and puts down a dud-less bar + peak Kendrick / Earl Sweatshirt. TBH I miss mumbleless Earl - haven't been able to connect with his works as of late. Lost takes a left turn into a jazzier sample flip. I think Golddust is the only song on here that I actively don't care for. Forgot about Pneumonia, but this song jams as well. Love the ScHoolboy Q ad libs, but wish he could have gotten a verse here. Beat feels like it was made for him. Solid album, but more spotty than the others I mentioned in the intro. For me this sits firmly around a 4.

Lyricism is pretty good, but I'm not a fan of his voice. Beats are really solid for the most part too. Came into this one knowing a bit about Danny Brown, but never really listening to him. I also don't listen to much rap in general so maybe my understanding of this album isn't the greatest, but I didn't really care for it. Overall I see some bits that I like, but his voice and general flow were not for me. High 2.

That was a really interesting rap album and a style I have never heard before. Was very rough at points which overall made it a bit of a difficult listen but there were parts that were very cool. Can respect it, but not for me

This is definitely one of my favorite types of rap music of recent years. Cool beats, experimental, and just weird enough. Kinda reminds me of ODB in how he raps a bit. Extremely different from most hip-hop I've heard in the past 10 years. For that you get an inspired and unique 4.

Danny Brown has an annoying voice so Atrocity Exhibition didn't work for me, I don't like rap that sounds comical or farcical and most of this is exactly that. I can recognise the talent and creativity, Ain't It Funny captures the attention, but really just not for me. 2/5 as it's more annoying than respectable.

I just can’t go with the extreme vulgar hip-hop.

Reading about this I thought I would hate it, like looking for the zero button. Some of the beats got me though, and i went looking for the lyrics to see if they were as clever as i'd been told. 2.5 but i gotta round down on this one.

Den som föreslog att denna platta skulle vara med på listan förstörde min söndag. Maken till dynga har jag nästan aldrig upplevt.

He raps okay I guess but I can't get past the voice. Its just not good. The best tracks were the featured artists like Kendrick Lamar and B-Real. So yeah if the best tracks are other rappers it's not too good

A wild, trippy record from one of the most exciting voices in modern hip-hop. Downward Spiral is a bleak and disturbing opener and the album deals with heavy subjects throughout, but more often in the form of absolute bangers. Rolling Stone is groovy as hell, Pneumonia is freaky and has ferocious impact with hard stabs, and Dance in the Water is full of energy. The two standouts are Really Doe (one of the best posse cuts of this century where each verse is just better than the last) and the riotous Ain’t It Funny (which also has an incredible music video), but honestly it’s just a killer record all the way through

Big surprise for this one, I thought for sure as it opened that I'd be *very* quickly getting annoyed with his voice, but it really works for him & the mood he's cultivating on this. Super unhinged, giving it a 5

This record starts ROUGH. But gets really good starting with the second track. I wonder if they did that on purpose.

Love the guest verses, Despise Danny Brown's vocal affect, gross. Obligatory extra point off for blatant Misogyny.

Danny Brown's voice sounds a bit like he'd yell "YEEEEOOOOWWCH" like Tom from Tom & Jerry if you stepped on his toe. Takes a while to get used to. Extremely creative and dark hip hop album though. Some of the beats on here are genuinely absurd. "Ain't It Funny" and "Golddust", holy shit man. Okay yeah, I don't have it in me to not give this a 5/5. Absolutely insane.

I came into this album expecting to find another hip hop love, and for that reason I'm a bit disappointed. It takes a bit to get going; around the fourth track does it really start giving off this destructive, sinister energy that is all so alluring, but at that point you're a somewhat decent chunk through the album with nothing to really latch on to, and after the villainous, arguably monstrous track that is Ain't It Funny, nothing ever feels that outwardly impactful, which can leave the back half full of very good tracks, but tracks that don't quite scratch the same itch, although some do certainly try. Now, I've been sober my whole life, so "relating" to this album was thrown out the window the moment I pressed play, but you can still really feel this stuff take over Danny's life. I mean, this took two years to come to fruition, surely that's a sign of the issues at play here. And even if you ignore every single lyric, the production is immensely layered and intricate, leading to an album that could make its way on to "best of" lists with no vocals at all. But I just feel like I'm missing something. There's too much rest, the whole album is played up to be far zanier than it truly is, and going in with expectations absolutely through the roof, I was a tad let down. Luckily, it is surprisingly digestible this way, blowing by incredibly quick, and you're always on your toes, no matter the pay-off, and I think that is commendable at the very least. It is just so close to something truly amazing, but falls just out of reach for me. A few tracks cut, perhaps, or maybe a slightly different delivery vocally? Nah, can't be that, Danny's voice certainly adds to the record and its feeling of spinning in circles for hours until you're dizzy and sick. I have a feeling, returning to this one, I'll be blown away just that tad bit more to "get it."

4.5

Not an album that made an impact im afraid.

Jo men det här funkar faktiskt emellanåt. Jag är positiv till detta

I don't really know what so say on this one. It's clever, it's avant-garde, it's hiphop, the flow is amazing, and this is just not for me.

A genuine drug-fueled nightmare of an album. Not only is Atrocity Exhibition a disturbing, psychedelic reflection of Danny Brown's psyche at the time, but it's also a standout work in the field of hip-hop as a whole. For 46 minutes, Brown is in his own lane and unapologetically locked into the off-kilter production; it's what makes this album so memorable from top to bottom. We could dissect this album further but it would be a pointless task. Listen instead. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: Oh yeah. You need this album.

Well this is so outlandish and so out there that I never know what it's going to throw at me. Certainly what you want to hear from an album like this. Genius.

Dudes voice sounds a lot like the singer from Cypress Hill. Favorite songs: Ain't It Funny, When It Rain, Rolling Stone, Tell Me What I Don't Know, Really Doe, Dance in the Water, Today Least favorite songs: Downward Spiral 4/5

Interesting new take on Hip Hop and how it evolves. Always heard of Danny Brown but never really listened to him. Enjoyed this one. 3/5

Sorry this one just wasn’t for me.

This is not my cup of tea and I really didn’t enjoy those vocal stylings. Creative though, I can give it that.

Thought it was going to be a 1 during the first song but grew on me a bit

Does the atrocity refer to Danny Brown's high-pitched, yelping vocals? I have heard Brown buzzed about for several years, but I must admit to being quite disappointed. Aside from the vocals, there is a lot of promise on "Atrocity Exhibition." The music is a unique mash-up of styles from both outside and within hip hop that occasionally goes off the rails, but is never derailed quite as thoroughly as by Brown's rapping. It is apparently a deliberate choice (you can hear the difference in a couple tracks where he uses a deeper voice), meant to match the manic energy of the lyrics and content. Reviewers have compared this to Eminem and others, but Brown's version is more off-putting than those other rappers. Maybe it's the match that he's looking for, but it's one that's too abrasive for me.

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Tell me what I don’t know, Rolling stone, Really doe, Ain’t it funny, Golddust, Pneumonia, Dance in the water, When it rain

10/10 one of Danny Brown’s best albums absolutely tho he’s consistently delivered killer material for such a long time that “best” feels irrelevant

Rap progresivo. Ni fu ni fa.

I’ve heard his guest features on other artists songs and I instantly skip his verse. His voice is that god damned annoying to me that it ruins anything that he is on.

Not even remotely my thing, but understandable why this album would be selected. Brown knows what he's doing.

A classic in my ears. Unorthodox but masterfully constructed beats, and Danny Brown lays down sharp lyrics about a life decroded. I don’t listen to this so much these days, but when I do I remember how great it is

this is FILTHY lol. 3?

I liked what was going on lyrically and musically here a lot, but really had trouble getting behind the primary vocal delivery - that kind of hectoring, high pitched, kind of nasal rapping. I think they are delivering exactly what they intend to here and I can see how it corresponds to the general attitude but I just find it so grating to listen to at length.

Not really for me

Terrible and annoying

Every Danny Brown record is top notch. He is just a extreme bit too off to be main stream accepted. Atrocity Exhibition is one of his many albums showing his genius. He is sometimes just rapping on a slow or medium tempo and all is well, or the devil comes out and the mad scientist of Mr Brown full tempo crazy mf shows his skills. Any way, this is utterly great and if you don't get it, it's your loss. All you could wish for on a modern rap album and one of the few artists still innovating music as it is.

Lots of fun tracks that I don't have the taste for.

Not my thing. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

I really do love this guy.

One of the best hip hop albums ever

Maybe there's something here but I can't see it. Actually, grew on me a little as I listened. Sure is a lot going on.

Voice is distracting to my ears but lyrics are killer.

vulgar, noisy, monotonous

Well, Atrocity Exhibition sounds like it's going to be lighthearted and fun. Death metal, maybe? Or filthy dubstep? Let's find out! Holy crap, hip-hop is the very last thing I was expecting. Is his voice going to continue being a continued impersonation of Granny from the Ohio Players' Funky Worm? Thankfully not. I do wonder if the word "copacetic" was invented specifically for rap. Track four - Really Doe - Granny is back. FFS. Overall, it's alright with some very very questionable vocal choices. Won't bother to listen again.

Used to despise Brown's vocals, couldn't get overy the whiny, nasal delivery solely in the upper register. Took seeing him open for RTJ + more than a few years to 'get it,' though I think that's still an ongoing process. Thankfully, the genius on this LP is still pretty clear to see – love it or hate it, Brown's voice is the crazy glue holding together an amazing free jazz assemblage in the beats, each track seemingly assembling itself as it goes along. The production is clean yet analog-feeling, allowing each instrument to drift in and out freely as the fever dream proceeds. There's 1-2 tracks with draggy features that kill a bit of the momentum, but most of this 15-track album delivers in a way that's still unique nearly a decade on.

I think I’m supposed to like this extra because Detroit but idk

Glad to support a neighbor but also this is lowkey kind of annoying from beginning to end. I was originally going to give this a 3 due to the hometown connection but I could not in good conscience do that.

Yesss 5

Danny Brown is pretty polarizing rapper. I’m partial to him being from Detroit but I understand why people dislike his music. It’s made for those parts in movies where the main character goes on drug filled montage. He is a pretty good rapper he just has a sound and style that can be a bit off putting sometimes or for long durations. This still has some credible replay ability though as the production is solid and the features given the album an added bonus. 6.3/10

Complete garbage