An
Embarrassment of Riches
By
Dan Brown
This week I have the pleasure of bringing you the latest
album from Dan Brown. Dan is a Hip Hop lyricist and content creator from
Brighton UK.
Although he grew up in the 90’s ‘Boom Bap’ era, he also
found inspiration in the likes of Motown, Soul, 90’s RnB, Grime, Reggae, Afro
House, and of course the UK Hip Hop scene. Dan was part of the Elite Squad
alongside DJ Skully (UK Battle for Supremacy Champion), he honed his craft on
stage with techniques he learned from watching the likes of Big Daddy Kane, KRS
One and Redman. With a history that is steeped in live performance, Dan has
supported the likes of Foreign Beggars, Klashnekof, Skinny Man, Whirlwind D and
Specifik, KRS One, The Pharcyde, Jungle Brothers, Mobb Deep and many more
besides. He is one third of the South Coast Connection alongside MikeyDubz and
Cuban Jon, and is focused on crafting his art to be the best representation
of himself, his lifestyle and his beliefs with an honest, unpretentious Funk
Based style.
Now, with all that said, An Embarrassment of Riches has a
top line-up of producers and guest artists to get your interest peeked, and
these include production from Speaks (Empty Hand Records), DJ Severe (Habitat
617), STS, Beat Avengers (Germany), MikeyDubz, 6th Floor, Rasheed
Thomas (Detroit), Aroe (who also did the album artwork), Shupi Pie (who worked
on Dan’s previous album) and Murmur. Featured artists are DJ Severe, 7he Perza,
Areli, Mac Perry, Cuban Jon (DJ from Worthing), Whirlwind D, Retro, Remark,
Pastor JP (City 4 Christ Church), and the legendary DJ Format.
There is nothing left for me to say here, except, let’s get
into this…
The album is seventeen tracks deep and kicks off with Infinite
Potential which is produced by Speaks and features DJ Severe. The sound
hits with a vibe that merges a funky beat with elements that have a far eastern
edge to them, which all comes together with the cuts to get you nodding and
bouncing from the moment the beat drops. This one sets up the album perfectly
by not just being a solid display of Dan’s wordplay and lyricism but, also a
message to all the other rappers out there that Dan is constantly honing his
craft, never resting and always perfecting who he is and what he does. After
all the potential here is infinite, just like the sounds. Next up is New Day
which is produced by and features DJ Severe. The beat is heavy while the
background sound brings more of that funk vibe to get you moving. This one has
an uplifting air to it, there is this sense that life is all about constantly
moving and improving in all that you do. People might try to discourage you and
bring you down, but you have the power to look beyond that and recreate
yourself with every sunrise. You just have to stand firm in all you believe
about yourself and the dreams that you hold on to. Façade is produced by
STS and features 7he Perza, Areli and Mac Perry. The sound here has this mix of
guitar sounds over a heavy but chilled beat. The guitars have one with a reggae
vibe and the other being a more funk fuelled sound, giving this a sound that
keeps the energy flowing through you. There is a deeply religious aspect to
this one as it looks at the eternal battle of good against evil. However, the
subjects that it brings up are also rooted in what we see around us every day,
where many place this façade of doing the best for society, when really their
main motive is their own ends. Always go with your intuition and what feels
right, don’t be swayed by false promises and the lure of the carrot being
dangled in front of you…
Languid Love is produced by Murmur who brings this us
this jazzy vibe that mixes bass notes with keys and more to brings an overall
sound that feels quite refreshing and even put me in mind of tracks by Prince.
This track is an ode to that special someone in Dan’s life, it has a very matter
of fact style that you can really feel comes from the heart. The kind of track
that many of us would dedicate to the one we love. I Remain Blessed is
produced by the Best Avengers and features Cuban Jon on the cut. The cuts merge with strings and a pounding
beat to set this one off, the strings and beat continue on to give this one a
heavy, thought-provoking vibe. The religious aspect of this one goes beyond
just a belief in a higher power; it brings a focus to what that belief can
bring to how you see yourself and how you walk forward in life. For me, this
talks to me in a way that really looks at what your beliefs can bring to your
life, how they inspire you and the strength it can provide, especially in the
darkest of moments. MC Mentality is produced and features DJ Severe, it
also features Whirlwind D. The beat is heavy with double bass notes and these
eerie keys, the cuts on the bridge bring you back to reality as the overall
sound seems to take you away. This one sees Dan and D explore their thoughts
behind the mentality of being an MC. What does it mean to be an MC, and how do
you conduct yourself when on the mic and writing rhymes. Its all here, you just
have to listen and just let it filter into your awareness.
Garland of Breath is produced by MikeyDubz who brings
this heavy beat that is mixed with guitar nates and some middle eastern vibes
on the bridge, giving this one a sound that seems to touch you deeply as you
listen. There is very much an air about this one which seems to be all about
living in the moment and approaching every day with a clean slate. Dealing with
the frustrations of daily life and those who seek to bring you down can be hard
too, but it is often best not to give these situations a second breath, just
find the teaching in the situation and walk on. 6th Floor produces Living
Water and brings a more LoFi sound where the keys seem to carry you along,
floating alongside Dan’s words. This is a deeply religious track which focuses
on faith and how that faith touches every aspect of life. Now, whether you
agree with how religion sees things or not, there is always something can gain
from the words and the passion someone has for what they believe, and that is
no different here, but what you take away from it will be different to what I
do. With that thought still running deep we move on to Bring It On which
has production from Rasheed Thomas and features Cuban Jon on the cut once more.
The beat is proper boom bap style with strings and keys that add a little calm
to proceedings, letting you nod your head with your eyes closed, just letting
everything wash through you. This one has that feel of it being a straight up
demonstration of Dan’s lyricism, which it is, but there is a deeper side to it
too that shows that his passion for his craft takes him to the kind of highs
that others need a little herbal help to reach.
Timeless brings production from STS and Aroe, also
featuring DJ Severe and Retro. Heavy drums, flute notes and guitar vibes all
come together with razor sharp cuts to bring a sound that really gets you
moving. This one has a solid message that looks at the timeless aspect of Hip
Hop and rap, at its purest level. Here its not just about showing the quality
of your wordplay, but focusing on the fact that rap, as a vocal artform is
something that never changes. Many will play with delivery, flows and so on
but, rap will always stay rap, as long as Hip Hop lives. All The Time
has production from Shupi Pie and brings a sound that blends that Hip Hop sound
with horns and guitars to give you a fresh uplifting vibe. Here Dan takes us on
a trip to look at some of those who inspired him along the way. From Slick Rick
to Wu-Tang and on to Modd Deep, these artists had a huge impact on how Dan
developed as an artist, and you can really feel that here. Solitude sees
Murmur on the beat once more, bringing a sound that sees a solid beat
intertwined with keys, other percussion and more, including the words of Alan
Watts, to bring a vibe that just allows you to sit back and enjoy what you
hear. This idea of solitude here is all about self-development, constantly
using your strengths to keep moving forward being all you can be. The idea solitude
is perfectly reflected in Alan Watt’s words where it not about loneliness but,
about the beginning of true freedom.
Move is produced by the Beat Avengers and mixes
multi-layered sounds with a head nod beat that gives this one a really
infectious sound that gets you moving and grinning. Now, I’m going to say I
always nail the message in a track. Here this really made me think about always
moving forward and never letting yourself get too comfortable in one place for
any period of time. Keeping moving, keeps you always in the moment, always
relevant, but stagnating keeps you fixed in one place, losing touch with life
and the things that can really matter. Next up is Exit Stratagy which is
produced by STS and features the legendary DJ Format. The pounding beat and
etheric vocal sample gives this one a sound that really seems to raise you up.
As you listen to this one, it first gives you the sense of being a straight up
verbal display of wordplay but read between the lines and you get the feeling
there is a little more here, and perhaps that is all about having a back-up
plan in everything you do. The idea of having an exit strategy, should things
change in the moment is always a good plan and shows that that you are always
thinking forward and considering all options. Restoration is produced by
DJ Severe and features Remark and Pastor JP. The beat has a solid head nod
sound which is backed by guitars and keys which bring a deep reflective vibe. That
deep reflective vibe works so well here as the message is all about looking
deep within and seeing where you need to restore yourself to that truest
expression of who you are. Achieving that restoration might come your belief in
God or Christ, it might also come from self-reflection and an understanding
that we are all a part of the universe, either way we are all one and connected
by a higher power, no matter your personal beliefs and that higher power can
guide you to be who you truly are.
Praise is produced by the Beat Avengers and hits with
a heavy pounding sound, that sound is backed by organ notes and other
electronic vibes that all come together to bring a vibe that makes you want to
close your eyes and listen intently. This one is a humble expression of what
the belief in God and Christ brings to you. There is also another message here,
not everyone holds that same belief and if you listen to this you will find
that giving thanks for the people and the things that happen in your life, can help
you to elevate yourself about troubles of everyday life. The album ends with
Late Hours which features Retro and is produced by STS. Here the piano
takes the forefront with the chilled beat sitting in the background. The
overall sound has a more soulful edge to it, especially with the sung chorus. Listening
to this one really give you a sense of reflection on your craft, the hours you
put in and the fact that not everyone gets the real message you put into it.
You get the feeling of emcee’s musing over everything, relating the passion and
depth they put into their craft and how that extends to life in general. This
is a great way to round off the album giving the listener the opportunity to
feel the foundation of what the music is all about.
Now, I just said that was the last track of the album,
however I do have a bonus remix here as well, so I am going to give you my
thoughts on this one too. The Praise Remix comes from Irn Mnky. This one
takes the message from Praise and puts it to a far jazzier gospel inspired beat.
It transposes the heavy emotive sound of the original and raises it up with a
different energy that you can feel invites you to stand up and move to the
sound. A great way to see how two beats can deliver the same message in
different ways, eliciting differing emotional states along the way.
I think that first off, after listening to the album as one,
you need to just step away a minute and let it sink in. By today’s standard’s
this is a long album, over an hour, including the remix and it has a lot to say
across those seventy plus minutes.
Dan gives you so much to think about from straight up
lyricism to the deeper aspects of life today, and then on to some deeply
personal insights on how his belief in God touches him and helps him navigate
life, and the joy it brings him. What stands out here is his lyricism,
wordplay, and delivery. His words bring rhymes that are deep and at times,
complex but, not too much so that you find it hard to follow what he is saying.
He is adept at switch between flows in a way that maximises the impact of the
words. Dan has to be one of the standout rap artists in the UK right now, and
you have to check his work and really listen to understand that. Because, only
by really listening can you get the messages and feel the passion that he has
for his craft and bringing the listener a true Hip Hop experience.
Dan has done a great job of bringing together some great
producers and artists from across the UK and even one producer from the US.
Production is solid here and creates the perfect backdrop for each track that
Dan paints with his words. The guest artist all brings their own style and
passion to the project, adding deeper dimensions along the way. It would also
be remiss of me not to mention the one thing, for me, that completes the Hip
Hop aspect of this album, the DJs. I always love it when a Hip Hop project has
cuts because that is what cements it as Hip Hop.
I could happily go on for ages about the album and
everything it says to me But, I do have to let you go and check it out.
Overall, An Embarrassment of Riches is one of my
standout albums of the year. The lyricism from Dan and the guests is all top
notch. The musical backdrops from the producers bring deep emotive vibes and
boom bap sounds to get you bouncing and the DJ’s add cuts that have you
smiling. The album brings deep subject matter that will have you thinking long
after the album is over, and might even have you spinning it again, just in
case you think you’ve missed something, which you might well do.
I will leave it there and invite you to go have a listen for
yourself.
An Embarrassment of Riches is released on 13th
July on Dan's own independent label Me, Myself and I, so be sure to check it out.
My humble thanks to Dan Brown for giving me the chance to
bring you thoughts on this inspirational album.
I’ll see ya next time.
Steve.
LINKS
Album Pre-save link here:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/danbrown1/an-embarrassment-of-riches/
Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/dan.browndan/
https://www.youtube.com/@dan.browndan
VIDEOS
New Day
Praise
Exit Strategy
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