On November 17, Danny! hit me up via email asking if I could review his new Definitive Jux album for one of my professional gigs. I responded yeah, let me see if I can get an assignment, and by the way what’s the release date? He responded, “It came out today.”
Surprised that I hadn’t heard anything about this — Definitive Jux tends to promote its releases early and often — I toggled over to the label’s site. However, I couldn’t find any information about Where is Danny? in the Pharmacy, Def Jux’s online store, or in the news section. So I emailed Danny again, asking if the release date had been pushed back. No answer.
A few days, I saw the Okayplayer.com post offering Where is Danny? as a free download.
Sadly Danny!’s long awaited album, Where Is Danny?, leaked on a few sites over this past weekend. Because of this, D. Swain’s camp decided to release the project for free download. However, all is not lost. Danny! is going to go back and revamp the album with some additional tracks. The newer version of Where Is Danny? will be going out to retail in a week or so via Def Jux.
Here’s a slightly different explanation from 2dopeboyz.com, which partnered with Okayplayer.com earlier this year:
Now this is a surprise. I was hoping for Danny’s new album to be released this month. But I wasn’t expecting it to be free! After all the countless delays from Def Jux, it looks like Danny! just wanted people to hear it. A retail version will be made available in the coming weeks on iTunes, which will contain bonus tracks, etc. And I hope you all support when that day comes.
The Internet swirls with facts, half-truths and occasional bald-faced lies. At least in regards to music blogs, everyone seems to agree that a few tall tales don’t matter, as long as it’s not malicious gossip about someone’s personal life. So Danny spreads numerous and sometimes-contradictory stories about his album — telling one person it is already out, and another that it will be on iTunes “in a week or so” — even as Definitive Jux remains tight-lipped on its status. No harm, no foul, right?
Danny is one of the great hustlers of the blog-rap era. He managed to parlay four self-released albums and a 12-inch deal won in a MTVu/Definitive Jux contest into notices in major outlets such as Pitchfork.com, URB and L.A. Weekly. His albums, including last year’s And I Love Her: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, sound messy and unrefined, a mix of raw talent and concepts. The 1997 EP Danny is Dead proved that he’s best at editing a tight, concise statement, but that strategy works against his instinct to get everything out now, before the audience disappears. As uneven as his material tends to be, it’s clear he has much to say, which can’t be said for the hordes of glorified freestylers, major label outcasts, local heroes and rhyme page rookies that clog rap blogs.
Continue reading →
