Danny Brown
Danny Brown

Danny Brown Returns to Form With “Best Life,” Sporting A Detroit State of Mind

Opening the first verse, Danny Brown spits: “Come from the sewer where hot dogs got boiled, Right up in the same pot, uncooked, the rock, Went from flippin’ them mats, to flippin’ them sacks, Hide and seek, send spots to out on, we sell crack, facts”

Danny Brown returns to Detroit with his video for “Best Life” off uknowwhati’msaying¿ This music video shows some of the most memorable views Detroit has to offer for locals. Decaying houses contain family events that make and break those involved. Flowers brighten up a flat and mostly broken city, just like the beautiful children of this city. 

Considering the rest of Danny Brown’s discography, this feels surprisingly tame. This beat doesn’t go as hard as Rustie-produced “Attak” or several of the songs off XXX, but it hits home. The mellow nature of the beat allows Danny to paint a picture with the video and his bars of Detroit childhood. 

“‘Cause ain’t no next life, so now I’m tryna live my best life”

Danny Brown describes his experience growing up: “I was just a young ni**a, know what I was headed for, Jumped up off the porch, really, I wasn’t ready for it, Get up off the hood, find a way out, Road I’m on, either death or jailhouse, Wanna get away from all this stress, For me, momma just wanted the best (uh).” 

This city is a tough one to love. Still, even after the “development” of Detroit, it’s tough to make it out of the city. There’s a lack of resources and a lack of support. Countless young men turn to selling drugs, and countless young women turn to sell their bodies. 

Many blessed people live in Detroit, but the Danny sings of real families. They, we, lived rushed, stressed, screaming, and physical. Patience, time, and money are rare resources in this city. However, they’re also required to raise a healthy child. Danny Brown was not given that luxury, which is why several of us neglected children take solace in his music.

Not supposed to be here, dead, like Weekend at Bernie’s

Despite the pain of growing up here, a loving nostalgia defines the entire video. The video portrays beautifully those who live here. There are no villains, simply adults and the children that will become them. Detroit’s omnipresent overcast spreads over most of the shots in the video. It’s one of the most beautiful skies in the world if you have the taste for it.

And like the good people of the city, flowers pop up everywhere. They surround Danny Brown, one of the fruits grown in Detroit, and they continually appear through the video. It’s a powerful love letter and, like all of the best love letters, it doesn’t forget to include anything. Life is difficult, but always forgivable. 

“War on drugs was a chess game Was a pawn, girls drawn on my front lawn,” “Best Life”

Stream uknowwhatimsaying¿