Recently, I contacted rising rapper/producer Danny!, a.k.a. Danny Swain, to get the scoop on his upcoming EP, Danny Is Dead. If you have never heard of him, let me give you some quick facts. In January 2007, he won the MTVu Best Music on Campus contest, earning a recording contract with independent label Definitive Jux and a video on MTVu.
He has had a broad Internet and underground following with his early releases, The College Kicked-Out and F.O.O.D. (Finding Out Our Destination). His most critically acclaimed album to date is Charm - a concept album that tells the story of an up-and-coming rapper's newfound fame. He has also released two instrumental albums which showcase his producer chops: Dream, Interrupted and Dream, Fulfilled.
A self-described 'new jack,' rapper/producer Danny! is actually a throwback to hip-hop's brighter days when we went to 'El Segundo' with A Tribe Called Quest and became 'Buddies' with De La Soul. Lyrically, he constructs intricate, cerebral rhymes without over-thinking - pulling off the difficult feat of sounding breezy and provocative at the same time. The production is a blend of tight beats and unexpected, tempo-adjusted samples from multiple genres. Growing up as a military child, he now splits time between home in Columbia, S.C. and Savannah, GA, where he attends the Savannah College of Art and Design.
His rise as an artist, however, has not been without challenges. In 2003, Danny was implicated in a grade-changing scandal during his junior year at Clafin University. Though no solid evidence of his involvement was ever presented to school officials, his refusal to snitch on other alleged participants ultimately led to his expulsion.
As an avid fan of real hip-hop, I was intrigued. Honestly, I didn't expect him to be so nice. The thought of someone who's been compared to Kanye West doesn't exactly conjure images of humility. Danny struck me as a polite, intelligent young man who lives in his head with his heart on his sleeve. What began as a brief chat culminated into honest dialogue about the state of hip-hop, earning respect, oh, and of course, Meagan Good.
Getting Into the Game
S.B.: Hi Danny, it's good to hear from you. Let me start by asking you what made you decide to do music.
Danny!: I grew up on real music and I always embraced real music. From a fan perspective, I was disenchanted by the state of hip-hop today. I thought about what I would want to hear if I were just a fan.
S.B.: I see. I think it's important that there is hip-hop that reflects intelligence, since more African Americans and other once disenfranchised groups are earning college degrees.
Danny!: I agree wholeheartedly. I couldn't be something that I'm not in my music.
School, Interrupted
S.B.: You have already been through a lot in your career. How did you bounce back from depression after your expulsion from Clafin?
Danny!: I said, look, I'm not a failure. I didn't get kicked out of school to come home and do nothing. I probably quit [music] like everyday, but I had people around me who said, 'Don't quit.' I just listened to those who were in my corner. It took a couple of months [to get back on track]. I probably wouldn't be doing what I'm doing now if I had graduated from there.
Kanye: The Biting Question
S.B.: How did you feel about being compared to Kanye West a lot at the beginning of your career?
Danny!: For every ten people that think I'm trying to be like Kanye, there is at least one person that gets it. People thought I was trying to be like Kanye just because of what I called my first album [The College Kicked-Out] before they even heard my music. I just wanted to be heard and get my fair shot.
The Danny! Sound
S.B.: You and Kanye are both known for how you use samples. I understand that you even use some unusual European recordings.
Danny!: My song, Café Surreàl is an example of that. I used a soundtrack from a German song. It's like a lounge-y Euro-pop kind of thing. No one else is doing anything like that at the time.
S.B. That's a tight song.
Danny!: Thank you.
It's All Good
S.B. O.K. I have to ask this. Did you really start doing music just to get at Meagan Good?
Danny!: [Laughs.] I got tired of saying why I do music [in past interviews] and I would just deadpan, so I said Meagan Good. I do it for Meagan Good. I think she's a good actress and everything…
S.B.: You have a song called 'Meagan Good' on Dream, Fulfilled.
Danny!: It's kind of like Bonita Applebum only it's called Meagan Good.
S.B.: But you're not obsessed with her?
Danny!: No. [laughs again].
(S.B.: O.K. Meagan, you can sleep well tonight. Danny! is not stalking you.)
Ladies and gentleman, this is just the beginning. Stay tuned for more of my exclusive chat with this rising star.
Thanks for checking it out!
Peace,
-Shannon B.