Danny! is not your average rapper. You can’t box him in or classify him. Although several comparisons to Kanye and Little Brother have been made, after one listen to Danny’s music, it’s obvious he’s a one-of-akind musician. What’s your background as an artist and producer? I started making beats and writing lyrics when I was a kid. When I turned 19 I decided to go full force with it. I put out my first album in 2004. A lot of people were feeling it. People were trying to compare me to Kanye West too much so I got a lot of flack for that. I kept working at it, trying to get people to take me seriously. After a while people said, “Okay, this guy has something.” I put out my third CD and that’s when things fell into place. Everybody was saying it was the best album they heard in a while. A couple of the tracks were selected for the Grammy Short List in 2007. I got an invitation to go to the show. That was a testament as to how far you can go in music if you keep working at it. What happened after that? A month before I went to the Grammys I got a record deal with a label in Manhattan called Def Jux. I’m working on my album for them right now. Before that, I’m going to put out one last independent album on my own. Are you doing a movie or something? That’s actually the album I’m working on called And I Love Her, the original motion picture soundtrack. It’s not really a soundtrack and there’s no movie at this point. I was trying to pattern it after this Beatles’ movie called A Hard Day’s Night. The cover art and song titles were based off of the Beatles. It’s really a movie on wax. From start to finish it’s like watching a movie but you’re listening to it. Halfway through it I thought it wouldn’t hurt to do a movie, so we’re talking to a few people right now about shooting something for it to go along with the album release. You’re music definitely falls in a class of its own. If you had to title your sound, what would you call it? (long pause) I don’t know. If people aren’t saying Kanye, they’re saying old-school.
But I wouldn’t say that at all; I’d say new-school, something fresh, an updated version of what we’re all familiar with. It’s not just one sound. I have songs that have cymbals you’d hear on a Rick Ross song, but I’m still doing me. I sound international. I can’t even classify myself. The only reason why I understand people comparing me to Kanye is because I titled my first album The College Kicked-Out. I did it in a joking way, not because I wanted to be like Kanye. At the time I got kicked out of school for something stupid. After that you went to the Savannah College of Art & Design, right? Yeah, I’m still there now. I got kicked out and moved here a year later in 2005. I lost a lot of credits but that’s not gonna keep me out of school. We’ll see how far the music is gonna take me but I want to have something to fall back on. I’m studying sequential art, storyboarding, TV shows, movies and things like that. You have the right look to star in movies. Have you thought about that? Me and my friend were joking about going into movies if this rap stuff doesn’t work out. We do talk about it. We could make up a sitcom or movie and people would laugh at it. I’ve never acted professionally but I have thought about doing it after everything else has been accomplished in music. What would be the perfect character for you to play? Some neurotic character, somebody’s who’s wildin’ out for no reason, someone crazy. That’s not completely me but I’d definitely play someone funny that makes somebody laugh, unintentionally or otherwise. What are some other things people should be looking out for? Check for this album. We’re working some things out as far as distribution. Look out for updates on Myspace. Shout out to Charlamagne and Randy Exclusive. Randy’s kicking around a mixtape idea with Sam King and Charlamagne’s got me on the South Kak album. Play my music and you won’t be disappointed. Website: Myspace.com/Mcdanny
OZONE | 13