Danny Brown Thanksgiving Concert (November 2017)

Bruiser Thanksgiving #4

            On November 22, the fourth-annual Bruiser Thanksgiving concert was held at Club Fantasy in Detroit. The event, hosted by rapper and Detroit native Danny Brown, showcased several artists between 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., most notably famed internet rapper Lil B “The Based God.”

            Located on Fort Street near Mexican Town, Club Fantasy, a large warehouse, was packed by the time the headlining acts were set to preform. Black lights, lasers, and fog machines set the atmosphere and accompanied the music. The opening acts for the show included, but were not limited to, rapper and DJ duo Detroit Lines, DJ Venus X, and electronic artist Jlin.

            Since his first release in 2007, the thirty-six-year-old Brown, whose real name is Daniel Sewell, has received critical acclaim for his unorthodox style of rapping, along with his gritty content. In a review of his most recent album, 2016’s “Atrocity Exhibition,” Rolling Stone wrote that Brown had “built an intense indie fan base thanks to a quirky off-kilter flow about his various vices.”

            Beginning his set at 10:45, Brown entered the stage to Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man,” and then transitioned into his song “Die Like A Rockstar.” The crowd immediately pushed forward, and a mosh pit formed as soon as the beat started to play. Brown played hit songs ranging his three studio albums including “Monopoly,” “Really Doe,” “Dip,” “Dope Song,” and several others. In parting, Brown gave the crowd the advice of “if you’re drinking don’t be driving,” and “don’t touch no girls unless they want you to.”

            Following Brown was rapper Lil B the Based God, who has attained a massive online following for his viral, often bizarre internet hits. In an interview with The Fader, Lil B said of his persona, “just spending a lot of time learning about myself and entering a higher level within my mind. I was exploring my mind, and I ended up finding the Based God.” His set began on a mellow note, playing lesser-known tracks from his over 100 hours of free music. After about four songs, the bass notes from one of his biggest songs “Like A Martian” hit, and the crowd erupted like they had for Brown.

            One of the attendees was Jenna Marr, a University of Michigan-Dearborn student who had not been to a hip-hop concert until that night. “I felt the crowd was a lot more energetic than most of the rock shows I’ve been to before,” she said. “The crowd wasn’t just after a good time, they wanted to make sure their experience at that show stuck with them.” Marr added that her favorite part of the show was when Danny Brown performed “Pneumonia,” saying “it was great being in the middle of all that energy.”