Danny! "Payback" album cover
Danny! Swain’s long awaited studio Payback will finally see the light of day on September 25th, 2012, the first release on the newly revamped all-digital Okayplayer Records. Payback is the third album in Danny!’s critically acclaimed trilogy of concept albums, the previous releases being Charm and And I Love H.E.R., both of which received rave reviews from Pitchfork and ABC News.
Get more info on Danny! and Payback after the jump, as well as an exclusive 30-minute "Best of Danny!" mix by Danny! himself.
Check the full tracklist for "The Best Of Danny!" on SoundCloud.
Payback is a 17-track album and will feature the likes of El-P, Blu, Phonte, Gavin Castleton, Agallah, Tanya Morgan, Lil B, DJ Kay Slay, actress Amber Rose Tamblyn, and even some drumming from ?uestlove himself. The album is entirely produced by Danny! himself, who describes the beats on Payback as “a sort of tribute to the infamous sound created by Timbaland and Missy Elliott during the Swing Mob days.” Payback will be narrated by Joi, Dungeon Family affiliate and longtime Danny! mentor."
Danny!’s first breakthrough came on the heels of his third album Charm. The album would go on to be included on the Grammy shortlist for that year and, later, find its way to the Definitive Jux offices where Danny! signed his first record deal. “I remember developing my online presence early on,” says Danny!, whose relentless DIY ethic was instrumental in getting his music heard by critics and consumers alike.
Though the record deal only amounted to a digital single titled “Just Friends”, Danny! continued to press forward with his music and eventually released an EP (Danny Is Dead) and a full-length (And I Love H.E.R.: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) independently, the latter of which would go on to be praised in the press. “All of the [acclaim] was just encouragement to keep going,” recounts Danny!. “I felt as if I had a message to share and people that were willing to listen liked what they heard.”
After years of working independently and gaining critical praise – and shortly after the Where Is Danny? project was released via Interscope’s digital division last May – Danny! made his way onto ?uestlove’s radar. The Roots’ drummer announced to the world via Twitter that there was a strong interest from Jay-Z in Danny!, and has continuously been vocal about his admiration in the young producer/rapper. “That right there, like, to be told that the biggest MC in the universe is checking for you? And really digs your music? That’s the ultimate motivation,” Danny! says. “[I know] a lot of artists would kill for that sort of recognition, and I am blessed to be able to witness perseverance finally paying off.”
But Danny! is far from comfortable. “Show and prove is the name of the game,” he says. “Now that the spotlight is on me, I’ve got to show everyone that believed in me – Okayplayer, ?uestlove, Jay, everybody – that they were right all along. I just want to make everyone proud.”
Payback Tracklist:
1. Overture
2. Myintrotoletuknow
3. Little Black Boy
4. Get Up
5. Evil
6. Even Louder
7. Phonte
8. Shit Starters
9. Overture Reprise
10. Speed
11. Go That-A-Way
12. Misunderstood
13. I Don’t Wanna Hear That Shit (Remix)
14. Do It All Over Again
15. Keep Your Head To The Sky
16. Far Away
17. Payback
