Journey to healing: Rapper Danny Brown gets introspective with sobriety on 'Quaranta'

Apr. 6—Danny Brown has always done everything his own way.

Oftentimes, the Detroit native rapper and podcast host would spark a firestorm with his drunken antics.

Today, he's living in Austin, Texas, where he's living a new life — clean and sober.

He released the album, "Quaranta," late last year and the body of work chronicles his journey to where he is today.

"Everything has been going good," he says. "We had a lot of downtime for a few months and it's good to be back on the road. I've been working on my podcast and I'm in a good place."

Brown's tour is slated to make a stop at the Historic El Rey Theater in Downtown Albuquerque at 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 9. Opening for the show is Alice Longyu Gao and Bruiser Wolf.

Brown remained an underground hip-hop artist during his career.

He spent his time releasing mixtapes and eventually released his first studio album, "The Hybrid," in 2010.

In 2011, his follow-up album, "XXX," was released. During the same year, MTV took notice of Brown and called him "one of rap's most unique figures."

He broke through mainstream with his 2013 album, "Old," which reached No. 18 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart.

Throughout his journey in music, he's garnered plenty of accolades. He doesn't let any of it get to his head.

"I keep music the way I like it," he says. "It's good to be busy and I use my writing as a form of therapy."

As the 43-year-old rapper embarks on his latest tour, he feels less pressure with releasing music.

With six albums under his belt, he pulls from each album for his set list.

"I usually put songs in the set that I can remember," he says with a laugh. "I also want to feel comfortable with each song that I'm putting into the set. It all has to make sense."

With "Quaranta," Brown dove in deep to write some of the most personal songs telling his personal journey battling depression and addiction.

He says the writing process has gotten easier over time.

"I feel like if you write from the heart, you never really have writer's block," he says. "Writing is my therapy. There are subjects in my songs that I wouldn't talk about with my friends or family. The process for this album was freeing and I felt like it all had to be said. I've been on a journey and discovered myself again."

Brown, born Daniel Dewan Sewell, says he's wanted to be a rapper since he was in kindergarten.

His dad was a DJ and was surrounded by music, where he acted like a sponge and took everything in.

"I've been blessed and I continue to work with people who challenge me in the studio," Brown says. "I've been a fan of music all my life. It's been years that I've been in the game and I still have the passion for it. Sometimes the business aspect makes it feel like a job, but I have to remember that the passion for creating music is there and it makes me happy."