Danny Brown names his favourite white rappers
Detroit legend Danny Brown is something of a modern-day legend. Sure, his high-pitched cackle is notorious and his wardrobe looks like peak Millennial in Brooklyn catalogue. But beyond the vibrant style and the iconic swept hair is a hip-hop artist that has come to define his genre as much as it defies it.
His lyrics are both witty and introspective, with topics such as poverty and mental health puncturing his story-telling as much as his lighter anecdotes of partying and sex. A gifted code switcher, the rapper spins his storytelling over a wicked tapestry of genres, pulling from the likes of punk and electronic. His production is airtight and his energy, whether in the studio or performing live, is captivating.
He is also – as fans will be the first to assert – laugh out funny in real life. With his own talk show, The Danny Brown Show, and a presence on the gaming and internet culture circuit, the award-winning rapper has also become something of a media personality in his own right.
So naturally, if Brown has something to say – whether a joke, commentary on the music industry, or both – it’s worth listening to. In a 2024 appearance in the show Drink Champs, Brown was asked to share his thoughts on “white boy rappers”, and was egged to pick between the likes of Eminem and Machine Gun Kelly.
“Come on man. Y’all trying to be funny now,” he responded. “I mean of course it’s going to be Em. I mean, we wouldn’t get an MGK if it weren’t for Em. You know? Weren’t no white boys coming around, you know?,” he said. He then went on to cite Third Base, Vanilla Ice, Milk Bone, and the Beastie Boys as predecessors of the white boy rapper club.
“I mean, my favourite white boy rapper is El-P [of Run The Jewels], so…” he then ultimately added.
EL-P is best known for his performance with Killer Mike as Run The Jewels, a hip-hop duo celebrated for their politically charged albums that combine thunderous energy with sharp and astute social commentary. And likewise with Danny Brown, EL-P’s work outside of Run The Jewels is celebrated for redefining the sound of the independent rap movement, credited for pioneering a whole new era of hip-hop that steered more left-field.
Eminem, too, is an unsurprising shout out from Brown. A fellow Detriot native, Slim Shady is perhaps the white boy rapper, purely down to his commercial and critical success within a genre so utterly dominated by Black artists, community, and stories. One of the most accomplished rappers in history, Eminem has had his fair share of fun with his ‘white boy’ status. “You act like you never seen a white person before,” he says in the tongue-in-cheek 2000 single “The Real Slim Shady”.
Danny Brown’s most recent album, Stardust, was released on November 7, 2025 to excellent reviews. The first album he recorded entirely sober, it is notable for its heightened genre fusion, with EDM and hyperpop sounds especially relevant across the record.