XXX

XXX is a mixtape by Detroit rapper Danny Brown, released as a free download by Fool’s Gold Records on August 15, 2011.

The story

Brown built XXX around turning 30 and described it as an experiment in how far he could push listeners. He structured it as a concept record in two halves: the first half is lighter, and from track 13 on the songs turn more serious. The only guests are his Bruiser Brigade associates Chips and Dopehead.

Sound and production

Frank Dukes, Brandun DeShay, Skywlkr, Nick Speed, Quelle Chris, Paul White, Squadda Bambino and DJ House Shoes produced the tape. That mix of Detroit producers and outside collaborators set up the eclectic sound Brown kept developing on later albums.

Legacy

XXX has a Metacritic score of 83. Pitchfork rated it 8.2 and placed it 19th on its list of the top 50 albums of 2011. Spin named it the best hip-hop album of the year. In 2016 Pitchfork ranked it third on its list of the 50 best rap mixtapes of the millennium. A deluxe digital edition with three bonus tracks followed on March 13, 2012, and 2012 also brought vinyl pressings, including a Record Store Day edition. It was reissued again in 2021. The mixtape led directly to his retail debut, Old, on Fool’s Gold in 2013.