Yesterday, I got my copy of “And I Love Her”, the fourth independent and conceptual album from South Carolina rapper/producer Danny! and I started to write a review for it. Then I thought about it and since the album flows like a movie, instead of giving my thoughts on it, I decided to hit D. Swain and let him give a track-by-track account of his own album (brilliant!).

That worked out perfectly because Danny! was in Atlanta today, so I basically kidnapped him and forced him to sit at a computer and write out what each song on his new album/movie is about.

That’s right people, not only do I have the album, I got the critical breakdown straight from the man himself. Check D. Swain’s overview, my 2 Cents and rating after the jump.

 

1. “Intro”

This is a pretty scathing record, even for me. Everyone knows I start my albums out with a self-aware rant of what’s going on in my life and career, so I got everything off my chest that I was dealing with. Everything from my Def Jux situation, biters, to being overlooked by print media gets addressed.

2. “Guess Who’s Back”

One of the first beats I made for the album back when I was first starting on it. I reached out to my frat brother Naledge of Kidz In The Hall to hop on the hook and he wound up doing a verse and killed it. The chemistry on the track is crazy, and it helps set the album off perfectly.

3. “I Want H.E.R. (She’s So Heavy)”

My boy Alex Goose did this beat; everyone knows my projects are usually self-contained but me and him are close friends and he brings the heat all the time. My homegirl Brittany Bosco is on the chorus. This is the part of the “movie” where the boy meets the girl for the very first time and he’s trying to get at her…or rather, H.E.R.

4. “At What Price”

“And I Love H.E.R.” originally started off as this 60’s-esque, Big Beat record with a lot of big sounds and horns and whatnot, but over time the project morphed into something totally different. It has its moments where it sounds like that, but I never imagined it would have its mellow moments either. “At What Price” is an example of that. It’s a story about a girl that tried to use her friends to get to the top but karma came back at her and now she’s stranded in her hometown doing shows for free. It’s unanimously everyone’s favorite record on the album, and I purposely showed my ass at the halfway mark of the song by letting the instrumental ride out for two minutes. I’m sorry.

5. “Jet Set”

The original beat for “Jet Set” was a sample from this dreamy, French pop record but I switched it up when I remembered this Charlie Brown movie from when I was younger and flipped that. I purposely used these southern drums with extra-loud hi-hats and even a dude saying “what! what!” in the background just to be funny. Matter of fact, I think they’re the same drums from “Café Surreal”. I like to think of it as a “Can’t Wait, Pt. 2” but not quite. It’s got a similar subject matter though.

6. “The Groove”

Speaking of “Café Surreal”, I had the same reservations about “The Groove” when I was working on it as I did with “Café…” Personally I liked it, but I didn’t know if it would go over with the extra hardcore hip-hop fans. But when “Café…” took off it gave me a little reassurance so I basically did what the hell I wanted to on this song. It’s the only song on “And I Love H.E.R.” that I don’t care if anyone likes it or not, I think it’s dope. It’s basically a party track and after I recorded to the original version I found out that the Beatnuts used the same sample so I added clips from that song to bridge the two and pay homage.

7. “Not The One”

Again, as “And I Love H.E.R.” continued to develop I branched out I began to let these chill, down-tempo tracks make their way onto the project. The beat for “Not The One” is actually two years old. The basic premise is that me and my boy Kid Syc are at this club trying to get at these girls but as soon as we think we’ve got ‘em they hit us with the okie-doke. I’m sure a lot of people can relate to it.

8. “Misery”

The beat for “Misery” is actually two years old too, I think it was done around the time “Not The One” was made. I even recorded a demo version of this song in late 2006 that you can find on the internets if you know where to look. “Misery”, along with “Do You” later on in the album are the most personal songs I’ve ever done in my life. Collette from Columbia is on the track and she did the damn thing.

9. “Intermission (interlude)”

This is one of those self-indulgent tracks where I get to say sh*t like if people don’t like this album, I’ll be okay ‘cause I’ll just re-release “Charm” with a bonus DVD and still get paid. I like my self-aware songs the best ‘cause I tend to say whatever I want and people are like, “only Danny would say that!” “Intermission (interlude)” ends Act I of the album and begins Act II.

10. “Wanderland”

“Wanderland” is the second of three songs on “And I Love H.E.R.” that’s produced by my friend Alex Goose. I love how the heavy drums and sparseness of the track bring my voice front and center, I don’t think I have many songs like that. When I got finished writing it someone told me it reminded them a lot of “Second Childhood” by Nas, which is one my favorite records by one of my favorite MCs.

11. “Where You Goin’”

When people ask me what my favorite track on the album is, I’m always torn between this and “I Don’t Know”, which comes later in the album. My friend Maria makes a guest appearance, and I just love the production on it as a whole. It’s the part of the “movie” where I’m trying to reconcile with my girl because she thinks I’ve been cheating on her with someone else.

12. “Never Change”

This song sort of picks up where the intro left off. It’s basically my frustration with everyone not accepting me as an artist because I’m not “deep” or fit into the mold of what they think a rapper should be. I’ve always been outspoken but never really spoke on the issue in depth so this was my way of venting. There’s two funny parts about this song: the first is that I actually sing briefly after my verse is over (I never sing), and the second is that at the very end of the song I have my boy Branden sing “fuck y’all niggas!” “Never Change” is the last track that Alex Goose produced.

13. “I Don’t Know”

Again, I keep switching between this song and “Where You Goin’” as my favorite joint on “And I Love H.E.R.” It’s very catchy and I feel like if it came on the radio it’d be a hit. My man Von Pea from Tanya Morgan came through on the first verse and Stephanie Mae knocked out the chorus. I throw another jab at Def Jux on the bridge when I’m like, “she asked when my Def Jux album droppin’ / Told her ‘I don’t know’”.

14. “Yoko Ono”

The funny thing about this track is that when I named it “Yoko Ono” originally I never really thought of a reason why; I just wanted to tie every song on “And I Love H.E.R.” to the Beatles in some way, whether by title or by musical influence. Before I even finished my verse someone asked me, “why DO you call this beat ‘Yoko Ono’”? And, as if it were scripted, I said “’cause this bitch is crazy!” and it just stuck. The homie Che Grand hits it out of the park on the first verse.

15. “Do You”

Most albums have the requisite introspective/”deep” track but “And I Love H.E.R.” has what, three? “Do You”, along with “Misery”, are very dear to me because they’re extremely personal and give people a glimpse of a part of my life that they never knew. In this I kinda talk about the relationship between me and my mom. I love the sample I flip because it’s haunting, and the drums try to drown it out but it can’t.

16. “After The Love Has Gone”

I purposely named this song “After The Love HAS Gone” instead of “After The Love IS Gone” as homage to the Earth Wind & Fire track. This song went through a lot of changes, as the original beat was switched up so many times to the point that the liner notes list Alex Goose as the producer when in fact we made a 11^th hour change and used my beat instead. Me and my girl decide to break up for the time being but there’s always the possibility we’ll hook back up. Someone said the sample reminds them of the Hawaii 5-0 theme song but I don’t know.

17. “Keep Dreamin’”

I freakin’ love this song. No one expects D. Swain to do a track like this but again I prove people wrong. The drums are all over the place and the sample I used came from this French library record used for sporting events. I even rap in double time! Cats ain’t ready for that. It has a triumphant feel to it even though most of the album has come off kinda defeatist at this point. At the end of the song I don’t rule out the possibility of putting out another album, but we’ll see…

R.E.’s 2 Cents: In the same way that Charm was a conceptual masterpiece, “And I Love H.E.R.” adopts a concept throughout the album that Danny! delivers perfectly. What makes this album great isn’t Danny!’s rhyme skills, but instead his concepts, ideas, lyrical content, outstanding production and the way the album’s story is painted so vividly are what make this project memorable. In a time in hip-hop where Lil Wayne can sell 400,000 albums in one day, without anyone knowing what the fuck he’s rapping about, Danny! is the anti-Weezy. Of course, the words don’t sound as good coming out of his mouth, but it’s clear through 17-tracks that D. Swain is in love with hip-hop, just as Common expressed his love on “I Used To Love H.E.R.” in 1994.

Rating: 4 and 1/2 chicken sandwiches (and a side of waffle fries, just because my name is in the “Thank You” notes, but they don’t count towards the rating).

Leaked Tracks

Danny! ft. Naledge - Guess Who’s Back

Danny! ft. Von Pea - I Don’t Know

“And I Love H.E.R.” will be available at CDBaby.com on June 24th.