ISSBROKIE
Stardust is the sixth studio album by American rapper Danny Brown. It was released on November 7, 2025 through Warp Records. The album features EDM and hyperpop-inspired production, marking a stylistic departure from his 2023 albums Quaranta and Scaring the Hoes (with JPEGMafia). Stardust features guest appearances and production contributions from a younger generation of artists, including Quadeca, Jane Remover, Underscores, Frost Children, and Femtanyl.
In 2023, Brown went to rehab for alcoholism and became sober for the first time, initially planning to retire from music before rekindling his interest through listening to hyperpop duo 100 gecs. While Brown had previously experimented with electronic music on Old (2013), he initially struggled to connect with the genre in his new sobriety. His perspective shifted after discovering newer artists, including Underscores and her studio album Wallsocket (2023). Although Brown would work with Dylan Brady of 100 gecs and PC Music founder A. G. Cook, their musical direction diverged. He instead took an interest in the digicore scene, where he met his personal A&R, DeadAir Records founder Jesse Taconelli.
When production of Stardust began, Taconelli suggested Brown should envision the album through the lens of an alter ego. Brown expanded on this concept by creating Dusty Star, a fictional '90s-era popstar. He was inspired further by Angel Prost of hyperpop duo Frost Children, who recorded spoken word interludes throughout the album as fan mail that inspires Dusty Star. Encouraged by folktronica musician Quadeca, Brown also relearned how to write songs through Julia Cameron's self-help book The Artist's Way (1992) and its outline of a 12-week program. As his first album recorded while sober, Stardust explores themes of purpose, regret, braggadocio, and gratitude.
To promote the album, Brown released the lead single "Starburst" on September 23, 2025, and the second single "Copycats" (featuring Underscores) on October 16, 2025. He embarked on a North American concert tour from November to December 2025, with Underscores and Femtanyl as opening acts. Upon release, Stardust received mixed to positive reviews from music critics, who praised the album's narrative and guest features while criticizing its inconsistency. Commercially, the album charted on Billboard's Top Dance Albums, the North American College and Community Radio Chart, three UK charts and the Scottish Albums chart.
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