Where Is Danny?

According to the Village Voice, the title Where Is Danny? is intended to serve as an allusion to the mystique surrounding both the album's frequent delays and Danny! himself,[9] whose documented reclusive nature has raised questions on his whereabouts from fans and friends alike. Danny! would go on to clarify that the name of the album should be interpreted not only as an inquiry on his physical location, but his mental and musical one as well, of which music critic Robert Christgau has quipped "could be anywhere".[10] The primary objective of Where Is Danny?, according to the rapper in an interview with mtvU, is to "say the most fucked-up shit" to see how much he can get away with:

"It's borderline retaliation, knowwhatI'msayin'? [laughs] Like, people will praise my [music] production...[but] when it comes to my lyrics it's always 'well, Danny! may not be the most complex rapper, but...' or 'Danny!'s beats are amazing, but his lyrics...' blah blah blah, and I've grown quite sick of it actually. This album will change all of that. I'm well-aware that people love my conceptual, story-type albums but I wanted to show that, like, I wasn't overly-reliant on that. [I wanted to] remind people 'hey, I can rap too y'know!' I only hope that I don't alienate, like, the fans who became hip after "Café Surreàl" or "Fly", but true fans will definitely appreciate it."[11]

Danny! later reiterated the same to PopMatters, saying:

"I’m going to take everything about Danny! that is good in a different direction. A lot of the reviews don’t mention my rhyming schemes. They talk up my production but they say my lyrics aren’t as good. I put a lot of work into my rhymes. My next album is going to be similar to the minimalism of Madvillainy. I’d like to get more credit for my rhymes and talent as an emcee. Hopefully that’ll happen."[12]

In the months before its release Where Is Danny? was revealed by VIBE[13] as being a sharp deviation from the post-Charm output that has since become Danny!'s definitive sound. In early 2009 SPIN echoed VIBE's sentiments, reiterating that the record would be less of a departure from Danny!'s musical direction but more of a return to original form, sounding "[as] over-the-top as The Slim Shady LP a decade ago[14]".

Material from the album (namely, the first of a two-part song entitled "Sloppy Joe") was performed for the first time during an Atlanta concert with Canadian rapper Drake in May 2009.[15] The album is intended to have an unorthodox feel, lyrically and sonically, throughout its entirety; Danny! revealed that some tracks would be a minute long, some less than that, and others as long as seven minutes. Presumably this was an effort to further distance Danny! from his previous noteworthy albeit formulaic material, bordering on blatant over-exaggeration.

The initial artwork for Where Is Danny? featured Roy Lichtenstein's "Pistol". The album's official 2011 release featured an alternate version of the same image first used by Time Magazine.

Though the record was slated for a Definitive Jux release (and later an Interscope one), Danny! would jokingly threaten to self-release the album independently, just as he did with Danny Is Dead and And I Love H.E.R., should either label begin to pull its support.[14]

Official release dates for Where Is Danny? have been listed as early as June 2009, but the record had yet to be shipped to retail. The record's frequent delays marks the second time in which an album title by Danny! became ironic, the first being 2006's Charm. A clean version of the album leaked to the internet in late August, but was swiftly removed. An unmastered beta version would later leak in late November. Where Is Danny?'s frequent delays caused a minor chagrin among fans and writers; an exasperated Impose Magazine questioned whether or not Danny! was still relevant despite having released an album the year before and an instrumental record in mid-2009.[16]

In 2011 the release date for the official version of the record was announced. The release would feature only production from Danny! himself[17] following a legal dispute between himself and the album's original producer.

Unlike his breakthrough albums Charm and And I Love H.E.R., both of which were concept albums made to fit with an overall storyline, the lyrics on Where Is Danny? are largely random, covering a wide range of subjects. He often referenced pop culture figures, morbid events (incorporating dark humor) and sexual encounters that smack of exaggeration. Danny! also used satire on some of the song titles, paying homage to Panic! at the Disco ("Manic at the Disco"), The Beatles ("I Ain't The Walrus") and actor George Wendt.

While production was originally handled by an unnamed former ally, the final version of Where Is Danny? was entirely produced by Danny! and contains few known samples. Much like the lyrics, the sound and production of this album differs greatly to Danny!'s other releases. After introducing a style fusing jazz and lounge music with And I Love H.E.R., Where is Danny? relied on old funk loops, big band samples, children's music and even French noir soundtracks. Many songs end abruptly with field recordings from the 1950s, crowd ambience or industrial stock effects (such as a minute-long jackhammer sequence at the end of "I Ain't The Walrus").