Buy Now
| Buy on |  |
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
- Nov 17, 2025If there’s a weakness that prevents this record from reaching the heights of his previous works, it’s that Danny doesn’t always know what to do over these pumping, otherworldly productions (particularly the lesser underscores collaboration Baby) but it’s hugely encouraging to see the rapper engaging with younger generations, sounding lively and charismatic 15 years in.
- MojoNov 12, 2025Jolting with energy and pitch-black humour, Stardust is a sonic pink'n'mix that finds Brown firmly relocating his psychedelic wildness. [Jan 2026, p.87]
- Nov 7, 2025As a whole, Stardust is Brown's strongest album since 2019's uknowwhatimsayin¿. This is a concise, confident and encouraging body of work that will instill hope in fans for what's to come.
- Nov 7, 2025As he ricochets through twitchy rave pulses, sugar-corroded pop sheen and chrome-filmed club futurism, Brown is still unmistakably himself – even if not all experimentation lands perfectly.
- Nov 6, 2025After the insular mood of Quaranta, with its themes of addiction and depression, it’s refreshing to hear Brown having unabashed neon-lit fun.
- Nov 6, 2025Perhaps most thrilling is when those two sides merge, as they do on the epic, stylistically fluid ‘The End’, which runs nearly nine minutes and confirms - as does ‘Stardust’ as a whole - that his ambition remains undimmed as he opens this new chapter.
- Nov 6, 2025Loading all but two songs with features leads to a certain amount of tonal whiplash, but Brown has the chops, charisma and unbridled energy to mostly pull it off. Few of the featured performers can keep up with him, but the production is inspired and demonstrates how a newfound clarity and focus have elevated every aspect of his artistry.
- Nov 6, 2025The results are remarkably arresting. There are moments where Stardust sounds more poppy and obviously hook-laden than Brown has ever done before.
- Nov 6, 2025In many ways, Stardust feels like a companion to 2013’s Old, an album that similarly found Brown wrestling with fame and isolation, doubt and self-confidence, over some of the most groundbreaking EDM-inspired beats of the era. In revisiting these issues with a newfound maturity, Stardust is the sound of an artist coming full circle.
- Nov 10, 2025Despite the diversity of collaborators, the album does have parts that sounds a tad samey and perhaps certain sections could have been left out. However, Stardust is a victory lap for Brown capped off with “All4U”, featuring a selection of perfectly atmospheric sounds programmed by Dariacore creator Jane Remover and a relentless onslaught of words from hip-hop’s UNCexpected innovator.
- Nov 7, 2025Brown surrounds himself with hyperpop’s new guard, a coterie of mostly queer artists, such as femtanyl, 8485, and IssBrokie, whose cutting-edge idiosyncrasies and dialed-in performances help keep Stardust from feeling like a vacuous pastiche.
- Dec 1, 2025It took me a few listens to connect with Stardust, and there are a few songs I still don’t care for. However, Brown’s ferocious talent as a rapper remains as sharp as ever, and that is the through-line that kept me engaged across even the less successful swings.
- The WireNov 14, 2025The results are overwhelmingly chirpy, but there's a frisson between his uniquely crusty voice and the shimmering digital surfaces. He sounds comfortable, but he doesn't blend in. [Dec 2025, p.63]
- Nov 7, 2025‘Stardust’ is more fun than it is masterful.
- Nov 12, 2025It’s a love letter to rap and the people who made him excited about creating again. It’s saccharine, maybe a little pat, but the emotion in his voice makes it hard not to feel fuzzy.
- Nov 13, 2025It’s so unrestrained that it sometimes loses its grip, condensing several albums worth of ideas into a single project that isn’t quite as compelling as the sum of its parts, the sum of its collaborators, or the sum of its energy.
- Nov 10, 2025While there’s a certain charm in a rap vet humbly taking cues from the youthful, queer-led scene that helped him pick up the broken pieces of his life, the music isn’t as riveting as the optics. Stardust is a fitting title — this is Danny Brown-lite.
- Nov 12, 2025‘1999’ has a nice, early 90s computer game vibe, but the BMTH-esque screaming vocals completely kill any momentum that the two-minute track had. It really is a shame because there are plenty of moments here that make you think that Danny might turn the corner and bring back some of the whacky, darker vibes from the past, but those moments are always killed by embarrassing vocals, cringe worthy pop choruses and not enough of Danny himself actually rapping.
