Review: London’s Danny Seth sends a stern warning with "Perception" album

For whatever reason, it has always seemed like hip-hop artists from the UK could never quite cross the pond and make an impact here in the States. It’s not to say they they haven’t tried. We’ve heard of emcees like Dizzee Rascal and Tinie Tempah, who have seen minimal success, and more recently, we’re seeing Little Simz, who actually looks promising, as well as Skepta who is looking to help usher in England’s Grime sound.

Enter 23 year-old Danny Seth, who hails from London, but as of late has gotten quite cozy in Los Angeles. Looking to add his name to the mix and possibly surpass the success of his predecessors, he recently dropped his latest album, Perception, a freebie labeled as a gift to his fans. I was able to preview the album shortly before the release, and because Danny Seth isn’t someone I was previously familiar with, this was one of the more interesting reviews I’ve done.

Let’s get to it.

From the gate, Danny immediately sets the tone for Perception, with “Monumental”, a very minimalistic track that sees him spitting bar after bar, over chamber choir-laced production, about how he ended up in America on an internship, but quickly outgrew that in favor of making his own way and taking orders from only himself.

With hard-hitting production from MD$, Sevn Thomas, most notably, Ducko McFli, Danny provides a soundtrack heavy in emphasis on doing things yourself and not seeking handouts, as touched upon on “I Arise Because”, one of my favorite tracks on the album. “I’m feeling like myself/I woke up/Remembered that I did it by myself”, he raps on the song’s hook.

As he alludes to it many times through this project, Danny pens line after line about how he’s the one to be on the lookout for and how bright his future is. He believes he is what’s missing in hip-hop and as good as he raps, it’s hard to really blame him.

For the most part, Danny Seth stays the course, with hungry and ambitious lyricism. It’s blatantly clear how badly he wants to kick down the door for artists from the UK looking to win in the U.S. It’s also evident how at times it appears Danny has a love/hate relationship with where he’s from, as heard on “Our City”, where he’s assisted by Louis M^ttrs. “I find it funny how I had a fan base in the U.S./Before my own people finding out about me”, he spits, but then shrugs it off by vowing to put on for his city, regardless. “I guess it bothered me, but I just kept writing/Little do my city know I’m tryna make ’em shine for longer than a second/Like some lightning”.

The absolute highlight on Perception comes in the form of “Danny Darling”, which is the most intimate and creative song on the whole album. Danny writes a candid open letter to his stepmom, expressing the pain he deals with as a result of her and his dad splitting up. He then takes the second half of song, turning it into a hypothetical response from the woman known as Suzanne, who explains that distance between them is what’s best because she can’t be reminded of Danny’s father.

“The British are coming” has been a popular tagline of Danny’s throughout his Perception campaign, and by the looks of it, the “rapping One Direction” just might have a valid claim.

Stream Perception for yourself, below. If you like it, pick it up. It’s free. Also, pay close attention to the tracklist, which cleverly spells out a pretty cool message.