Set to embark on a nationwide tour to promote his recent album “Old,” Danny Brown brought his unique style to Syracuse on Wednesday night to perform hits from his critically acclaimed album in front of a sold-out crowd.

The show, hosted at the Schine Underground on Wednesday night, was the first stop on Brown’s “The Old Danny Brown Tour” and was the latest installment of University Union’s Bandersnatch Music Series.

“Danny’s name has been buzzing around the UU office for a while now,” said Blair Schulman, co-director of the Bandersnatch series. “We were able to secure a date in early April, and the timing was perfect.”

Detroit native ZelooperZ opened the show for Brown with an energetic performance that was full of surprises. Brown and ZelooperZ recently linked up through Twitter, and Brown said he wants to be a mentor to the 20-year-old artist.

Before the concert, Brown discussed the start of his new tour and his history of performing on college campuses.

“I’m excited to be back on tour to keep getting the word out about ‘Old,’” Brown said. “We have fun everywhere we go, but I used to play college shows a lot when I was first coming up in the game.”

Brown recounted stories of taking a Greyhound bus to any campus that would pay him $500 at the very start of his career. With “The Old Danny Brown Tour,” Brown said he’s doing shows in front of bigger crowds that can reach up to 2,000 fans.

Although Wednesday night was the first show on his new tour, Brown wasn’t rusty at all on stage — he recently performed at South By Southwest with ZelooperZ, and their performance had many buzzing, particularly about ZelooperZ’s promising talent.

“Man, that was crazy. I could just tell the crowd was really feeling me, and I try to focus on bringing something new into my performances,” ZelooperZ said. “I can’t believe I’m really on tour now, it’s awesome.”

It was clear right away when ZelooperZ took the stage that his performance style goes against the grain. Parts of his set were abrasive, but he kept the audience by his side for the ride, and the result was refreshing and wholly impressive.

After a short break, Brown took the stage and kept the energy level elevated the entire time. Debuting a new green hairstyle, Brown performed hits like “Handstand,” “25 Bucks” and “Kush Coma,” all of which appear on “Old.”

Considering his famously rapid delivery and eclectic flow, Brown’s execution on stage was remarkable. He rapped technically challenging verses with precision throughout the set before closing out the show with an invigorating performance of his hit single “Dip.”

It has been a long road filled with hard work for Brown, who turned 33 last month. He said that touring has always been a big part of his career, and he recalled playing nine shows in one week at SXSW a few years ago.

“When you’re trying to make it, you’ll do a show whenever there’s a crowd. I’ve learned a lot over the years,” Brown said. “I want to be a mentor for Z to help him on the journey and make sure he doesn’t make the same mistakes I did.”

ZelooperZ said that Brown has treated him like a brother since he starting hanging out with him and his Bruiser Brigade crew. The rookie joined Brown on stage for most of his set, and their chemistry together was clearly apparent.

While Brown continues to promote “Old” to fans across the U.S., ZelooperZ plans on focusing on his new album, “HELP.”

“The album is done, and it’s going to surprise a lot of people,” ZelooperZ said. “Right now I just want to enjoy the moment and put on dope performances for people on this tour.”

If the opening show of “The Old Danny Brown Tour” was any indication, both Brown and ZelooperZ have promising futures ahead. Brown has become a favorite among critics, notably for his sophomore album “XXX” and now with “Old.”

Both rappers have abandoned the status quo in their genre to introduce new sounds and styles to fans. Brown serves as a prime example of how working hard can pay off, and ZelooperZ stands to benefit from learning from the “Old,” wise rapper.

Published on April 3, 2014 at 1:15 am

Contact Tom: tsharkey@syr.edu