REVIEW: Danny Brown with underscores and Femtanyl: Live at The Masquerade (Heaven) - ATL
- Mikey Smith
- Dec 16, 2025
- 3 min read
The Detroit rapper's experimental shift pays off on his nationwide tour with a cast of rising stars
Rocking a setlist full of tracks from his latest release, Stardust, Danny Brown brought in a huge crowd alongside friends and feature collaborators underscores and Femtanyl. The trio’s huge, hyperpop light-show spectacular felt perfectly at home amongst the excited ATL fans at The Masquerade’s Heaven stage.
Starting the night with their signature brand of in-your-face, bass-boosted breakcore, Femtanyl did not waste a moment to crank the energy to 11. Playing a mix of underground hit singles and songs off their forthcoming debut record, MAN BITES DOG, the Toronto digital hardcore group had their own legion of fans in attendance to support their appearance on Brown’s fall tour. The largely Gen Z audience fit right in with the headliner’s fanbase, prepared to mosh, scream, and bring a rockstar attitude to these alternative sound-spaces.
However, hyperpop isn’t what it is without pop. Enter underscores, the indie popstar alias of April Grey. An innovator of the genre and a personal favorite of Danny Brown (who would praise her 2023 project Wallsocket a few times in his set), underscores kept the vibes of the night on a high with her own twist on the genre. Records like her aforementioned 2023 album pull from many different inspirations, some leaning towards slow, indie-emo songs of the 90s-2010s, and some being catchy, glitchy pop cuts that will still be stuck in your head years later.
On her new batch of singles throughout 2025, her sound has fully entered the pop space alongside the experimental aspects of previous projects. Grey’s live set on the tour solidified this new era complete with a full-blast AC machine to get the full “hair-in-the-wind” pop girl experience.
Before long, the Detroit rap legend Danny Brown appeared in the huge, light-up square with the bass-heavy, delightfully off-kilter lead single “Starburst” off his new album. Following it up with the house-inspired “Flowers” and “Lift You Up,” Brown successfully carries over his humorous and honest rap persona into this electronic space (which he’s publicly praised for years). The 44-year old artist embraced his new, sober energy while being decked out in a fur coat and rapping bar-for-bar with little to no backing tracks.
Midway through the set, he took it back through with a blast to his past projects like 2011’s XXX and 2016’s Atrocity Exhibition. While some fan favorites off his past work were omitted from the setlist, the songs that were selected still fit with this electro-esque phase.
Danny Brown highlighted his dance/hyperpop collaborations with artists such as Jane Remover (“Psychoboost”) and Frost Children (“Shake It Like A”) by including them in the set, much to the delight of his new fans from these scenes. He even brought out the openers to perform their songs off Stardust (“1l0v3myl1f3!” with Femtanyl, “Copycats” and “Baby” with underscores), making for fun moments for those who might’ve been introduced to these artists through Danny (and vice-versa).
Ending the night with his album closer, “All4u,” Brown reminds the audience that they are just important in creating the art as he is. Lyrics like “All I wanted was to be a rap star / Didn’t know I could make it this far / All I wanted was to spit those bars / And I made it here, against all odds / Now I do it all for you,” reveal how his battles with addiction and the clashing of his dreams with industry expectations led him to becoming the fan-favorite of the music world that he is today.
Featuring a bill of groundbreaking artists from different generations, Danny Brown’s latest tour killed with its fun and surprisingly heartwarming take on the world of hyperpop. Although the tour may have concluded, each act feels far from over in their newest efforts, leaving fans craving for whatever happens next.
Thank you to Danny Brown, underscores, Femtanyl, their teams, and The Masquerade for making this coverage possible! Enjoy a gallery of some of the best moments from the event below.
Danny Brown's new album Stardust is out now via Warp Records.
Article and photos by Mikey Smith. Please credit @mts2.photo or @art.seen.atl if reposting on social media.
