Darnell Williams

Darnell Williams is an emerging MC out of Detroit that refuses to play by the rules. He teamed up with electronic-influenced producer Elohim for his next single, “Porno.” The graphically titled song is now available on all major streaming services (Dec. 8). The fascinating combination of artists sees Williams explaining life’s harsh realities over the Los Angeles based producer’s icy synths.



The Detroit native refuses to be boxed into one genre with his experimental type of hip-hop, touching on issues some wouldn’t dare to go near. Speaking on the inspiration behind the track exclusively to Billboard, he explains, “I came up with the concept for ‘Porno’ midway into making my album. I realized all these songs I was putting out had a lot of real emotions and pain in them that otherwise I wouldn’t talk about, but for peoples’ entertainment I did. Same for porn stars, they might not necessary wanna do what they do, but for your entertainment they share their pain.” - Billboard

Darnell Williams is an accomplished creative, cutting his teeth on video work for Mac Miller and Big Sean, only to eventually move on to his bigger passion: rap. His newest song is "Fuck Hollywood," an upbeat but not so happy recap of his time in Los Angeles.

The production is airy, with plenty of electric guitar, almost like something that would easily fit on top 40 radio. He kicks his verse off with an edge. "Got damn I hate a bullshitter/Like what the fuck you gonna do nigga," Darnell spits angrily. "Never run but I move quicker/I was raised in the zoo, nigga/I ain't got shit to prove, nigga/See, I been tryna keep it cool, nigga." - XXL

A few years ago Darnell Williams had bottomed out in LA. If you knew him back then, you wouldn’t have believed it. Here’s Darnell’s pre-fall resume: opening for Jim Jones in Detroit, heading off to film school in Chicago and living above RSVP Gallery and befriending Virgil Abloh and Don C, helping form the artist collective ILLROOTS, and shooting videos for Mac Miller, Asher Roth, Big Sean, and a clutch of other rappers. At one point he was left with only a pair of shoes. “I literally lost everything, I had nothing to lose,” he says.

With everything stacked against him, Darnell got back to basics, he went back to rap. “Hip-hop is life. It’s one of the most valuable tools God has given me,” he affirms. He continues, “hip-hop is a tool for people that have absolutely nothing.” Armed with his talent and belief in the redemptive power of hip-hop, this son of Detroit’s west side never stopped grinding, never stopped fighting.

This is the story of Darnell Williams, the man who worked hard for fame, fortune and hip-hop, only to lose it all and rap it back. - Stock X

Many of these songs are essentially just one idea mapped to a beat: “On Air” uses its loping drum groove as the vehicle for a single blast of bass; “Lasers” sets up its titular zaps with a spoken-word snippet about the same. Sometimes it works: Wiwek’s lean “Run,” the comp’s most hypnotic track, is a modern-day take on tribal house, complete with a rainforest's worth of squawks and ululations. But too often, the songs rely on gimmicky vocal hooks to keep the listener interested. The quirky nonsense rhymes of “Chicken Soup” are engaging enough, but Dances With White Girls’ hook on Chris Lake’s “Operator (Ring Ring)” wears its Green Velvet influence a little too visibly on its sleeve, while the heavy-breathing come-ons of Lake’s “I Want You” just sound thirsty. And on JOYRYDE's "New Breed," it's hard to escape the impression that the former psy-trance child prodigy is relying on the rapper Darnell Williams’ hardboiled references to lend his music a street patina. - Pitchfork