Detroit’s most erratic MC is back with this flabbergasting video for his new single, ‘When It Rains’. This marks the first time in three years that the ‘Adderall Admiral’ has dropped any new material since his excellent 2013 sophomore record, Old, as well as his first release on acclaimed electronic label, Warp Records.

For any long-term fans of Brown, ‘When It Rains’ is the man himself in a nutshell. Brown’s high-pitched spitting contradicted by his sudden aggressive shouting is still just as powerful five years on from when we were first introduced to it with ‘Monopoly’. But aesthetically the video is a noticeable progression from Brown’s previous work, showcasing a visual admiration for his hometown of Detroit, whilst superimposing it with brooding colour grading and jumpy, static-heavy camera movements.

With its deep bass, cyclical drum thumps, and skeletal keyboard crescendos, ‘When It Rains’ is Brown at his most artistically driven. But it is the music video itself which is the real winner. Clad in his signature all-black leather attire, Brown looks right at home (literally) amidst the sheer bleakness of a poverty stricken Detroit neighbourhood. The scattered shots of B-boys and B-girls doing their thing almost steals the show here, but the sheer cryptic nature of this video and Brown’s attacking flow shows that he is by no means a one-trick pony.

Whilst there is no news on any upcoming release dates for a new record, with his recent signing to Warp, and this new beast of a track, fans can be sure they’re in for something next-level.

Check out the video in the above gallery.

• Words: Vincent Dwyer