When I first heard that Zach Hill was starting a hip-hop project, I can't say I wasn't skeptical. The guy is a total legend to me as I'm a huge fan of Hella, but what does a tall, skinny, bearded, white drummer know about hip-hop? As it turns out? Not a whole lot... and Death Grips is probably better because of it. Death Grips' sound as a result is anything but conventional. Zach's influence can be heard in the walls of noise and skittering beats that permeate the group's sound, and his trademarked frantic drumming can be heard on "Thru The Walls". Speaking of that song, it's got a bizarre hella-esque tempo and some unique instrumentation including some creepy synthesized sounds and an ending interlude that almost sounds like house music. Death Grips is a very indulgent group, and there's a number of interludes and instrumental tracks on here to keep things interesting.
Still with me? Good, because here's where things start to get a little weird.
Still with me? Good, because here's where things start to get a little weird.
The real star of the show is MC Ride, and here's the thing... He SCREAMS at you like a deranged homeless person for the duration of their debut mixtape. MC Ride is Scary Motherf*cker (thanks Dead End Hip-Hop). He's the kind of guy you don't want to sit next to on a bus (Side note: before the band released Ride's name I knew him exclusively as Mysterious Bearded Black Man). The thing is, despite the abrasion he's a wonderful lyricist. Notably on "Takyon (Death Yon)" he drops the line: "Cryonic haunted bullets hollow tipped with toxic waste" in the middle of a verse. It's the kind of line that just makes my jaw drop each and every time I hear it, and it's stuck with me for a long time now. He can also be quite vulgar, spitting "Responsibility's cool, but there's more things in life. Like getting your dick, RODE ALL F*CKING NIGHT" on "I Want It I Need It (Death Heated)".
Their music is LOUD, angry, dark, and highly experimental. The fact of the matter is, these guys will not appeal to most fans of garden variety hip-hop or even most avante garde hip-hop. Your best chance to be into what Death Grips does is to already be someone that loves Punk, Noise, and Industrial music. Death Grips is a great listen for anyone looking for something new in hip-hop that isn't afraid of a little adventurousness. It's not your basic truck banger, that's for sure.
Well unless you're awesome, then it's totally a trunk banger. Just don't get arrested for disturbing the peace.
TAK.
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