Since day one this blog has stood for only a few things, and one of them has been the unwavering support for Sacramento experimental noise hip-hop collective Death Grips. Given that I'm sure most of you were shocked and appalled by the lack of Jenny Death on this site, and I personally can't blame you. As far as excuses go I can only say that I've been busy, and the task that is this review seemed rather daunting. Do I combine it with the first volume? Do I give it it's own review? These questions pressed on my mind as I tirelessly formulated the perfect plan that would do this album justice, and I think that I have the format under control, so without further bull shit I'd like to give you a review for Jenny Death, as well as a holistic look at The Powers That B as an album. I'm pretty sure this is going to work.
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With the summer in full swing, the hip hop release calendar will inevitably start to pick up a little steam, as most of the year's high profile releases tend to appear during the back half of the 365 days In most years, though, there's not a more important release than Death Grips. I say that for two reasons. One, all of my posts related to this group tend to get insanely high page views, which is hilarious considering most of you all can't stand Death Grips, and secondly, they are one of my favorite current groups and I'm always interested to see what kind of shenanigans they're pulling. I'm just hoping that listening to this won't cause me to rethink my position.
Last year, the trio made up of MC Ride, Flatlander, and Zach Hill "pulled a Beyoncé" before "pulling a Beyoncé" was a thing. Out of nowhere, they released an eleven track album entitled Government Plates, which already had videos for each song. I'm still mad at myself for not giving that a track-by-track review (though I did write more than a few paragraphs about it if you'd like to see my thoughts), but long story short, it was a different direction that was looked fondly upon, although most fans were upset with the alarming lack of vocals, which are kind of what made Death Grips blow up in the first place. No one, including myself, understands Death Grips. That's not a pretentious boast of musical tastes, the Sacramento trio are truly the most puzzling figures in all of music. Outside of their professions, they are often accused of being real douches, and for the most part, it's self-inflicted. It's not hard to imagine an assembly of white-collared label executives fuming at the idea of a literal dick gracing the cover of their 2012 release NO LOVE DEEP WEB. That alone ceases any hope of crossover appeal, but for a fan-base that has become so emotionally invested in the political and artistic ventures of Death Grips, it's been easy to deal with the chicanery. To further the renegade act against their label, the trio released the album for a free download, eventually leading to the long overdue separation of the band and it's label. Was this an act of pure spite against authority, or was there perhaps a deeper meaning? That's what no one has been able to find out. We can argue all day on whether or not these asshole tendencies are justified, but along the stream of controversy, it been easy to forget that these guys actually make music. Government Plates is a reminder. Without a gentile centered cover, label controversy, or release date, Death Grips released their new LP seemingly out of the blue , just to let us know why they're still the kings of underground hip hop. (further investigation shows that it was dropped exactly 13 months, 13 days, and 13 hours after the release of their last album)
The album starts with the jolting sound of glass being shattered, hence awakening lead vocalist MC Ride. Ride responds confused but full of energy, as if he came to the realization that he had overslept on the day of his finals. As with all music of the sort, he blurs the line between technical rapping and the shrieking of an enraged mental asylum patient. As one would expect with Death Grips, you aren't going to expect the initial sounds. Government Plates fires in a new direction, but the one constant is the MC Ride makes use of his time behind the mic, creating an overwhelming sense of paranoia while the other two provide the groundwork for you to imagine what is causing the discomfort. Is the entire record a not-so subliminal jab at their former label? Not sure, but a song title like "Bootleg (Don't Need Your Help)" among others certainly supports the argument. That could be the case, but you really have to listen well and dive into the lyrics in order to find out where Death Grips is in 2013. The blatant abrasiveness (can't write a Death Grips review without using that word at least once) and overall feeling of darkness, it's easy to assume they're presenting nihilistic messages about killing people. Again, that very well may be the case, but MC Ride is criminally underrated as a lyricists. I'm not trying to say he spits with the vivid imagery of a Kool G. Rap, but to assume that he's just a maniac shouting nonsense is incredibly naive. On Government Plates, Ride makes references towards his L.A. roots ("Big House"), offers some social commentary, and of course subliminally addresses Epic. It's unlikely that Death Grips would ever officially release their lyrics; that will come as a problem for those trying to decipher his slurred bars, which can easily be incorrectly translated. It's really up to the listener to make up what they can with the given materials. Ride's lyrics are as deep as your imagination lets them be. On the same note, it's not acceptable to place labels on Death Grips. There message can be taken in countless way, which is part of the appeal for many fans, but to call this record one definite thing is an injustice to the group. I doubt anyone is claiming this to be a modern masterpiece of political criticism, but I've seen more than one article calling this a direct response to Kanye West's Yeezus, a record widely speculated to have been influenced by Death Grips. Sure, an argument can be made, but any of these guys caring that much about another human being is preposterous to me. If we've learned anything in the past year, it's that Death Grips does not care about other people, or appealing to their musical preferences. Government Plates has received critical acclaim and fan support, but that wasn't the purpose of the album. It serves only to cater to the needs of the three artist. This is their way of dealing with the controversy. The album isn't like their last, or any of their previous released. Instead of increasing the volume and intensity, they opt to advance their music in a different manner. Aside from the newly equipped electronic influences, the absence of MC Ride is impossible to ignore. Half the tracks are relatively short instrumentals with Ride only popping up for the occasional ad-lib. Those can easily be found on the backside of the album, but the first side is a completely different story. The album kicks off with one of the better songs you'll find in their entire discography, "You might think he loves you for your money but I know what he really loves you for it's your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat”. That's actually the name of the song. For lack of a better way of putting it, the track is Death Grips intensified take on Dub-Step. Immediately following is "Anne Bonny", a track that only ups the ante, as Ride screams "fuck, kill, steal shit!" over Zach Hill's deafening drums. The track then oddly switches gears to a synth filled instrumental that wouldn't feel out of place on the opening act of The Money Store. Ride impressively adapts with ease, making the track one of the best on the album. That's only scratching the surface of their new ideas, though. Whereas NO LOVE DEEP WEB was the epitome of relentless violence and unadulterated paranoia, Government Plates actually manages to surprise with a few...dance tracks? Plenty of variables still keep the music from being accessible, but it's not the hardest thing in the world to imagine "Big House" or the title tracks being played at a club. Oddly enough, instrumentals aside, some tracks point to this as being their most authentic hip hop album to date. It's not in a Nas or Rakim type of way, but rather in the B-Boy boasting that dominated the early to mid eighties. Tracks like "Im Overflow" especially abandon an overload of lyrics in an attempt to revive the pure spirit of emotional boasting that first started the genre. Government Plates isn't perfect, though, and the potential shown makes the album's flaws all the more frustrating. If the record would have built off, or even plateaued, of the first three tracks, it's the best album of 2013, no questions asked. The peaks of this album rival any of their other releases, but it's the short instrumental tracks the restrain Government Plates. It's not so much the lack of vocals that are the problem, Zach Hill's drumming direct the program along just fine, but rather the repetition of these shorter tracks. Take for example "Feels Like A Wheel". It's another song I could see in a party atmosphere, as Death Grips use of HI-NRG drum and base make for one of the most interesting sounds on the album. It's more or less an opposite reflection of one of their more in-your-face tracks, such as "NO LOVE". That's great, but instead of building on the sound or throwing in a hook, they seemingly just copy and paste the first half twice. This is unfortunately a common trend that lingers onto several of the tracks on the albums backside. Kind of a bummer. Still, if there is one track that shows no sign of creative writer's block, it's "Birds", the album's lead single. With each release, the overall intensity was arguably raised. It sounds crazy to say, but there became a growing sense of predictability of Death Grips. With their "new" sound, they answered this criticism in a myriad of ways. The track opens with a noise heavy kick in the face with Ride screaming into your ear. It's a sound listeners have become accustomed to, but without a moments notice, the music ceases as Ride clearly articulates two words: "fuck you". This follows with some of the most beautifully played guitar strings you'll hear on a hip hop album all year. Damn, Death Grips might have a sense of humor too. In a similar fashion to Eminem's "Love Game", the groups answers their criticism of "predictability" with a track equivalent to a nursery rhyme. They got all of us. Like every Death Grips release, you won't hear an album that sounds like this all year. Government Plates may be more complex than their previous releases, but it's goal is not to preach a lesson. The music is still crazy and the group is doing whatever they want. They often come off as spoiled, which, again, is very true. Their sole mission may be to upset the people trying to help them, but at the end of the day, they're still making music. The album sounds like a creative mess upon first listen, but so does all things Death Grips. Above all else, the music evokes emotion. It may not be as instantaneous as the rest of their catalog, but it's there. A full understanding of Government Plates requires multiple listens, but with each spin, the puzzle begins to unravel. Rating: 4/5 Yes, this barrage of reviews continues with yet another Death Grips album. I'm hoping to keep up the high rate of reviews for at least another month, but I can definitely see myself getting burnt out in a week or so. With that being the case, I might have to review some EPs or shorter albums so I can take it easier on myself. None of that matters today though because I'm full of energy and ready to review The Money Store.
For those unfamiliar, Death Grips are a Sacramento based hip hop trio consisting of MC Ride on the vocals and Zach Hill and Flatlander combining to make the instrumentals. I'm on record for enjoying their debut mixtape Exmilitary, which has only grown on me since I last wrote on these guys. While I can only speak for myself, I can assume that one of the main reasons Exmilitary achieved so much critical success was because of its innovation and forward thinking. I'm not saying it changed the game, far from it, but they took every aspect of hip hop and raised it to such an extreme that it made for an entertaining album. Most of the conversation surrounding their debut was whether or not these guys are actually hip hop. Its obvious that a majority of the music sounds foreign to most people, but you can also see the hip hop influences among the album. A lot of the beats can best be compared to some of the early work of Ice Cube and Public Enemy, whose beats were composed by The Bomb Squad. (Ill fight anyone who doesn't agree they are criminally overrated) And to an even higher extent, the intensity can be compared to the wu tang clan when they first appeared. A year later, the group signed with Epic Records following the massive momentum created by their debut. They released two albums in 2012, the first being The Money Store, which was praised even more than Exmilitary. Regardless of the polarizing feel this album gives off, it was able to make its way onto countless album of the year list and proclaimed by many as the best album released all year. If you couldn't tell, I'm dying to hear this so ill get this review started immediately. 1. Get Got Wow, nothing about this even resembles anything on their first project. First, instead of his normal deafening screaming, MC Ride sounds like he is about an inch away from the microphone, but speaking in a very quiet tone. This is also a step up lyrically, as Ride is imagining being chased by cops that aren't really there. Reminded me of "Mind Playing Tricks On Me" by the Geto Boys. The instrumental is also more relaxed in contrast to their last effort, with the synthesizer paving the way for a great instrumental. 2. The Fever (Aye Aye) Totally contrasting the previous song, "The Fever" sounds just like something you'd hear on Exmilitary. Its as violent as anything they've made, showing their fans they hadn't forgotten why they had fans in the first place. As with most of the songs, the hook on this thing is so damn catchy. You have to recognize how impressive it is that Death Grips can make such intense and violent song, but also have them stuck in your head all day. Loved this song. 3. Lost Boys Building upon the improved lyricism, "Lost Boys" is a tribute to people have lost themselves and are living a homeless lifestyle, whether it be from drugs, alcohol, or anything else. They also continue to make every song sound different from the last one while still keeping the same overall feel for the entire album, which I must admit is impressive. The beat is more eerie and atmospheric than anything we've heard from the group up to this point. 4. Blackjack The next song manages to share some of the same qualities as "Lost Boys" while still sounding different. The beat is playing these instruments backward and replaying some of the vocal. I'm going to hurt myself if I keep trying to explain this, so I'll just tell you to check it out. This probably isn't something you're going to be bumping in your car, though. Unless MC Ride is in the car next to you. In that case you do whatever the hell he asks you to do. 5. Hustle Bones I can't even describe my love for the hook on this song. I don't understand anything about it. Its backed by the happiest beats you'll ever here from the group while MC Ride repeatedly yells "hustle bones coming out my mouth". The rest of the song didn't do too much for me though. Wasn't bad or anything but that hook is so damn distracting. 6. I've Seen Footage In another lyrical gem of the album, Ride talks about the police brutality that he's apparently seen footage of. As a plus, this is easily the most traditional hip hop song they've ever recorded. Minus the guitar, the drum line on this thing couldn't get any more hip-hopy. If you're paying any attention to the flow of an artist, its impossible to ignore the resemble of MC Rides flow to those of a golden age rapper. This song is so good that it hurts my face. 7. Double Helix MC Ride makes use of a more modern rap flow. The lyrics actually fly by fairly fast, while not sounding like complete nonsensical bullshit. Not only this song, but the mix of blazing fast lyrics, traditional sounding hip hop songs, and the intense yelling that they are known for give this project a large variety that separates the album from a majority of albums. 8. System Blower One of the more intense cuts of the album, Ride is screaming louder than usual about blowing your system. Obviously there is reference to the speakers of ones car, but I've also read that this is a jab at the constructive system of society. But, I could be reading too much into this. 9. Cage Since this post has been flooded with "most of" comments, its essential to note that this is the most intense, noisiest track of the album. Its easily comparable to "Takyon" from their last album. Unfortunately, I was left feeling indifferent toward this song. Probably my least favorite song on the album, which says something since I was only indifferent. 10. Punk Weight With the tenth track of the album, we learn about MC Rides ventures as a bare knuckle brawler. There not too much plot to this, but that's just the general sense of the lyrics. The beat happens to be more notable than any of the lyrics though. Its dominated by the static sounds for the most part but those drums are just crazy. 11. Fuck That Another song that has a different feel from the rest of the album. But oddly enough, it still sounds like it belongs in the album. The music sounds a lot like "Lost Boys" in the sense that its just weird and atmospheric in every way imaginable. Wasn't the most memorable track but its decent enough. 12. Bitch Please I see this as further development of the insane character MC Ride has been portraying throughout. Most notably the hook, but the entire song just shows Ride as a trashy, over the top maniac that found his way into a recording studio. Think of Waka Flacka, but one that can rap better and is actually scary. And likable, definitely likable. 13. Hacker The most out-there and experimental track on the whole damn album, which is an incredible accomplishment. As the name of the track indicates, everything from the flow, pop culture references, to the instrumental feels glitchy. Furthermore, the whole feel of the track is similar to a dance track. Rating: 4.5/5 Just like their last release, I know a lot of people will hate this, which depresses me but I understand where that distaste would come from. Everything from the cover to the beats are just disturbing and twisted. If you can get past the initial shock value, and that's a big if, I'm sure that you can see how much detail went into every second of each song. These details are so minute that it would take around fifteen listens to really understand what is going on. They do this while not giving up their signature style that got them known. Above all, this is fun and thought provoking music. Finally, the element that makes this such a superb album is the absurd variation in each song, while keeping the same general sound for the entire album. This was far and away the easiest review I've ever written, just because I could go on and on about each track. Buy it. Please go and to the store and buy every copy the store has. Coming right back at you all with another critically acclaimed project from 2011 that may fall under the category of mixtape or album. This time we've got a fresh new review of Exmilitary by Death Grips. I'd be lying if I said that I was familiar with this type of music, but so would anyone else trying to say they understand this. No one in music is producing anything similar to Death Grips, which is more of a good thing than bad because innovation is a necessity in life.
These guys are just flat out weird in every sense of the word. So weird that at the time this was released, only one of the members was known and all three members are said to contribute equally to every aspect of the songs. Apparently being weird works, as their experimental album mixed of electronic, metal, and mostly hip hop were enough to take over the Internet and land a place on many people's "Best of the Year" lists. With the accolades it received, to was obvious that I had to check it out just to fulfill my curiosity. I'm still not completely sure how I feel about the album (and probably will never be) but I am one hundred percent positive that a lot of my readers will absolutely hate this. I admit that this is a very reasonable reaction, as this is a very polarizing album and is extremely different from anything you've currently been listening. To put most songs in perspective, they make anything you've heard from Odd Future seem like One Direction. Still, I'd try to come into this with as open of a mind as possible, even after what I just said. But I'm going to stop this introduction now, because this is just something you either get or you don't. 1. Beware And it starts with a voice recording of Charles Manson. And the vocalist screams throughout the entire song. I might be done. Thankfully the instrumental was interesting enough to keep me around long enough to write down my thoughts. If you can decipher MC Ride's (his name has now been released) voice you'll look into the mind of the guy we see through the album, and how he is the beast that he worships. Sheesh. 2. Guillotine This is the only reason that anyone found out about this group. Released as a single, this one is an absolute monster. You can pretty much hear everything the group offers in this one song. The electronic influenced is all over the instrumental, while it mixes in a heavy base that qualifies the song as a hip hop song. Lyrically, MC Ride is quite understandable and spits some pretty good shit for about half the song. Definitely took a while to grow on me but this song is catchy as a mug. 3. Spread Eagle Cross the Block It is damn near shocking how much MC Ride sounds like RZA. Maybe a RZA that is heavily under the influence of heroin, but RZA none the less. The lyrics are terrible, but are obviously just there for shock effect. The beat is completely different though, as this is a solid instrumental no matter how you put it. The soulful samples and guitar show why this album has been thought of so highly. Good shit. 4. Lord of the Game (Feat. Mexican Girl) Aside from the beeping sounds at the beginning and hook this is the most traditional hip hop song you will find on the album. Wasn't much I didn't like on here, but the lyrics on here are a significant improvement over anything up to this point. Flows are being formed and full thoughts are being made which is more than enough to compliment the killer instrumental. 5. Takyon (Death Yon) As if they didn't think we weren't aware of their insanity, we hear MC Rude screaming at the top of his lungs for some parts of the song, which overshadow his lyrics that seem to be gradually improving as we move farther through the album. As a result, this is largely carried by the beat, which is dominated by the pop influences and have a futuristic feel to it. Overall, this song left me feeling indifferent. 6. Cut Throat (Instrumental) Like I've said, the instrumentals of the album play a large role in the success this project has received. This Zach Hill produced beat flexed the groups muscles and contains some of the best used samples on the entire album. Only last for around a minute, but this felt weirdly necessary. 7. Klink I've read that a majority of this album is meant to show the primitive nature that is given to a teenager growing up in the hood as result of drugs and other influences. I have no idea how much of that is true, but if it is then its genius and really makes this song sound good. The instrumental is all over that place and MC Ride sounds out of his mind. I say that in the most positive way possible. 8. Culture Shock Well, they managed to put together the beat that sounds least hip hop, with the most hip hop sounding lyrics. I don't really understand why buts its certainly interesting. The group actually takes this song as an opportunity to talk about what they consider social issues. The beat I was talking about is almost sounds like you would find it on some electronic/pop hybrid of an album. Pretty good track. 9. 5D Another instrumental that only lasts forty five seconds. I really had no clue what was going on at any point of song, which leaves me nothing to write about. 10. Thru the Walls One of the most traditional sounding hip hop songs on the album. MC Ride sound shockingly similar to RZA again, and raps just as good as a normal RZA verse. The beat is urgent, rush, and extremely good. The drums here are like something you would hear on a Black Moon song, which is obviously a great quality. Definitely one of my favorite songs on the album. 11. Known For It Placed nicely into the context of the album, as it builds upon the supposed theme that was revisited in the previous track. The beat is crazy on this one and ultimately carries the song for the most song. The guitar is impossible to ignore and mixes incredibly well with the previous mentioned drums. I enjoyed this song but it still wasn't giving me anything that would separate it from the rest of the album. 12. I Want It I Need It (Death Heated) This obviously is the most focused song, in the sense of the theme of the album. Death Grips talk about the the temptations of drug and sense bring out the most primitive urges in a person. As with most of the other songs, the beat is very intense allowing no time for you to not pay attention to what they are saying. On the downside, this song lasts for around six minutes, while it could have given the same message in around four minutes. 13. Blood Creepin In the last chance to leave an impression, the group tries to give their most intense song of the album, which is no small accomplishment. Unfortunately, they fail and provide one of the worst songs on the album. The hook obviously is trying to play off the theme of the album, but just comes off as unreative and horrible. There's also not a moment where MC Ride isn't yelling at the absolute top of his lungs. Overall, they simply take it so far and create a lackluster closing effort. Rating: 4/5 If I had to use one word I'd use to describe this album, I'd have a fucking panic attack because I have no idea where to begin when critiquing this album. I'd really like a warm glass of milk and go to sleep. This album scared the hell out of me, but also made for an incredibly unique experience. For me, that experience was great at times, but I know for a fact that a lot of people will hate this. The lyrics are pretty terrible at times, but also serve the purpose that the album is trying to get across. The real reason that this album is getting such a positive review is the instrumentals. Like everything else, they can cause polar opposite reactions, but I found them to be very invitational and entertaining. Since this is music, entertainment is all I'm asking for. I'd very hesitantly recommend this, because I obviously enjoyed it but you might not. Let me know what you thought of the album, because I am honestly interested to know what others think of it. |