Album Of The Year 2017 #19: Death Grips - Steroids EP - HipHop | HipHop Channel

Pages

Album Of The Year 2017 #19: Death Grips - Steroids EP - HipHop

Album Of The Year 2017 #19: Death Grips - Steroids EP - HipHop

Album Of The Year 2017 #19: Death Grips - Steroids EP

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 08:35 AM PST

Artist: Death Grips

Album: Steroids (Crouching Tiger Hidden Gabber Megamix)

Listen

Youtube

Soundcloud

Spotify

Background by /u/vulcan24

I originally had this background written as a thousand-plus word epic detailing the release and sound for each of Death Grips' projects. Then immediately after finishing I realised anyone who cares enough about them to read that probably already knew most of it anyways, so I'll try keep it brief. Saying that, if you're interested in the band and want a concise recap then shoot us a PM. But enough self-promo, let's get to the good stuff.

Death Grips burst onto the underground music scene in early 2011, with the release of a self titled EP. They then followed this up with a mixtape, Exmilitary, later that year. The group's sound was raw, but far from amateurish, showcasing a unique style of all-out violent aggression, both sonically and lyrically.

Drummer Zach Hill, the only named member at this point, provided explosive backing rhythms reminiscent of classic hip-hop like Public Enemy, as well as his math-rock days in Hella. Atop this cacophony was Stefan Burnett, better known as MC Ride, whose cryptic passages were delivered with the force of a punk singer and the impact of N.W.A. Finally there's recording engineer Andy Morin, whose role in the band is still largely unknown.

Despite appearing practically out of nowhere, Death Grips were producing some of the most forward thinking hip-hop and Exmilitary is still an enthralling listen going on 6 years after its' release. In the time since then, the band have continued to showcase seemingly endless amounts of creativity coupled with a penchant for wild experimentation. They'd go on to release album after album of boundary pushing experimental hip-hop, constantly evolving their already unique sound and style along the way.

Drawing influences from all over the musical map, highlights include The Money Store's futuristic urban soundscapes, and the cyberpunk rock territory covered on Jenny Death. It seemed that no matter where they went, Death Grips were constantly covering new ground, diving head first into these concept and ideas with striking results. It's no wonder many of these releases are already considered modern classics, whose influence can be felt on the current state of hip-hop in the short time since their release. But more on that later.

As of this year, the band have put out 7 studio albums (including Exmilitary) and 2 instrumental releases. That isn't even counting their experimental rock side project The I.L.Y's, or the excessive amount of touring and visual art in between. In just 6 short years, Death Grips have traversed more musical ground than most bands could in an entire career. With this also came a constant barrage of confusing social media gambits, sending dedicated fans scouring the darkest corners of the internet with the promise of hidden information. It's something the band (and their fans) have become notorious for, and falls in line with the themes of digital paranoia which repeatedly pop up in their music.

In one of their rare interviews Stefan mentions they aren't into 'lateral movement', a phrase which only becomes more applicable as their career unravels. It's incredibly rare to find a group which is so prolific yet so sonically hyperactive, bouncing between sounds and styles to reinvent themselves on each successive release. I'll apologise if it sounds like I'm gushing in this recap, but I honestly believe it would be foolish not to place Death Grips among the most important acts of the 21st century given their accomplishments thus far. They've proven themselves musical explorers, gently prodding at the boundaries of not just hip-hop, but experimental music as a whole.

Review by /u/vulcan24

Which brings us to the current year. May 22nd marked the surprise release of Steroids (Crouching Tiger Hidden Gabber Megamix), a 22 minute long sound collage-no wait it's a mix, or maybe an EP? Whatever you want to call it, fans were greeted with dense passages of distorted sounds, twisted tunnels deftly forded by Ride's verses. On first listen it's the sound of pure chaos, the feeling of being pelted with a volley of musical ideas from close range. None of the seven (or is it eight?) tracks were named, leading fans to refer to them by refrain alone.

I'll follow that trend in this review, beginning with "My Whole Life"; Stefan's guttural screams seem to dodge the beat left and right, a siren raises in the background as if signalling an air raid. Once the skies clear there comes a rare moment of respite, taking the form of a near-spoken word passage atop ghostly ambience. The peace doesn't long before we're thrust into a wall of erratically contorted sub-bass. The following twenty or so minutes sees the trio work their way across swathes of musical ground, circumnavigating through digital hardcore, punk, trap, and EDM in the form of gabber.

Yet it feels almost arbitrary to hurl these genre tags at Death Grips, as the finished product feels so unique to them. Yes comparisons can be made here and there, but all in all these influences are funnelled and condensed into something far greater than the sum of their parts. This is especially true for Steroids, which is by far the bands' most stylistically hyperactive work, undergoing complete transformations often from bar-to-bar, rarely providing anything to serve as a transition. I'd also go so far to say that it's their most challenging listen to date. Much of the 22 minute runtime is spent working to maintain a level of gripping mania hell bent on overwhelming the listener.

Though fans have split this release into separate tracks, I feel it would be a disservice not to listen as a whole given its' nomenclature as a 'megamix'. What's more, these brief sonic barrages are arranged to flow together, building up a sense of uncertain momentum which explodes towards the end. I mentioned earlier the short spoken interlude between the first two segments. It's practically the only time in the whole mix where you're not being constantly assaulted by flurries of wild ideas. After this piece Steroids doesn't let up, constantly building, destroying, then reforming glitched-out soundscapes at breakneck pace.

Perhaps the most tangible point of reference to hip-hop comes with the track sandwiched right in the middle, "Come and Go Whenever". Cued in by some mumbly grunge rock, the track breaks into a menacing sample with what can only be described as 'rattling hi-hats' twittering away in the background. A bell sample signals the drop and Ride earns his title as an MC, punctuating complex flows to the banger beat. It's where Steroids comes closest to 'normal', and even then it's enough to scare off most traditional rap fans. Not letting up energy, a distant 'Hi!' ushers in a rapid onslaught of math-rock drumming. Electronics morph in the background and Stefan's pitch-shifted yelps almost merge into the off kilter beat. It feels insulting to call this an interlude because it's as manic and fleshed out as any other moment in the mix. It also works as a spotlight for Zach's frenzied live drum work.

Next comes "Black Body", which delves further than ever before into the cyberpunk aesthetic explored on releases such as Jenny Death. Alternating between an understated flute sample and passages of schizophrenic rage, the tension continues to ramp up and escalate the descent into madness. I'll use the word cyberpunk again to describe this moment, which might come off as corny but in my mind there's nothing more apt. Stefan's manic vocals are layered over themselves and filtered repeatedly to create a musical grotesque only capable of existing in the digital age. It's utterly chilling, making it hard to resist being pulled further into this misanthropic world.

Closing things out is a track which effectively releases all the built up energy into an explosive finish. The trio continue to delve deeper into futurism with an array of eclectic electronic samples ricocheting around in the background to form a beat. For all of Steroids' variety, it sustains a remarkably affecting atmosphere the entire way through, building upon pre-existing themes of paranoia and mayhem. Ride screams and it's echoed to infinity atop the warping sample, scattershot synthesisers fire arrays of sound into the ether and it slowly fades out. It seems underwhelming to end such a chaotic collage with a fade-out but really anything else would feel too abrupt.

The gabber influence is something I've neglected to mention thus far, and that's for a reason. High tempo BPMs and thumping kick drums litter this mix, yet the third section, "Bald Headed Girl", is the only time they stick out as an obvious weak point. It feels to me like Death Grips lean too far into their influences here, creating something unintentionally grounded in reality. There are still redeeming qualities like Stefan's glass-eyed delivery of the hook, or the rapid v-drumming, but overall the track comes off as decisively less impactful than its' surroundings. Perhaps it would function better as a standalone piece, but when placed into context this batshit insane the sound comes off as just slightly too tangible.

Overall however, this project is an incredibly strong release, easily standing up to any of their full lengths in terms of experimentation and creativity. It feels like Death Grips fill the 20 minute runtime by constantly jumping from strength to strength with no attention span for anything in between. This seems a fitting time to return to my comment on them influencing modern hip-hop, something this mix feels incredibly removed from.

Consider artists like Denzel Curry or XXXTENTACION (bless his soul), who are only recently starting to experiment with the same industrial sound palettes Death Grips exhorted mastery over nearly 5 years ago. It only makes sense that the band's current work sounds incredibly futuristic and far from the same styles they helped influence, because where else would they be? When you're this far ahead of the competition there comes a point where you have to stop being an arbiter for the future, and start going where no one else will.

So that's what this mix really exemplifies to me, free sonic exploration completely unrestrained by boundaries of genre or style. Death Grips are smashing together their menagerie of influences in ways which no one else has and pulling it off with complete aplomb. This EP sounds like nothing else I've ever heard before and yet I love it, which is a phrase I find myself repeatedly returning to with this band's music. It's a terribly entry point to their extensive catalogue, but a rewarding one to be sure. I'd class it as their brightest moment thus far since their faux-breakup a few years back, above double album epic The Powers That B. It feels odd writing this for a hip-hop subreddit as even that box seems too small to confine what the band are doing at this point.

Believe it or not, this is the first time I've ever written about Death Grips' music despite being an avid listener for years. I don't really have a reason for this, but maybe it's because breaking apart their art in this way makes it lose some magic. It's remarkably impressive how consistently the group have been able to envision and execute a unique artistic concept with great success. I truly believe there's something special in every one of their albums, and they're all worth a listen if you're a fan of interesting music.

So if you've made it this far into the review and are still unfamiliar with Death Grips' catalogue then here's my advice; ignore this review, ignore the background, ignore their social media, and please, for the love of god, ignore the fans. Despite the rich context surrounding it, Death Grips' music stands on its' own, it stands up to scrutiny and rewards repeated listens. Start chronologically and listen through the band's catalogue, everything you need to know to enjoy it is already contained within.

Favourite Lyrics

There haven't been any official lyrics released at this point and MC Ride's scattershot delivery makes it hard to discern individual lines but I've done my best.

"Your innocence save your hopes I just roll the dice and I've been like this for my whole fucking life my whole fucking life's your whole fucking life"

-My Whole Life

"Ghoulishly I fear, paralysis my souvenir"

-Shit Like This

"At the time didn't recognise myself 'till I was petrified but half the time I'm not myself so most of the time I don't question why will need to testify but best I can do is buy some time spend my time folding time even met myself one time"

-Black Body

Discussion Questions

  • The band have said they are working on a new album, do you think the sound will be influenced by Steroids, or something else entirely? Where would you like them to go?

  • Am I right about the band's influence on modern hip-hop or was it going to head this direction anyways? Why?

  • What do you believe mainstream rap can learn from experimental releases such as this one?

  • How do you rate the band's progression thus far, pre and post breakup?

  • Do you prefer this release as a whole or split into individual tracks, why?

Tomorrow's writeup is for Jidenna - The Chief, done by /u/dropthehammer11

submitted by /u/vulcan24
[link] [comments]

Rich Chigga's debut project Amen dropping February 2nd.

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 10:17 AM PST

Tyler, the Creator congratulating Brockhampton after their Camp Flog Gnaw set

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 07:49 PM PST

[FRESH] Chance the Rapper- Merry Christmas Lil Mama (Rewrapped)

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 02:29 PM PST

Joe Budden fired from Complex’s “Everyday Struggle”

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 06:51 AM PST

Sounds like they are in negotiations, and Joe is stirring the pot to demonstrate his value to complex to get his desired contract extension.

Yesterday: My contract is up… waiting to see how this plays out.

Today: [I created that show… I'll create another if need be… & another & another….. it's when u CANT create that you move WITHOUT integrity…]

https://twitter.com/JoeBudden/status/943101890824458240

https://twitter.com/JoeBudden/status/943127334735007744

https://twitter.com/JoeBudden/status/942766209593958406

Complex has announced that he won't be back in 2018

https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8071119/joe-budden-complex-everyday-struggle?utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral

submitted by /u/Dzewelday
[link] [comments]

Joe Budden's departure from "Everyday S Struggle" officially confirmed.

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 06:22 PM PST

Kendrick Lamar Named Inaugural Halftime Performer on ESPN at College Football Playoff National Championship

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 10:01 AM PST

"We are working on another Gorillaz album which is going to be released next year, so we’re going straight into the next album with no break, usually we have a good 5 years break but this time we decided to keep going" - Jamie Hewlett

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 12:46 PM PST

Noname hints at new album coming New Years

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 04:12 PM PST

Consequence of Sound calls Eminem's Revival "GODAWFUL" and gives it an "F"

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 09:49 AM PST

[FRESH VIDEO] Lil Peep - "Save That Shit"

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 12:11 PM PST

Juicy J- Highly Intoxicated Intro Prod. $uicideboy$ (MUSIC VIDEO)

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 06:11 PM PST

[FRESH VIDEO] G-Eazy - No Limit REMIX ft. A$AP Rocky, Cardi B, French Montana, Juicy J, Belly

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 12:07 PM PST

A$AP Rocky performs a song from his upcoming album

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 12:04 PM PST

Vince Staples discusses the NBA, style, himself and compares Eminem's Trump freestyle to a Girl Scout selling cookies for cancer awareness on Pitchfork's In Sight Out podcast

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 07:56 AM PST

Link

At 41:30 he says that interviews and Christian mom are bigger reasons why he's famous than music:

Host Matthew Schnipper asked the question "Are you more famous because of Sprite [advertisements] or because of rapping?" Without hesitation, Vince responded, "Interviews. I'm more famous for interviews than either one. And then the lady." Of course, the lady he's referring to is the Christian mother who went viral for her tearful, negative response to his music.

When asked out SoundCloud rap:

Later in the interview, Schnipper asked Staples what he thought of SoundCloud rap. Vince responded, "What is that? Can you give an example? Is Lil Uzi Vert SoundCloud rap? I love Lil Uzi Vert." Staples said he'd never listened to Lil Pump's music but asked if he was white because, "I don't know how I feel about white people with dreads."

As for SoundCloud rap as a whole, Staples said, "I hope everybody's saving their money and not being rude to people. That's all I really care about. But as far as all these ni**as looking alike and—I just know who done shot somebody before. So when I hear people talk like that type of shit... It's like, I just did an album without one act of violence in it. I was real proud of myself."

Speaking on his maturation process:

Speaking on the maturation process his own music has gone through, Staples added, "I can't be thinking about shit like that, bro. I'm over that type of stuff. There's no violence, no Crippin', no none of that on my album. I don't know if people noticed that, but I don't really say 'ni**a' unless it was on purpose. I only say it on the Rick Ross hook. I'm growing up a little bit, you feel me?​"

submitted by /u/TheRoyalGodfrey
[link] [comments]

[FRESH VIDEO] Quality Control, Quavo, Lil Yachty - Ice Tray

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 06:11 AM PST

CONWAY "The GOAT" Tracklist

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 12:19 PM PST

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc5Z-XNn2NW/

1. G.O.A.T (prod. Daringer)
2. Trump (prod. The Alchemist)
3. Th3rd F feat Raekwon (prod. Daringer)
4. Die On Xmas feat Benny (prod. Daringer)
5. Rodney Little feat. Prodigy (RIP) (prod. Daringer)
6. XXXtras (prod. Daringer)
7. Bishop Shot Steel (prod. Daringer)
8. Mandatory feat Royce 5'9 (prod. Daringer)
9. Arabian Sam's feat. Styles P (prod. Daringer)
10. Bullet Klub feat Lloyd Banks & Benny (prod. Daringer)

submitted by /u/eleiel
[link] [comments]

Cardi B announces "Bartier Bardi" featuring 21 Savage, coming Dec. 22

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 09:13 PM PST

DJ Akademiks: "Join me on Twitch at 10:30 PM EST... we gotta talk..."

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 06:53 PM PST

50 Cent, Eminem, G-Unit. "Patiently Waiting", live 2003

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 02:26 PM PST

Joe Budden reacts to the Migos Ice Tray Music Video

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 08:25 AM PST

[FRESH TAPE] Knxwledge. - HX11​.​8_

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 12:15 PM PST

Joe Budden Has Left 'Everyday Struggle,' Complex Confirms | Billboard

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 06:47 PM PST

J. Cole - Let Nas Down (REMIX) feat. Nas

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 11:52 AM PST

Daily Discussion Thread 12/19/2017

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 11:11 AM PST

Welcome to the /r/hiphopheads daily discussion thread!

This thread is for:

  • objective questions with right/wrong answers (e.g. "Does anyone know what is happening with MIXTAPE?", "What is the sample in SONG?")
  • general hip-hop discussion
  • meta posts...e.g. ideas for the sub

Thread Guidelines

  • Do not create a separate self post for these types of discussions outside of this thread - if you do, your post will be removed.

  • Please be helpful and friendly.

  • If a question has been asked many times before, provide a link to a thread that contains the answer.

Other ways to interact

There are a number of other ways to interact with other members of HHH:

submitted by /u/AutoModerator
[link] [comments]
at