Death Grips is an Americanexperimental hip-hop band formed in 2010 inSacramento, California. The group consists of producersZach Hill (drums), Andy Morin (keyboard), and vocalist Stefan Burnett, also known asMC Ride.[1] Though he is not the group's frontman, Hill has been credited with being the driving creative force behind the project.[2] Drawing fromhip-hop,punk rock,electronic,noise, andindustrial styles, the band's innovative and often difficult-to-categorize sound earned them critical acclaim and acult following[3][4], while their aggressive performance style and cryptic interactions with their fans and the media gained widespread notoriety.
The group released the mixtapeExmilitary in April 2011 and their debut studio album,The Money Store, a year later; both received critical praise.[5] Shortly after signing toEpic Records in 2012, the group leaked their second album,No Love Deep Web, for free download in breach of their contract and were dropped from the label. They subsequently launched the label Third Worlds in association withHarvest Records, and released their third album,Government Plates, in 2013. Following several broken performance commitments, the group announced their disbanding in July 2014 along with the release of their fourth album, adouble album titledThe Powers That B.[6][7] The group leaked the first disc of this double album,Niggas on the Moon, in 2014. In early 2015, before releasing the second disc,Jenny Death, the group released an instrumental "soundtrack" album titledFashion Week. In March 2015, the group revealed that they "might make some more" music,[8] and later announced a world tour.[9]
Later in 2015, Death Grips announced their fifth official studio album,Bottomless Pit, which was released in May 2016.[10] Their sixth studio album,Year of the Snitch, was released in June 2018. Their fourth EP,Gmail and the Restraining Orders, was released in June 2019 in celebration ofWarp Records' 30th anniversary. Beyond some previously unreleased material added to their website in 2023, the band has published no new music since. A leaked conversation between a fan and Morin in 2025 led to speculation that Death Grips had disbanded, but this was later dismissed by Hill and Burnett who asserted they remain active.[11] In November of 2025, Death Grips announced they are working on a new album.[12]
In 2009, Zach Hill and Andy Morin met and collaborated with Nathan Williams ofWavves on the aborted albumBabes, which did not see release until 2023,[13][14] and recorded Hill's 2010 albumFace Tat. Both albums were recorded at Morin's studio in Sacramento, California. In 2010, Stefan Burnett, Hill's next door neighbor, was recruited by Hill for a project. Burnett would give himself the name "Ride", and Morin was soon brought in to produce.[15] Death Grips officially formed on December 21, 2010 in Sacramento, California.[16] On the same day, they recorded their first song, "Full Moon (Death Classic)".[17] It was released on March 8, 2011, with a video and afree self-titled EP which featured the song alongside five other songs.[18]
On April 25, 2011, Death Grips released a free mixtape entitledExmilitary, containing three tracks from the EP along with new songs.[19][1] Throughout the spring and early summer in 2011, they played small shows whileExmilitary was spreading steadily throughout the Internet and receiving favorable reviews from music critics.[20][19] The band was originally composed of Hill, Burnett, Morin (then referred to as Flatlander), Mexican Girl and Info Warrior,[21] before stripping back to Hill, Burnett and Morin only, with Mexican Girl credited solely as a feature on "Lord of The Game", off ofExmilitary.
Death Grips performing inNew York City in November 2012
Death Grips signed withEpic Records in February 2012, under the recommendation of Epic's then-executive vice president of marketing,Angelica Cob-Baehler.[16] They announced the release of one album in 2012. Their first studio album,The Money Store, was released in April, and debuted on theBillboard 200 chart at No. 130.[22] Termed as "avant-rap",[23]Pitchfork calledThe Money Store "confrontational, abrasive, and chaotic".[24] TheLos Angeles Times called it "punk rock with a hip-hop face-lift".[25]
October saw the release ofNo Love Deep Web. It was described as a darker album byNPR, saying that the group creates a "soundtrack to modern urban living" with lyrics that describe "constant paranoia".[26] The album contains heavily edited vocal performances from Ride.[27] Its cover art drew attention and controversy for consisting of a picture of Hill's erect penis with the album title written across it.[28][29][30][31] The album was recorded within four months in Sacramento.[16] Prior to that, an international tour was scheduled to supportThe Money Store, but was immediately cancelled in order to completeNo Love Deep Web. This caused conflict between the group and their fans, as well as their label Epic Records.[16] In particular, the album was self-released for legal download viaBitTorrent as an effort to bypass their label's original intent to release the album in 2013.[32][33][34] Death Grips was cut from their recording contract as a result,[35] and would launch their new label Third Worlds in the following year from "a unique relationship withHarvest/Capitol". Material would then be distributed byCaroline Records.[36]
The group remixed twoBjörk songs from her albumBiophilia, "Sacrifice" and "Thunderbolt", after receiving an artist-to-artist note of support.[16] The re-workings were featured in her 2012 remix albumBastards.[37] A non-album track titled "True Vulture Bare" was issued in October 2012 and was accompanied with an animated video by Galen Pehrson. This project was created for theMuseum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.[38]
In March 2013, the group released a series of videos to theirYouTube account, collectively calledNo Hands. On March 20, 2013, a music video for "Lock Your Doors", which was recorded at a live show inSXSW, was released.[39] Hill did not attend the show physically, but played the drums viaSkype.[40] Hill wrote and directed an original feature film in May, with the involvement of Death Grips in the soundtrack. During this period, Hill was also working on the group's album.[41]
Death Grips were scheduled to perform atLollapalooza in August, but their performance was cancelled after the group failed to show up for an after-party show the previous night at theBottom Lounge, instead putting on a playlist of pre-recorded tracks. Draped over the back of the stage was a huge printout of a fan's suicide note, written to the group in the form of an email. Fans at the show destroyed and stole pieces of the band's equipment after being informed of the cancellation.[42][43][44][45] Their subsequent performance scheduled for Montreal'sOsheaga Music and Arts Festival on the next day was cancelled, as well as performances in Boston and New York.[46][47] The group however, never planned to actually appear at Lollapalooza; they later stated that the drum kit, suicide note, and pre-recorded music "was the show". The drum kit that was destroyed was revealed to be a children's learning kit and not Hill's actual kit.[48]
Government Plates (2013) was released for free download on their official website.[49] AnNME review called the record "a challenging listen" but dubbed the album, along withSlant Magazine, as "transgressive".[50][51] The album "[pushes] further away from typical hip-hop" and "[toys] with electronic dance music of various eras", according toThe New York Times.[31] In January 2014, Warp Music Publishing signed an exclusive worldwide publishing agreement with the group, covering previous and future releases.[52] In June, Death Grips announced a double album titledThe Powers That B, along with a download of the first disc, subtitledNiggas on the Moon. The second disc,Jenny Death, was announced to be released later in the year.[53]Niggas on the Moon features chopped up samples of Björk's vocals.[53][54] The double album's first half received mixed to positive reviews.Pitchfork called it the group's least intense effort in their entire discography.[55] A review byMusicOMH stated that it had less of Hill's percussion and claimed that Morin lacked direction in producing the album.[56] Death Grips were scheduled as a supporting act to tour withNine Inch Nails andSoundgarden in July but the group announced an abrupt disbandment, thus cancelling their appearances.[57] An image of the following message, posted on theirFacebook page, was written on a napkin:
We are now at our best and so Death Grips is over. We have officially stopped. All currently scheduled live dates are canceled. Our upcoming double albumThe Powers That B will still be delivered worldwide later this year via Harvest/Third Worlds Records. Death Grips was and always has been a conceptual art exhibition anchored by sound and vision. Above and beyond a "band". To our truest fans, please stay legend.[58]
In January 2015, without any prior notification, Death Grips released a free instrumental album entitledFashion Week. The song titles, each beginning with the word "Runway" followed by a letter of the alphabet, spelled out the phrase "JENNY DEATH WHEN" in reference to the then-unreleased second disc ofThe Powers That B.[59] The album was released in its complete form in March and reached the Billboard 200 chart at No. 72.[22] In the same year, Hill and Morin formed a side project calledthe I.L.Y's and issued their debut albumI've Always Been Good at True Love through Death Grips' official website; it was initially released with little information about the project.[60]
In October 2015, the group uploaded a video to their YouTube page titledBottomless Pit. It features footage from 2013 of American actressKaren Black reciting lines from a film script Hill wrote months before her death. They also posted on their website and Facebook that this would be the title fortheir fifth studio album.[61] In March, the group published a 32-minute video to their YouTube page titledInterview 2016, which shares its name withtheir second EP; the video shows the group being interviewed byMatthew Hoffman ofTuesdays With Matthew, an online volunteer project that aims to combat loneliness in elderly people by recruiting them to act in recreations of famous movie scenes.[62] However, all of the interview's audio is replaced by the album's songs, while the EP's cover art consists solely of a picture of Hoffman looking into the camera.[63] Death Grips uploaded their third EP,Steroids (Crouching Tiger Hidden Gabber Megamix), to their YouTube channel in May 2017; the EP consists of a single 22-minute song of the same name.[64] Following this, the group co-headlined an autumn U.S. tour withindustrial metal bandMinistry.[65][66][67]
In March 2018, Death Grips posted images on social media outlining that they were "working on the new album" titledYear of the Snitch with Australian noise artistLucas Abela, New Zealand film directorAndrew Adamson, and English musicianJustin Chancellor (best known as the bassist forTool).[68][69][70] In April, Death Grips uploaded a video to their YouTube channel writing the track listing for the new album with text messages.[71]
In May 2018, Death Grips uploaded the singles "Streaky", "Black Paint", and "Flies".[72] In June, they uploaded a single titled "Hahaha", as well as an accompanying tweet announcing the release date forYear of the Snitch as June 22.[73] A week later, the group released another two singles: "Dilemma", featuringAndrew Adamson, and "Shitshow".[74][75] On June 21,Year of the Snitch was systematically made available on streaming services at 12:00 AMNZST on June 22, which led to listeners spreading differing versions of the album hours before its full scheduled rollout.[76] The group also tweeted the album being "leaked".[77] The following day,Year of the Snitch was officially released.[78]
In contrast with the band's consistent output of yearly releases during the 2010s, Death Grips' activity was relatively quiet during the early 2020s, with most of the band's online presence being relegated to unannounced re-releases of previous material. On January 29, 2021,Gmail and the Restraining Orders and "More Than the Fairy", a 2016 non-album single featuringLes Claypool, were released on streaming services.[80] On July 11, 2022, Death Grips also released "Live from Death Valley", a two track single from 2011, to streaming services.[81]
On May 12, 2022, Death Grips published a cryptic video of a moth with a heavy trance background, presumed to be a teaser for new music.[82] In November 2022, Death Grips were announced as participants in the Sick New World, Outbreak Fest andPrimavera Sound music festivals scheduled for summer 2023.[83][84][85] These announcements were followed in December 2022 by the confirmation of a North American tour, the band's first in four years, scheduled from May to October 2023.[86]
Sometime in February 2023, Death Grips' website was overhauled and featured a new redesign; through this, twoMP3 files for "True Vulture" and "The Bug Death Grips FULL MIXX" were discovered on the website's server files searcher, making the two tracks the first new, unheard-of music from the band since 2018.[87][88] In March, Death Grips released several lines of merchandise with the clothing brand Praying.[89]
On May 4, 2023, Death Grips started a new nationwide tour at Portland'sRevolution Hall, featuring a complete version of the track that had been previously teased in the aforementioned moth clip.[90] On October 13, 2023, the band walked off stage early in the middle of a performance inFayetteville, Arkansas after being hit withglowsticks thrown by fans several times.[91]
On February 8, 2025,direct messages purporting to be between Morin and an unidentifiedInstagram user leaked; allegedly, Morin wrote that MC Ride "[didn't] want to do any more" and that "truthfully none of us can ever predict what [would] happen with the group".[92][93] On April 8, 2025, the band posted on their Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) that they remain active. The posts were signed by only Burnett and Hill.[11][94]
On November 5, 2025, Death Grips announced on social media that they were in the process of recording a new album, with a post that included pictures of a studio. Yet again, Burnett and Hill were the only signatures listed.[95][12]
Ride (left) and Hill (right) performing in August 2011
Death Grips' music combines a variety of styles includinghip-hop,punk rock,[96]electronic,[97]noise,[98][16] andindustrial. Their style has been variously categorized asexperimental hip-hop,rap rock,[99][100][101][102]electropunk,[103]industrial hip-hop, andpunk rap.[16][104][105][106][107] The group is known for Ride's aggressive rapping style, alongside their noisy and often chaotic production style and bleak and cryptic lyrics. They also received attention for their highly energetic physical performances and stage presence. Their live performances were notable for antics such as their complete absence at one of their shows,[108] Hill drumming to the point of severe injury[109] or performing in handcuffs,[110] Ride's intense and chaotic stage persona, and Morin's use of live sampling alongside his improvised synthesizer flourishes and violent dancing.
They are also notable for engaging in extended periods of live musical improvisation interwoven into their set as bridges between songs, typically performed on the fly by Morin and Hill. Ride has been known to adopt many different vocal styles on record and during live performances, such as shouting, screaming, spoken word-style talking, and whispering. Morin's unorthodox style of production and sampling and Hill's noisy, fast, and unconventional drumming styles and patterns are also distinct features of Death Grips' sound. The group is also notable for their distinctive andlo-fi visual style exhibited in their music videos, performances, and releases.
The band remixed two ofBjörk's tracks for her remix albumBastards, released in 2012.[111] She then recorded original vocal samples for the band, which they used on every track ofNiggas on the Moon. Her contribution is credited as "found object".[112][54] The song "Birds" fromGovernment Plates features a guitar performance byRobert Pattinson, which Hill recorded on aniPhone and sampled into the song.[53] Pattinson also appeared in a 2013viral photo with the group andBeyoncé backstage at one of her concerts.[113] GuitaristSergio Pizzorno ofKasabian cited them as an influence for the band's album48:13.[114] According toDavid Bowie's collaborator,Donny McCaslin, Bowie was inspired by Death Grips while working on his final album,Blackstar.[115]
^Ꭰeath Ꮹrips [@bbpoltergiest] (June 21, 2018)."The album leaked" (Tweet).Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. RetrievedDecember 15, 2022 – viaTwitter.
