1. Death Grips 2019

Death Grips 2019

The enigmatic group intent on constantly rattling their fans have just released their latest LP, to widespread acclaim. Throughout the years Death Grips have compiled some of the most forward-thinking Hip-Hop songs known to the genre thus far, it's only fair we seek out the best they've assembled. While the original plan had their latest be the official sendoff to the group, announcing a retirement, their recent statement 'we might make more' shot through fans as everyone, including myself, continuously fell for their deceitful ways. So, as it stands, this may not be the end all list. There might be, and we certainly hope, some new additions to the catalogue. One note before the countdown, due to the nature of Fashion Week I've excluded it from this list. Now, let's take a journey through the Lords of the Game.

The Money StoreWith literal titles not usually a part of the group's repertoire, 'System Blower' couldn't have made a better first impact upon realization that yes, Death Grips was here to blow your system. The blown-out bass that remains highly concentrated and segmented rattles throughout as the remnants of the last thump clashes with the beginning of the next. The phenomenal revving that concludes the track, righteous in its high-octane approach ends the track in a fiery wreck of a climax. The irony here is that, while the system blowing has multiple meanings, one of that blowing your perceptions of everything, Ride does little more than boast throughout, making brash claims that hinder on violent pleasures, a nod to the beat's obsessive foundation and his inability to resist the urge to wild out. NO LOVE DEEP WEBNo one can deny Zach Hill and Flatlander's abilities to construct a bevy of emotions sonically, but one that's rare even by Death Grips' standards exposes itself chillingly on 'No Love,' that being pure terror.

The exhausting bass stretching that consumes the track spirals in controlled chaos that bends the mind of those who listen as Hill's drums rattle in form that create a cacophony of delusion and misdirection. Ride's confidence over the slaughtering of those who oppose him only adds to the fear spreading itself like a virus throughout. And yet, on top of all that, the chorus still maintains a catchy atmosphere despite Ride explicitly telling you of the 'madness.' Niggas On The Moon / The Powers That BWhen people talk of the Yin/Yang contrast between Death Grips' primal beginnings and electronic evolution no two songs resonate greater than 'Beware' and 'Up My Sleeves,' two sides of the same coin. The messages have always remained intact, from 'I play the cards' to 'up my sleeves' in alarming repetition, Death Grips has made it clear that they're in control of their own progression.

With its claustrophobic onslaught 'Up My Sleeves' may be the group's most difficult song sonically, with a barrage of conflicting synths and vibrations clashing against one another as MC Ride's world crumbles around him. Niggas On The Moon sported Death Grips' most cryptic lyrics to date but Ride's railing yelp, 'Oh yeah I should be worried, oh yeah I'm temporary!'

Is a clear indicator to his current mental state. Ex-MilitaryTo this day ExMilitary remains special for its inherent 'wholeness,' something no other Death Grips record could produce. When it was primal and noisy, it was Hip-Hop and lyrically dense. When it was futuristic and glitchy, it was crate-digging the past for records lost in the rubble. 'Spread Eagle' was a connoisseur of this template, using Link Wray's 'Rumble' from 1958 as a backbone to its agenda, a message many would miss as trite rap talk over music, sex, and drugs.

None of it ever intended to culminate, and yet the wholeness itself, rather than succumbing to a rendering of the sum of its parts, creates something new, fresh, and breathtakingly dexterous. Death GripsThe first release in their catalogue will always remain their most poignant, with a declaration of sorts for what Stefan Burnett and Zach Hill aimed to accomplish at the time.

Rocky guitar riffs with panicked, primal drum sequences all stitched together with uncoordinated do-op samples, a pairing so insane it couldn't help but work. Apart from some aimless juxtapositions in sounds the song itself plays out rather safe, their true experimentation hadn't hit its peak yet but the talents on display definitely showed imminent promise. 'It's Death Grips!!' Has become a staple of the bands music, Ride's vocals not yet hitting their stride in terms of depression, simply relishing in the joy of a new band formation.

The Money StoreThe pinnacle of Death Grips' shocking, yet entirely palpable Pop influence arrives with 'I've Seen Footage's' fast-moving, head-nodding beat progression. Recently it was unearthed that the beginning comes remarkably close to Outkast's 'The Way You Move' if that tells you how generally likable the track is. Even the chorus presents an easily mimicked 'I've seen footage, I stay noided, I've seen footage,' that contradicts much of Ride's indecipherable lyrics with joyful repetition. The content hidden within though is far from accessible.

MC Ride's witnessed some horrible things in his life, internally deciding to detach from it, real life events turn into fantasy nightmares and video footage. Niggas On The Moon / The Powers That BIn the rambunctious, claustrophobic Niggas On The Moon there stands a bizarre, monotone track that teeters as far from the Death Grips catalog as any other track they have.

'Say Hey Kid' enforces the sporadic, electronic drum loop Zach Hill's later works seem to be influenced by during the chorus, yet strips all that during Ride's verses, eerily spoken over a thumping metronome as a precaution to 'his people's actions. As with much of their later work the lyrical content is there to be overtly focused despite having no obvious message. 'Say Hey Kid' may be their hardest to decipher, as vampires, kids playing dead, and bus driver's all playing pivotal roles.

It's a blip of serenity in the claustrophobic Niggas, despite its successes in fitting in all the same. For what little we know of MC Ride one of the most shocking revelations to his personality is that of his quiet demeanor off-mic, but now, through his mind-bending, schizophrenic delivery, we can see where some of that reservation goes. Government PlatesOften times I wonder to myself how exactly three humans came up with 'Birds.' Nothing contained within holds any semblance of order as volatile synths screech like nails on a chalkboard with interluding segments of petrified beauty as Robert Pattinson nimbly strums an electric guitar that's hollowed and depraved. On top of all this is Ride, giving previews to his inexplicable lyrics found in future releases, as talk of paranoia and selling out battle with copious bird metaphors like a drugged out Dr.Seuss novel. The startling disparity between the tribal beginnings of the track and the wailing electronic kaleidoscope of the latter half provide a contrast that makes 'Birds' one of Death Grips' most gut-churning tracks. Upon the belief that things are settling down, the ominous 'I got higher, I got fake' are met with a ravenous 'HIGHER!'

That tears down the walls around it and shatters glass like the internal demons bellowing themselves for a moment before residing. Jenny Death / The Powers That BThe penultimate track to Jenny Death, and arguably Death Grips' entire discography. Many have called the conclusion to The Powers That B a pivotal point in the trajectory the group aims at following, and why shouldn't it.

MC Ride's expressively suicidal tendencies on Jenny Death come to a startling realization on 'On GP' as death knocks at his door, calling him by his first name, after Ride declares all of his obsessive fans as his main unraveling. There's no coincidence that the quieter moments of the shoe-gaze masterpiece sound ripped off Ride's funeral procession, the dark reminder of a man battling constant anguish. Even the instrumental finale, 'Death Grips 2.0,' leaves things in a climatic state as Ride's fate rests in the balance, the future a declarative unknown just like Ride's life. While much of the groups discography relies on packed emotions unleashing themselves, 'On GP' is remarkable subdued and internal, causing a string of intensely personal moments. Ex-MilitaryWhile 'Death Grips (Next Grips)' may have been the official start of the group, no better song displayed the message, motive, and misconduct of Death Grips than Charles Manson and 'Beware.' With that smoldering opening, as told by the man with a swastika tattooed on his forehead, to the overbearing, unnatural roar following 'the game is mine, I deal the cards,' Death Grips officially came into their own, purveyors of the wreckage, sonically disparaging to most who encountered them, stoically helming their rugged sound.

Zach Hill's primal drum sets, looped and distorted, compete with the snarling guitar riff that's stretched beyond belief dominating the walls of the song. And yet the character so provocatively celebrating his ritualistic dominance, unknown by name at the time, remains a pivotal player in the Death Grips lore with comparisons only made towards the mysterious aborigine on the cover. MC Ride will go down in infamy as the enigmatic figure worshipping the beast he declares as his own. Welcome to Dozens Of Donuts, a music blog dedicated to bringing viewers excellent content and reviews that leave no stone unturned.

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