Death Grips

Death Grips emerged as a demanding but gripping endeavor, its glitch-riddled productions supplied by blastbeat drummer Zach Hill and keyboardist Andy Morin framing the ferociously shouted raps of vocalist Stefan Burnett. Formed in Sacramento, California, the experimental hip-hop outfit issued its debut mixtape, Exmilitary, in 2011. Critics quickly embraced the recording for its seething force. After inking a contract with Epic, Death Grips delivered The Money Store in 2012. Epic had slated the follow-up, No Love Deep Web, for release that same year, yet the group instead distributed the album itself as a free download and was promptly dropped by the label. An authorized edition of No Love Deep Web surfaced in 2013 via the band’s own Third Worlds imprint, arriving alongside the free online rollout of its third album, Government Plates.

In 2014 the members declared their breakup and positioned the double LP The Powers That B as their final statement. The set received its official release in 2015, though its opening half, Niggas on the Moon, had already leaked the previous year and was built from vocal samples of singer/songwriter Björk. The remaining half, Jenny Death, followed a more conventional Death Grips template. The group launched a world tour in summer 2015 and revealed plans for its fifth album, Bottomless Pit, later that year. The record arrived in early 2016 to widespread acclaim. After supporting it with nationwide and European dates, the band returned to the studio in late 2017. Throughout early and mid-2018, abstract images and audio fragments posted online teased new material. Following the appearance of several tracks reportedly drawn from another full-length project, Death Grips released its sixth album, Year of the Snitch, in June of that year.