Death Grips

DannyL

Wild Horses
why are you so angry?

also please provide evidence that 'every song is about getting his dick sucked, weed, and not backing down'. I wouldn't care if it was the case tbh but you seem to be making stuff up to make some weird point

That kind of song content would kind of go along with the production. It's not the music of introspection and heartbreak is it? Not that I can understand what the fuck he's saying anyway.
 

Scott

Member
There seems to be a 50/50 backlash on this in the youtube comments (as always) but I think it's great news for them. I can't imagine it will change their style of music making too much and I'd definitely like to hear more.
I preferred "Blackjack" to "Get Got" though.
 

CrowleyHead

Well-known member
My argument is that the noise disguises the lack of truly differing approach from the crowd. This group's fans are into it for the self-delusional feel that this is superior to the artform it's derived from. And that's the shit I don't like in rap.
 

SecondLine

Well-known member
This group's fans are into it for the self-delusional feel that this is superior to the artform it's derived from.

I totally get that this can be a thing and it's bad, like IDM fans loving aphex jungle cos it's 'clever' but thinking the proper stuff is just dumb music for working class people

but not sure if it's really the case here...?
 

CrowleyHead

Well-known member
But this is the case though; in Death Grips, he's exuding imagery, sounds and the vague elements of a persona that don't adhere to the typical rap stereotypes. In doing this, everyone is naturally under the impression that because of all these external details, at his core, he is somehow more 'pure' than say, a typical rapper. Yet his content isn't that vastly a departure from regular rap, his delivery is just obscured.

This issue already is a frustrating issue in rap (Lil' B who is covered in tattoos, has sagging pants, says misogynist things, is less credible as an artist based on the image he portrays than say, Death Grips for these people). So to see Death Grips running around, after there's been a recent trend of younger rappers who are breaking down the stereotypes of rappers by providing really good/great music with significant 'messages' who still look like every typical rapper, it's kind of like a gigantic hang-over for indie rap.

It's also no surprise that the Low-End Theory crowd claimed him so quickly after dropping Odd Future like a pile of bricks. He fits their aesthetic (Psychedelics and IDM as some sort of artistic statement of 'culture') a lot better.
 

proteus

Active member
But this is the case though; in Death Grips, he's exuding imagery, sounds and the vague elements of a persona that don't adhere to the typical rap stereotypes. In doing this, everyone is naturally under the impression that because of all these external details, at his core, he is somehow more 'pure' than say, a typical rapper. Yet his content isn't that vastly a departure from regular rap, his delivery is just obscured.

This issue already is a frustrating issue in rap (Lil' B who is covered in tattoos, has sagging pants, says misogynist things, is less credible as an artist based on the image he portrays than say, Death Grips for these people). So to see Death Grips running around, after there's been a recent trend of younger rappers who are breaking down the stereotypes of rappers by providing really good/great music with significant 'messages' who still look like every typical rapper, it's kind of like a gigantic hang-over for indie rap.

It's also no surprise that the Low-End Theory crowd claimed him so quickly after dropping Odd Future like a pile of bricks. He fits their aesthetic (Psychedelics and IDM as some sort of artistic statement of 'culture') a lot better.
u not a zomby fan either then I take it:)
 

CrowleyHead

Well-known member
lol. How does it co-relate? Not being dismissive, I just don't view Zomby as the same problem. (His "I ain't a future garage producer, I'm Lex Luger doing acid with Aphex Twin" schtick is fairly old though.)
 

CrowleyHead

Well-known member
Plenty of people would refer to Guru as "Gangstarr" before distinctions between producer and MC were made, so my vagueness is all fairly appropriate.

There is no real purity war. But I've always had issues with the older underground hip-hop movement which always had this attitude of "Let's not bother, the mainstream ruins everything, let's do what we do outside of everyone else's input", and those who are technically mainstream artists, but try to do something unique that makes them stand out whilst still viewing themselves as part of the mainstream.

Essentially, you get locked in a strange fiasco of choosing artists to identify with. For example, in '05, underground people were NOT ALLOWED to enjoy Cam'ron & The Diplomats (and if then, you enjoyed Juelz, almost begrudgingly). Now of course, Max B-era Jim Jones, and Cam'ron are common reference points, but years ago, you could not CONVINCE anyone that what Cam was doing had more in common with say, Lord Finesse and Kool Keith than just being another rapper from NYC who rhymed about drugs and guns.

So when a rapper is going out of his way to produce this image that is "Anti-Rap", and his content isn't that 'progressive' as his image pronounces... I find it a little too much. And as I expected, the fans of him automatically run into the cliches of "THIS IS REAL MUSIC, FUCK ALL THE LIL' WAYNE, LIL' B, SOULJA BOY GARBAGE!" because they buy into the abstraction more than the themes of the music
 

rubberdingyrapids

Well-known member
new album seems much more IDM-y/electronic than the last one. still brilliant though. wonder what the other album theyre releasing this year will be like.
This group's fans are into it for the self-delusional feel that this is superior to the artform it's derived from.

this is 100% true (they are rap for rock fans) but it doesnt make me like the group any less. the review of the new album on the bbc site said something like 'steers clear of regular rap trappings', but what are regular rap trappings in 2012?

seriously though, somewhere in NY, RA the rugged man must be mad that death grips have more or less stolen his whole steeze.

im waiting for the day when a rock group is liked more by rap fans than vice versa. 'not like your normal rock stuff'.
 
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CrowleyHead

Well-known member
I mean, it's not bad if you realize that it's not rap. I'm just sick of 'rap fans' pretending that it is.

I tried the new album out of spite. It's got less corny rock samples. That's about it.

This will do really well with the younger cousins of Non-Phixion fans who'd break my nose in record stores for looking at Juvenile CDs.

Positive attitude.
 

rubberdingyrapids

Well-known member
its still rap, just not hip hop.

but i think this is what non phixion and all those tough guy dudes who hang around with necro wanted to do a while back. death grips do proper rock-rap. or rap-rock. whatever. best rock-rap band ever. surprised chuck d doesnt like them.
 

CrowleyHead

Well-known member
If Chuck is aware of them (because all Chuck's really concerned with these days is his talk radio spots and touring on the strength of a soon to be 25 year old album), he'd probably disapprove of a rapper needing white indie kids to help himself get exposure in the climate, because he raps solely to white indie kids, about (supposedly) being a black man in the new millenium.

Chuck probably appreciated David Banner x100 times more than Company Flow, no matter how many songs David Banner had about running trains.
 

rubberdingyrapids

Well-known member
i once did a blend of the accapela of welcome to the terrordome and el-p's deep space 9mm. i thought it was pretty sick. though it should be noted i stopped trying to be a dj shortly after.

i love chuck d but do wish he spoke a bit less these days. his targets arent as sharp as they used to be. doesnt help that the internet lets him basically talk forever. a bit of self censoring is never a bad thing.

chuck would prob defend banners lyrics about running trains.

i feel bad slagging off chuck d.
 
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