Death Grips

Death Grips is an American experimental hip-hop band formed in 2010 in Sacramento, California. The group consists of producers Zach Hill (drums), Andy Morin (engineering), and vocalist Stefan Burnett, also known as MC Ride. Though he is not the group's frontman, Hill has been credited with being the driving creative force behind the project. Drawing from hip-hop, punk rock, electronic, noise, and industrial styles, the band's innovative and often difficult-to-categorize sound earned them critical acclaim and a cult following, while their aggressive performance style and cryptic interactions with their fans and the media gained widespread notoriety.

The group released the mixtape Exmilitary in April 2011 and their debut studio album, The Money Store, a year later; both received critical praise. Shortly after signing to Epic 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 with Harvest 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, a double album titled The Powers That B. 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 titled Fashion Week. In March 2015, the group revealed that they "might make some more" music, and later announced a world tour.

Later in 2015, Death Grips announced their fifth official studio album, Bottomless Pit, which was released in May 2016. 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 of Warp 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. In November of 2025, Death Grips announced they are working on a new album.

History

2010–2011: Formation and Exmilitary

Death Grips was formed in Sacramento, California during the summer of 2010, composed of Zach Hill, Stefan Burnett, and Andy Morin. Andy Morin had previously helped record Hill's 2010 album Face Tat, as well as his then-abandoned album Babes with Wavves frontman Nathan Williams; Burnett was Hill's next-door neighbor, and the two had lived on the same street for several years. Info Warrior and Mexican Girl were mutual collaborators with the others, and were described as "ancillary members" by the band around this time. "Flatlander" was the alias often attributed to Morin; however the band has clarified in interviews he is not "AKA Flatlander."