Death Grips is an experimental hip-hop / rap-punk group originating in Oak Park, Sacramento, built around vocalist Stefan Burnett (MC Ride), drummer Zach Hill, and producer Andy Morin (Flatlander).[1][2] The band officially formed on December 21, 2010 in Sacramento, California.[3][4] Submerge consistently frames the group as a Sacramento phenomenon whose rapid rise put the city's name into international music coverage.[2]
At a glance
- From Oak Park, Sacramento; repeatedly described as "Sacramento's Death Grips" and "Sacramento's hardest rap group."[1][5]
- Core members: Stefan Burnett / MC Ride (vocals), Zach Hill (drums), Andy Morin / Flatlander (production).[2]
- Emerged via the 2011 Ex-Military mixtape on Third Worlds.[1][6]
- Signed to Epic Records in 2012; released The Money Store (April 24, 2012) and NO LOVE DEEP WEB (leaked Oct. 2012).[5][7][8]
- Recurring Submerge year-end honoree, 2011–2013.[6][9][10]
Origin and local status
Death Grips is a Sacramento-origin act. Submerge's first feature calls frontman Stefan Burnett "a Kimbo Slice-looking dude from Oak Park" and refers to "Sacramento's locally raised rap beast," treating the group as a local act.[1] A 2012 Submerge year-end blurb states plainly, "No one expected Oak Park to birth the ingenious production and vocal aggression of Death Grips."[6] The group is repeatedly tagged "Sacramento's Death Grips," "Sacramento's hardest rap group," and "Sacramento-based controversial rap-punk trio."[1][5][8] This is origin-based local status, not mere fame: the band is described as having been "kept in the confines of Oak Park" before breaking out.[2] Confidence: high.
The group's local roots are reinforced by member connections to the Sacramento/Davis scene. Producer Andy Morin recorded local band G. Green's debut Crap Culture "long before his stint in Death Grips."[11] Zach Hill is the drummer of Sacramento-area math-rock band Hella and is described as having a "quiver of spectrum-spanning projects, such as the hugely popular Death Grips."[2][12] MC Ride's brother, Ike "Swank" Burnett, performs in the local scene.[13]
Lineup
- Stefan Burnett (MC Ride) — vocalist; the "vessel" Hill and Morin found for the project.[2] Submerge describes his coined grunt "Yuh" as the group's battle cry.[1]
- Zach Hill — drummer; also of Hella and numerous other projects.[2][12] His earlier solo album Face Tat (track "Jackers") is described by Submerge as sounding like "the birthplace of Death Grips."[2]
- Andy Morin (Flatlander) — production; with Hill, the "Reanimators" of the group's sound.[2]
- Nick Reinhart — touring guitarist and sampler player; has toured with Death Grips since 2023, taking on live duties previously associated with Morin.[3][14]
Sound
Submerge characterizes Death Grips as breaking from conventional hip-hop into a "DIY and punk mentality," blending heavy bass, juke break beats, and vintage psych samples (Link Wray, The Castaways cited on Ex-Military).[1] A 2012 review describes the production as "break beat science" mixing hip-hop, EDM and dubstep elements, with source material drawn from warped drum breaks and Ride's vocal loops; the writer notes the group released the Ex-Military stems, a cappellas and instrumentals as the "Black Google" zip file as a "glimpse into the creative process."[2] Submerge repeatedly stresses the sound resisted imitation: "Weird, angry, non-imitable experimental hip-hop from Sacramento. Is it rap? Is it punk?"[9] The group has been positioned as a reference point for later "noise-rap" acts, with LA's Clipping repeatedly compared to "Sacramento's own Death Grips" and discussed in a "post-Death Grips" context.[15]
Discography (per Submerge coverage, extended with verified releases)
- Ex-Military (mixtape, 2011, Third Worlds) — the group's breakout "call to arms."[1][6]
- The Money Store (Epic, April 24, 2012) — the band's Epic debut; Submerge's #2 album of 2012.[5][7][9]
- NO LOVE DEEP WEB (originally slated as No Love for fall 2012) — leaked for free in Oct. 2012 after the band said Epic wouldn't confirm a release date; released with controversial cover art, after which the band's site Thirdworlds.net was briefly taken down.[7][8]
- Government Plates (self-released, 2013) — Submerge's #6 album of 2013.[10]
- The Powers That B (Third Worlds/Harvest, March 31, 2015)[16][3]
- Bottomless Pit (Third Worlds/Harvest, May 6, 2016)[16][3]
- Year of the Snitch (Third Worlds/Harvest, June 22, 2018)[16][3]
Major label signing
Death Grips signed with Epic Records in February 2012 under the recommendation of Angelica Cob-Baehler, Epic's then-executive vice president of marketing.[3] The signing was reported by Submerge in March 2012 as the band prepared two albums for that year.[5]
Breakup and return
In July 2014, Death Grips announced their breakup via a Facebook post reading: "We are now at our best and so Death Grips is over. We have officially stopped."[3] Submerge covered the aftermath — Cold Cave opened at the Aug. 27, 2014 Sleep Train Amphitheatre show in place of Death Grips, calling them "Sacramento's favorite dysfunctional darlings."[17]
The group subsequently reconvened and continued releasing music. In April 2025, Stefan Burnett and Zach Hill denied new breakup rumors with a handwritten statement: "Despite rumor and hearsay, we remain active as Death Grips. -Stefan and Zach."[18] Notably, Andy Morin did not sign the statement; his current status within the group remains uncertain, with recent communications attributed solely to Burnett and Hill.[18][14]
Live history and the Sacramento relationship
Submerge's earliest coverage captures the band's mid-2011 emergence in Sacramento: a "secret show" at Press Club, followed by a last-minute "Grimey" set at Townhouse Lounge on June 7, 2011 (booked around a DJ Whores dubstep night), with rumors of a Davis house show as the unveiling of the "mysterious Zach Hill project."[1] The piece notes the group was set to play L.A.'s Low End Theory at The Airliner on June 15, 2011.[1]
The group's relationship with its hometown grew strained. Death Grips was billed to play Harlow's on May 5, 2012 as part of the Sacramento Electronic Music Festival,[2] but reportedly flaked on that festival, and Submerge later noted the band "haven't played a show in Sacramento since 2011."[19] In 2014 the group was announced as opener for a Nine Inch Nails / Soundgarden co-headlining tour (the Sacramento-area date being Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, Aug. 24, 2014 — a tour that did not stop in Sacramento).[19] Death Grips then abruptly broke up and removed themselves from that bill; Cold Cave opened in their place at the Aug. 27, 2014 Sleep Train Amphitheatre (Wheatland) show.[17] Submerge calls them "Sacramento's favorite dysfunctional darlings."[17]
Rise and national attention
Submerge documents the band's unusually fast ascent: signing to Epic Records (announced March 2012) with two planned 2012 albums, plus Coachella dates (April 13 and 20, 2012), a Refused support slot at the Glass House in Pomona (April 12, 2012), an All Tomorrow's Parties appearance, and a European tour including San Miguel Primavera Sound in Barcelona (June 1, 2012, billed alongside The Cure, M83, and Sleigh Bells).[5][2] The 2012 Money Store review frames the band as a phenomenon that would make Sacramento "the talk of the industry."[2]
Scene relationships
- Zach Hill / Hella / SOLOS — Hill's many projects, including the "hugely popular Death Grips," contributed to Hella's hiatus after Tripper (2011); Hella guitarist Spencer Seim went on to form SOLOS.[12]
- G. Green — Andy Morin recorded G. Green's debut before Death Grips.[11]
- DJ Crook / Team Sleep / Deftones — Sacramento DJ John "Crook" Molina notes Hill "has been super busy with Death Grips," limiting his involvement in Team Sleep.[20]
- CHLLNGR — Steven Jess Borth II mentioned early noisy recording sessions with Zach Hill of Death Grips.[21]
- Clipping — the LA noise-rap trio is repeatedly compared to Death Grips, whose fanbase is said to overlap with theirs.[15]
- Swank (Ike Burnett) — MC Ride's brother, a performer in the local scene.[13]