If you took 15 different people, and asked each person "how would you describe death grips?" you would get some varying responses to say the least. This decade has been a time of major experimentation and innovation for hip hop as a whole, with artists like Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, and many MANY more creating some of the most critically acclaimed, artistically sound and well-made rap mainstream rap music in recent memory, however while many artists have managed to (for better or for worse) streamline their sound and embrace mainstream sensibilities, the Sacramento trio Death Grips have avoided falling under an umbrella and have stayed true to themselves, both as artists and as musicians.
With their unique blend of industrial, punk, and hip hop music, as well as their frequent use of samplings and alternative instrumentation they've become somewhat of a phenomenon. So when I heard Death Grips were playing NYC soon I knew I had to get a ticket. Going into it, numerous friends of mine recalled their experiences of seeing Death Grips live. The consensus seemed to be that the show was gonna be a pretty intense, violent, and loud affair and I am in no place to disagree. I walked out of that show with a thousand-yard stare on my face, in the words of my friend I looked like I had just "walked in on my parents having sex."
The band opened with the fantastic Government Plates track Whatever I Want (Fuck Who's Watching) and quickly displayed that the energy present on their records is just as prominent live, as the band stormed through all twenty-five songs with no intermissions or pauses. The band has always been extremely focused and masterful when it comes to their craft and that same focus is visible in their live shows. They showed no restraint when it came to the songs they played either, if most bands had to play twenty-five songs they would probably play some shorter songs or softer songs to space it out and conserve energy, but death grips went in the complete opposite directions they played some of their heaviest and most aggressive tracks like Hot Head and I Break Mirrors With My Face In The United States.
The crowd was incredibly invested, for a show that so intense and crowded, few shows I've been to have had such a connected, familial vibe. People all around were helping each other find their lost items or pulling them up if they fell. Even the dudes pitting weren't out for blood, everyone was just having fun which seems to be a factor lost upon many people at shows nowadays.
Overall, this might be the most entertaining show I've ever been to, or at the very least the most entertaining show I've been to this year. Outside of a few minor setlist tweaks I would say the show was solid front to back.
Overall Rating: 9.5/10
