Death Grips' The Money Store Analysis Essay Example

INTRODUCTION: The Money Store is the debut studio album and the second full-length project by American Experimental Hip Hop band Death Grips, released as their debut studio album following the success of Exmilitary. Exmilitary, their debut full-length project, was a mixtape that was filled to the brim with abrasiveness and experimentation. Said abrasiveness and experimentation was born out from the samples used, which varied from Old School Hip Hop songs to Surf Rock to Garage Rock to Psychedelic Rock to Punk to Reggae to Snare Drum Solos, all of which are displayed in an Industrial tone that makes up this record. Along with this the vocalist of the band, MC Ride, delivered a hell of a performance. His style of delivery is not far from that of a punk/metal frontman, and the lyrics he spoke were abstract, vivid, and violent, and painted a hellish world from the perspective of his character.

Then you have the quality of Exmilitary, which is damn near unparalleled in its consistency and enjoyability, of all of the 11 songs and 2 interludes that appear on the record, not one of the songs or interludes are mediocre, let alone bad. Almost all of the songs are A-tier stuff, with some of my favorite songs of the decade appearing on that record. So the real question is, how the fuck do you follow up a perfect record? Not just that, but how do you somehow improve and make a better record than that? The answer to those questions lies within The Money Store

REVIEW: The Money Store is made up of a total of 13 songs, covering a total of 41 minutes. Most of the songs are around 2 ½ to 3 ½ minutes in length, with the longest song being Hacker at 4 ½ minutes long, and the shortest being Blackjack at around 2 ⅓ minutes long. With almost all of the songs being standard length, it allows this album to move at a rapid pace and leave no time wasted on interludes or meandering on the same beats for too long.

Speaking of the beats, the instrumentals on this album are fucking orgasmic in their quality. They are all able to strike an impossibly perfect balance of abrasiveness, experimentation, and futuristic-ness, with catchiness and accessibility. The beats also carry an explosive energy to them that really allows for the songs to pop the fuck off. The production is also very sharp, and pretty clean, which is in contrast to Exmilitary, which has very rough and messy production. But, at the same time, it still maintains the rawness and power that is present in Exmilitary’s production. Along with this contrast to Exmilitary, The Money Store’s instrumentals are a lot less sample-based and rock-based, and are more based on originally made Electronic and Industrial music, with some samples still being used within some of the songs.

MC Ride also delivers a stunning performance as a vocalist, his delivery is more versatile this time around, sometimes sounding pretty normal and mellow, such as his performance on songs like Get Got, The Cage, and I’ve Seen Footage, and other times sounding as manic as ever, such as on Hacker and The Fever. Ride’s lyrics are also as good on this record as they were on their last, with some of the most abstract and interesting lyrics on a rap album on full display.

All of these qualities culminate into quite potentially the most consistent and enjoyable project made. Not a single weak spot is on this entire album.

SONG BY SONG REVIEW:

GET GOT: An incredibly strong opener, a psychedelic arpeggio plays while sporadic and spacey drumming plays in the back. Ride’s delivery is mellow and calm, giving the whole entire song a very trippy, spacey vibe and sound to it. All while Ride's lyrics tell a story of a person hallucinating that they are being pursued by the police.

THE FEVER: A full display of Death Grips at their most manic and chaotic state. Fast-paced drumming, chaotic synths, and vocal delivery with the energy to match the instrumental. the lyrics point to a mentally ill criminal breaking down, leading to him fighting and terrorizing just about everyone around him.

LOST BOYS: A dystopian-sounding industrial dub track that showcases the outlaws and criminals of society, and the extent of how far said people will go to make ends meet, all while degrading society and social normalcy.

BLACKJACK: This song has a substantially different sound in comparison to all of the other songs on this record, sounding broken and other-worldly. Lyrics are from that of a drug dealer who takes pride in the destruction of the people who use the drugs he sells, and the other crimes that he commits.

HUSTLE BONES: One of the glitchiest and catchiest songs on the whole entire album. Ride delivers a manic rampage of performance over the beat. All while the instrumental absolutely decimates everything around itself.

I’VE SEEN FOOTAGE: The catchiest and most accessible song that Death Grips has ever made, and by quite a long shot as well. The beat is catchy and danceable as an incredible blend of dance-punk with electronic music. All while Ride’s performance, once again, matches the energy displayed. The lyrics themselves are some of the darkest on this record. Displaying the amount of horrific shit that lurks on the internet and what it could do to people.

DOUBLE HELIX: Another one of the more accessible and catchier songs on the record. This song sees Ride showcasing how the band views themselves, along with the process of how they make their music.

SYSTEM BLOWER: Despite the song being my least favorite from the album, it is still ridiculously good. The song is well known for sampling, of all things, women grunting and a train, and it all still goes hard. The song itself is about destroying the system and engaging in random and senseless violence.

THE CAGE: Another accessible song. Slower than a lot of the other songs on the album. But still fantastic. The lyrics showcase rejection of the limits that society has placed on the people that it governs.

PUNK WEIGHT: The most powerful and engrossing banger of the whole record. From the earth-shattering bass on this thing to the disgusting lyrics spouted by Ride. This song goes hard, harder than it has any right to go.

FUCK THAT: A much more stripped down and probably the most Exmilitary sounding song on the whole album, catchy and raw.

BITCH PLEASE: The second most powerful and engrossing banger of the whole record. Catchy and very much club-oriented. This was the song in which this band clicked with me, and I've been listening to it nearly daily since.

HACKER: The closer of the record, and the best song of the entire album. Filled with some of the most abstract and cryptic lyrics the band has written, the powerful, apocalyptic, disorienting, massive-sounding instrumental, and everything else about this thing, make it the best song on the record for me.

CONCLUSION: The Money Store is one of the best albums I’ve ever listened to. From the dark lyrics to the dystopian and futuristic instrumentals, to the production, It is essential for the genres of Experimental Hip Hop and Industrial Hip Hop. It is one of the most enjoyable, disorienting, and fantastical experiences I've ever had with music, and I highly recommend it if you want to get into the more abrasive side of Rap music or the more accessible side of Industrial music. Even ten years out, and with numerous developments within both Industrial Hip Hop and Experimental Hip Hop, The Money Store still remains unique, innovative, and ahead of its time.