https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j Exploring the 'celebrity' status of the lead singer of Death Grips, an experimental hip-hop band from the 2010s en-us 2022-11-09 22:49:59 UTC 2022-11-11 03:53:34 UTC hello@padlet.com 201496735 https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2377787645 Death Grips are an underground experimental hip-hop band founded on December 21st, 2010, who still perform to the present day.

Their explosive and undeniably unique sound have given them a cult following, leading to the band releasing six major studio albums, four EPs and two instrumental soundtracks.

Their first proper introduction into the public limelight was their 2011 mixtape Exmilitary. A creative blend of hip-hop sampling and rapping with an experimental, electronic edge that garnered them huge acclaim from critics and listeners. Some notable fans of the band are Björk and Robert Pattinson, who have both contributed to the band's later works, but most notably of all David Bowie, who's final album Blackstar (2016) is said to take inspiration from the band's debut studio album The Money Store (2012).

While the band have this success and now sit at around 750-800,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, they are definitely not for everyone. Their blaring, atonal sound combined with the frontman's cryptic lyrics and aggressive delivery create a somewhat challenging listening experience that will turn many people off. Those who can listen to their music however are rewarded with a listening experience genuinely like no other. The upbeat tempos and creative sounds result in music that begs to be seen live.

Much like their abstract approach to music, the bands approach to promotion and their celebrity image is also rather abstract. They have very few interviews and a sparse social media presence, as they are very much focused on rewarding their fans with the music they produce, evident by the fact that they have released most of their music for free. They even leaked their 2nd album from 2012, No Love Deep Web, when their label tried to push the release into 2013, as the band had promised two albums that year.

This lack of conventional celebrity presence does not leave them in the underground however, as it essentially has the opposite effect on the fans, who crave to know more about the band and as such they have achieved a cult status from their die-hard fans.

Social media sites like Reddit and 4chan have formed the backbone of the Death Grips fan community, where users can access all the information about the band and speculate on song meanings.

Arguably, Death Grips are the epitome of music in the technology generation of the 21st century. The band's own lack of promotion leaves a vacuum for the fans to fill, and as such the groups existence and reputation is spread through posts and memes, creating a cult status and allowing their reputation to be spread further than they could ever do themselves.]]> 2022-11-10 01:42:46 UTC https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2377787645 201496735 https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2377802881 As mentioned in the introduction, Death Grips do very little with their influential status, and most likely would not like to call themselves celebrities.

What they focus on is their music and performances

What Stefan lacks in off screen, real life persona, he makes up for with his band persona, MC Ride. While Zach Hill is said to be the brains for Death Grips, Ride is the face.

Burnett always performs shirtless, revealing a multitude of sinister tattoos including a pentagram, a skull and what looks to be the devil under his right pec. On top of his manic delivery, and satanic appearance, Ride's dancing when on stage completes the act with 

Despite being the poster boy for Death Grips, when Ride is not shrieking his lyrics and actually speaks he is a very soft spoken man.]]> 2022-11-10 01:53:59 UTC https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2377802881 201496735 https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2377804877 2022-11-10 01:55:33 UTC https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2377804877 201496735 https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2377811349 In this song Burnett's vocals are at their most extreme, being described as sounding like a crazed inmate by music critic and youtuber Antony Fantano in his review of this mixtape in 2011.]]> 2022-11-10 02:00:20 UTC https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2377811349 201496735 https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2377814587 This album (and this song in particular) is built around samples of Bjork's vocals that she contributed to the band. 

Burnett's lyrics in this song are almost at their most cryptic, yet his delivery allows them to flow in strange ways making them seem almost poetic. ]]> 2022-11-10 02:02:53 UTC https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2377814587 201496735 https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2377817039 Burnett's delivery is at its calmest here which, accompanied by the relaxed synth and bass sounds making up the song, creates a quite relaxed listening experience.

The relaxed vocals are their to contrast the meaning of the song, as Ride ponders the death of our generation due to our unlimited access to online pornography.

This showcases the band's (and Burnett's) ability to tone down their more aggressive approach, and still make a good song, that fits into all their themes and ideas.]]> 2022-11-10 02:04:51 UTC https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2377817039 201496735 https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2378181524 2022-11-10 07:36:14 UTC https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2378181524 201496735 https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2378190173 This music video is a great example of their work, 
Not only does the distorted background work to reflect the dark sinsiter tone of the track, but it also reflects the motif of highlighting the problems in the modern technological age.]]> 2022-11-10 07:43:56 UTC https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2378190173 201496735 https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2378195334 2022-11-10 07:48:14 UTC https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2378195334 201496735 https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2378196906 2022-11-10 07:49:38 UTC https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2378196906 201496735 https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2378199959 Their twitter handle isn't even their band name its @bbpoltergiest]]> 2022-11-10 07:52:24 UTC https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2378199959 201496735 https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2378208073 A thirty-three minute video where someone dissects a meme compiling all Death Grips 'lore.' Here lore is just a nickname for the band's history of memes and other information about them.

This is a good example as it shows the many layers there are to internet and meme culture. This Youtuber is able to make content discussing content made by another person in relation to Death Grips. Both creators will be happy with their gain from these pieces of content (views, comments, likes etc.) but in both examples Death Grips are the main focal point. This is the type of content that has made Death Grips so popular within deeper internet culture.]]> 2022-11-10 07:59:10 UTC https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2378208073 201496735 https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2378214912 Youtuber theneedledrop is a music critic called Anthony Fantano who had been reviewing music on Youtube for a couple of years before Death Grips came on the scene. He reviews hundreds of albums a year.

Fantano awarded the bands debut album with his first ever 10/10, a score that he has only awarded to five other albums in the over a decade since this review.

This was a huge and cemented Death Grips place in internet culture, with Fantano himself having his own little cult audience. The two are very often interlinked]]> 2022-11-10 08:05:31 UTC https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2378214912 201496735 https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2378646901 2022-11-10 13:51:11 UTC https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2378646901 201496735 https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2378658823 This meme account devoted to Death Grips memes has 50k followers and still receives 5-10k likes per post despite the band not releasing any music since 2018.]]> 2022-11-10 13:58:23 UTC https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2378658823 201496735 https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2378686907 This example is fantastic for showcasing the crossover of Death Grips, memes and Fantano. 

Fantano's love for Death Grips is widely documented thanks to his channel and this Facebook meme page exemplifies how normal audiences and consumers have then created memes surrounding this. 

This page is dedicated to posting this photo, every day. Nothing else. This screenshot is from day 870.

The caption also demonstrates another layer of 'comedy' as the poster is claiming they've never actually listened to the band before, despite devoting over two years of their life posting this same picture everyday.]]> 2022-11-10 14:13:29 UTC https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2378686907 201496735 https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2378708662 “I’m a very private person,” says Burnett. “I have very few people that I call my friends. I’m very distrustful of human beings in general; I’m very distrustful of media. I have no interest in sharing my personal life with the world. Zero.”

This quote shows Burnett's persona when he's not MC Ride. He's a very soft spoken man according to the article, in a stark contrast to his aggressive front man attitude.]]> 2022-11-10 14:25:39 UTC https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2378708662 201496735 https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2379646102 He likes to keep his life outside of MC Ride's existence incredibly private]]> 2022-11-11 03:18:14 UTC https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2379646102 201496735 https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2379666269 This animation shows the multi-media, multi user state of social media that the band thrives under.

If you listen to when Fantano talks about meeting Burnett, he mentions how for a moment Burnett breaks from the MC Ride persona. The interviewer is audibly excited by this, not only showing the strong link between the band and the Youtuber, but also how little the public see of Burnett, instead of MC Ride. ]]> 2022-11-11 03:38:43 UTC https://padlet.com/201496735/iyczaexicgt8qv8j/wish/2379666269