10 Best Hip Hop Albums Of The Decade
8. Death Grips - The Money Store
Noise rap lunatics Death Grips burst into the scene with terrifying ferocity in 2011, and they remain one of hip hop’s foremost pioneering forces today. The group’s noisy, abrasive beats coupled with MC Ride’s manic vocals make for a potent cocktail of misanthropy, violence, and nihilism, and their debut album, The Money Store, stands as their finest work.
With this release, Death Grips took the themes and sounds established in Exmilitary, their breakthrough 2011 mixtape, and introduced a whole new level of accessibility. The sounds are as savage and raw as ever, but the likes of “The Fever” and “I’ve Seen Footage” come packaged with insanely catchy hooks that won’t leave your head for weeks.
The Money Store is brutal and beautiful in equal measure. There’s little flow or melody to Ride’s vocals, but there doesn’t need to be. His buzzsaw delivery blends into the thick, primal grooves like another instrument, creating a sound that belongs to Death Grips and Death Grips alone. The group’s back catalogue is full of great releases, but their aural chaos has never sounded as delicious as it did here.