The Money Store

Death Grips formed in Sacramento, California, in December 2010, comprising vocalist Stefan Burnett (a.k.a. MC Ride), drummer Zach Hill, and producer Andy Morin. The group first attracted significant attention in 2011 with the release of their debut mixtape, Exmilitary, which was made available as a free digital download. The project received widespread critical notice and helped characterize the group's abrasive fusion of alternative hip-hop, industrial music, and hardcore punk. Around the same period, Hill was already known for his work in the math rock band Hella.

In February 2012, Death Grips signed to the major label Epic Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music. The signing drew attention given the group's experimental style and prior independent releases. The band also announced that they intended to release two albums within the same year, with The Money Store scheduled for April and a second project planned for later in the year. Much of the material for The Money Store had already been recorded before the deal was finalized, and the label reportedly allowed the group to retain creative control over their output.

The rollout for The Money Store included several pre-release promotion: the album was first hinted at with the release of a music video for the track "Blackjack" on February 7, 2012, followed by the release of the track "Get Got" in February 27, both of which were posted online for free the following day. On March 13, Death Grips released the track "Lost Boys". On March 27, they released the music video for the song "The Fever (Aye Aye)", followed by a free download.

The Money Store has been described by journalists as experimental hip hop, industrial hip hop and hardcore hip-hop. The album incorporates influences from genres such as dubstep, juke, ghettotech, heavy metal, and synth-pop. Crack's Mike Vinti has noted the use of unconventional samples, utilizing unconventional samples such as tennis grunts from the Williams sisters and the sound of the Vancouver SkyTrain. Several tracks also incorporate samples from the compilation Music from Saharan Cellphones. Vocalist Burnett delivers lyrics in a manner akin to a harsh, terrified shout. His lyrical content is often cryptic and evocative, focusing on themes of paranoia, violence, and social alienation. The production is handled by Hill and Morin and combines programmed and live elements, including synthesizer-driven textures and distorted drum patterns. Hill's drumming is frequently syncopated and altered through studio processing, contributing to an irregular rhythmic structure.

The album cover depicts a female masochist, with "Death Grips" carved into her chest, on the leash of a smoking female sadist. The image is painted by Sua Yoo, an artist with whom Death Grips had worked in the past. They later appeared on the album art for the band's 2015 soundtrack album, Fashion Week. It originally appeared in a zine, but the band name carved into the submissive's chest was added afterwards. The non-explicit variant of the album cover includes a white bar with the album name printed across it, censoring the breasts.

In May 4, Death Grips announced via Facebook that they had cancelled their upcoming tour dates in support of The Money Store in order to finish the recording of their second record, No Love Deep Web, stating "[sic] we are dropping out to complete our next album NO LOVE. see you when it's done. (there are no longer any scheduled shows)".

In September 10, a song titled "@DeathGripz", named after their Twitter username, was released as the final installment of the Adult Swim Singles Program 2012. The group had stated earlier that it was an unreleased cut from The Money Store.

The Money Store received critical acclaim upon release. Music journalist Jim Carroll of The Irish Times summarized: "MC Ride, Andy Morin and Zach Hill set out to create an intense, spectacular, feral racket and succeed in spades. Once you get used to the fact that they're fuming, you'll thrill to the raw, fractured, incessant and apocalyptic barrage of noise as Death Grips prepare for the end of the world".

Jayson Greene of Pitchfork assigned the album a "Best New Music" label and wrote that "The Money Store is about as intellectual an experience as a scraped knee. But it's just as good at reminding you that you're alive." Spin, while very positive towards The Money Store, felt it was inferior to Exmilitary for the rejection of the mixtape's use of samples, specifically "the raw, imperfect way that samples rub up against one another." It was also the first album which music critic Anthony Fantano rated a 10 upon its release.

Less satisfied reviewers included Louis Pattison of NME, who felt its "utterly convincing" dystopian vision was ruined by an "alienating" presentation of themes that lacked a goal. The Guardian's Alex Macpherson, who claimed Burnett's "one-note" vocal performance distracted the listener from the instrumentals' "careening thrill;" and Sputnikmusic, who panned the "poor taste" blend of genres and production elements and "MC Ride's consistently incoherent mumbling and meme-of-the-day approach to making hooks" that muddled the record's lyrical complexities.

Accolades

All tracks are written by Death Grips.

• Stefan Burnett, vocals
• Zach Hill, production
• Andy Morin, production
• Angelica Cob-Baehler, A&R
• Sua Yoo, cover drawing