As I and the rest of the universe still reels from the loss of Death Grips, I’ve been diving back into some of their (relatively) older albums and I can confidently say the Fever (Aye Aye) is my fav DG jam.

[jwplayer mediaid=”19957″]

From the beginning, the song quickly dives into the chaotic style Death Grips became known for, but what attracts me the most to this track is how they are able to organize their mayhem, ultimately leading to create a really catchy hook. Everything from the synth to MC Ride’s style of delivery to the pumping beat help to make a fist-pumping, driving and almost pretty sound. After the first hook and throughout the whole track, they are able to leave the hook and use MC Ride’s verses to increase the chaos before bringing it back together at the hook.

And as far as the lyrics, this song really showcases how minimalist MC Ride can be. Throughout the song he talks in short shouted fragments, but is able to weave these pieces together to somehow create really dark, but vivid imagery (although I had to cheat and look up the lyrics, so your results may vary). And for me, the first time I heard this song, I was caught off guard by their originality, but more so, the unwillingness of DG to compromise their sound. It feels that there is no attempt to make this accessible or to an extent pleasing to the average listener. They seem to be saying, “This is it. You don’t like it? Good.”

RIP to the infamous Death Grips. I’ll never forget you bae and you shall forever remain alive in my heart<3.

PS the video is fittingly crude, ugly but oddly intriguing.

 Words by Steven Rich