Beyond the grave Life after death: Could Death Grips’ continued existence be the latest of their artistic statements?

If ever there were a figurehead for defying convention, Death Grips would surely be it. From dick pics as album artwork to bizarre and unapologetic no-shows at their own rare-as-golddust gigs, they built an infamous career on mischief and mystery alongside their four years and four records. But then it all came crumbling down. Just weeks before an arena support run with Nine Inch Nails that many groups would have sold their collective souls for, Death Grips announced they were to disband. Via the medium of a napkin.

It was a split that should’ve shaken up underground hip-hop, as fans across the globe mourned the fact that we might never see another like them. But despite newer acts like clipping. continuing to push the boundaries of hip-hop’s industrial crossover with a similar zeal to those early days of Grips’ reign, it seems the torch hasn’t quite been handed over yet. In fact, as Death Grips’ corpse continues to leak new material with a frequency that would alarm even the hardiest coroner, theirs is a flame that continues to flicker, and it increasingly seems that this supposed funeral is much more likely to be another practical joke. Could they be toying with the expectations of a band’s demise, in the same way they formerly built a career on dismantling their audience’s other preconceived notions of what a band was, or should do?