Jump to content

Exmilitary

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For former members of the military, see Veteran. For the JPEGMafia song, see I Lay Down My Life for You.

Exmilitary
Mixtape by
Death Grips
ReleasedApril 25, 2011
Recorded2010–2011
Genres
Length48:34
LabelSelf-released
ProducersDeath Grips
Death Grips chronology
Death Grips
(2011)		 Exmilitary
(2011)		 Live from Death Valley
(2011)
Black Google
Cover of Black Google
Singles from Exmilitary
  1. "Guillotine"
    Released: August 3, 2011

Exmilitary, also known as Ex Military, is the debut mixtape by American experimental hip-hop band Death Grips, released for free on April 25, 2011, shortly after their debut EP, through the band's website.[3]

The album was recorded from 2010 to 2011. it received universal acclaim from critics,[4] due to its aggressive, abrasive, and unique sound.

A few months later, the band released "Black Google" for free through their website,[5] which contained all the instrumentals and stems for the mixtape.

Background

[edit]

The mixtape was released for free through Death Grips's official website, thirdworlds.net, on April 25, 2011.[6] It later appeared on the net label Grindcore Karaoke.[7] It was simultaneously released through iTunes. The track "Guillotine" was released through iTunes on August 3, 2011. "Guillotine" has become one of the band's most recognized songs. Other tracks released with music videos include "Known for it", "Culture Shock", "Lord of the Game", "Spread Eagle Cross the Block", "Takyon (Death Yon)", and "Beware".

According to Andy Morin, the cover art is a photograph that an undisclosed Death Grips member "carried in their wallet for roughly 10 years straight [...] it's a power object".[8] It was eventually identified as "Bearded Man at Oenpelli", a photo of an Aboriginal Australian man taken by Douglass Baglin in 1968 for his and David R. Moore's book The Dark Australians.[9][better source needed]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic82/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
Consequence of SoundB[11]
Drowned in Sound9/10[12]
The GuardianStarStarStarStar[13]
MSN Music (Expert Witness)(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)[14]
No Ripcord7/10[15]
Pitchfork7.5/10[16]
RapReviews8/10[17]
Tom Hull – on the WebB+ ((1-star Honorable Mention))[18]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Exmilitary received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 82 out of 100 from seven critic scores.[10] In one very positive review, John Calvert of Drowned in Sound focused on the mentality of the character that the album revolves around and how it reflects the inner nature of man, citing the lyricism and sound production as being focal points around this sound and style.[12] Nate Patrin of Pitchfork gave Exmilitary a 7.5, describing the mixtape as "a bludgeoning slab of hostility" that avoids being an "overbearing mess".[16]

Black Google

[edit]

On September 8, 2011, the band released a teaser video for an upcoming project titled Black Google.[19] It was later released on the band's website for free and revealed to be all of the instrumentals, stems, and acapellas for fans to remix and record with. The cover of Black Google features a heavily darkened version of the cover of Exmilitary with the word "Exmilitary" replaced with "Black Google". Black Google, for the band itself, is a "portal to the deconstruction of Exmilitary."[20]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Death Grips.

No.TitleLength
1."Beware"5:53
2."Guillotine"3:43
3."Spread Eagle Cross the Block"3:52
4."Lord of the Game" (featuring Mexican Girl)3:30
5."Takyon (Death Yon)"2:48
6."Cut Throat (Instrumental)"1:12
7."Klink"3:22
8."Culture Shock"4:21
9."5D"0:43
10."Thru the Walls"3:56
11."Known for It"4:13
12."I Want It I Need It (Death Heated)"6:11
13."Blood Creepin"4:50
Total length:48:34

Personnel

[edit]

Death Grips

  • MC Ride – vocals
  • Zach Hill – drums, percussion, production
  • Andy Morin – keyboards, programming, production
  • Mexican Girl – additional vocals (4)

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Walls, Seth Colter (September 9, 2011). "In Defense of Rap Rock". Slate. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Death Grips – The Money Store". Fact. April 16, 2012. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Ex-Military". thirdworlds.net. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  4. ↑ Exmilitary by Death Grips, retrieved May 14, 2026
  5. ↑ "Death Grips". Death Grips. Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Death Grips - Ex Military". Thirdworlds. Archived from the original on October 15, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Exmilitary | Death Grips | Grindcore Karaoke". Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  8. ↑ Lannister, Leif. "The Hands of Doom - Who & What is Death Grips". Coolehmag.com. Retrieved February 1, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  9. ↑ Stevens, Michael [@electricpants]; (December 22, 2025). "During the first 4 seconds, you're hearing @jakechudnow's "Dog." For the rest of the video, you're hearing "Half a Dozen Bullets" by @jakechudnow" – via Instagram.
  10. 1 2 "Reviews for Exmilitary by Death Grips". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  11. ↑ Choudhery, Möhammad (June 27, 2011). "Album Review: Death Grips – Exmilitary". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  12. 1 2 Calvert, John (August 8, 2011). "Album Review: Death Grips – Ex Military". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  13. ↑ MacInnes, Paul (December 22, 2011). "Death Grips: Ex-Military – review". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  14. ↑ Christgau, Robert (January 2013). "Expert Witness". MSN Music. Archived from the original on May 30, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2024 – via robertchristgau.com.
  15. ↑ Wragg, Stephen (May 25, 2011). "Death Grips: Exmilitary - Music Review". No Ripcord. Retrieved September 17, 2026.
  16. 1 2 Patrin, Nate (June 30, 2011). "Death Grips: Exmilitary". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
  17. ↑ Taylor, Patrick (January 10, 2012). "Death Grips :: Exmilitary". RapReviews. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
  18. ↑ Hull, Tom. "Grade List: Death Grips". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Death Grips – Black Google". YouTube. September 8, 2011. Archived from the original on January 29, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  20. ↑ "Black Google Download". Thirdworlds.net. Retrieved June 29, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Exmilitary&oldid=1375430617"