Flowdan made history last night, becoming the first ever grime MC to win a Grammy Award.
The pioneering MC and Roll Deep crew legend picked up the award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording for “Rumble”, alongside first-time winner Fred again.. and Skrillex. The trio were up against Aphex Twin’s “Blackbox Life Recorder 21f”, Disclosure’s “Higher Than Ever Before”, James Blake’s “Loading”, and another one from Fred again...: “Strong” with Romy.
Also listed among recipients for the award were Jamaican-American artist BEAM (whose lyrics were lifted from Skrillex’s “Selecta” for the track) and Elley Duhé, a U.S. singer who also provided vocals for the track.
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“Rumble” was one of a whole stock of collaborations between Flowdan and Skrillex. The pair also worked on “Badders” together, alongside Detroit producers PEEKABOO and G-Rex, itself a sequel to another track from the four-piece, “Hydrate”, from Skrillex’s Quest For Fire Album. Another Flowdan/Skrillex team-up, “Pepper”, followed in October, this time with an assist from Lil Baby.
An infamous roadblock session at the Kindred shopfront followed last summer, a manic event they dubbed ‘Badders Radio’. Also jumping on deck that day were M1OnTheBeat, Sicaria, and Sarz.
Flowdan’s Grammy win is a landmark moment not just for grime and UK music, but for Flowdan himself, whose deep, instantly recognisable, dancehall- and ragga-influenced flow has helped shape the last 20-plus years of UK club culture, from UKG and grime to dubstep and D&B.
Congrats to Flowdan and crew. Watch Skrillex’s acceptance speech below.
