Skrillex, Peekaboo, Flowdan, & G-Rex – “Badders”

Skrillex has been a busy guy this year. He formed a tight unit with Fred again.. and Four Tet, and those three guys sold out Madison Square Garden, headlined the second Coachella weekend as last-second replacements for Frank Ocean, and released the single “Baby Again.” Skrillex also released two collab-heavy albums, Quest For Fire and Don’t Get Too Close, just one week apart. When Skrillex played Primavera, the stage literally caught fire. Now, Skrillex has another single out, and he made it with some friends.

Skrillex is the most famous person involved in the new track “Badders,” but the song didn’t start with him. Instead, it began as the creation of the Detroit dance producers Peekaboo and G-Rex. Veteran grime MC Flowdan heard the track in a studio session, and he jumped on. (Earlier this year, Flowdan appeared on the Skrillex/Fred again.. track “Rumble.”) Then Skrillex finished up the arrangement, and he’s been teasing the single’s release for a while.

“Badders” reminds me a bit of Skrillex’s early dubstep days; it’s got that stomach-lurch bass-wub sound working for it. On the track, Flowdan winds in and out of a sample of Memphis underground rap originator Kingpin Skinny Pimp. It’s a stark, anthemic track, and I like it. Listen below.