Rumble
by Skrillex (featuring Fred again)

Album: Quest For Fire (2023)
Charted: 19
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Here, Skrillex teams up with British producer Fred Again and British grime MC Flowdan for a thunderous, bass-forward banger. The song features additional uncredited vocals from American singer Elley Duhé and Jamaican-American singer-rapper Beam.
  • During Flowdan's ominous flow, he references the smell of spiffs, which is so strong you can hear it. But when he steps into the "jungle" (room) he makes a noise so loud it overshadows the aroma.

    The word "rumble" has several meanings. Here, it refers to the sound of a large crowd, which Flowdan describes as "killers in the jungle."
  • "Rumble" was initially a collaboration between Fred Again and Flowdan that took place in 2018. After Skrillex met Fred and heard the song for the first time, he asked for the track's stems and created his own version. "I didn't like it," he told Jack Saunders on BBC Radio 1, "I thought I ruined the song. I was scared to play it."

    Eventually, the three of them started working on "Rumble" again in the first half of 2022.
  • English producer Four Tet was also involved in the song's production before getting "kicked off" from the project. "Four Tet is an honorary producer on everything we do, pretty much like a ghost producer," explained Skrillex.
  • "Rumble" first saw the light of day when Fred Again included it in his June 29, 2022 Boiler Room session broadcast from London. The song became a fan-favorite from the set, generating anticipation for its official release. This led to unofficial versions of the song appearing on YouTube, before Skrillex released it as a single through Atlantic Records and Owsla on January 4, 2023. It is the lead single from Skrillex's double album QFF / DGTC.
  • "Rumble" won for Best Dance/Electronic Recording at the Grammy Awards in 2024. Flowdan made history becoming the first ever grime MC to win a Grammy.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

James Williamson of Iggy & the Stooges

James Williamson of Iggy & the StoogesSongwriter Interviews

The Stooges guitarist (and producer of the Kill City album) talks about those early recordings and what really happened with David Bowie.

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"They're Playing My Song

The Nails lead singer Marc Campbell talks about those 44 women he sings about over a stock Casio keyboard track. He's married to one of them now - you might be surprised which.

Shaun Morgan of Seether

Shaun Morgan of SeetherSongwriter Interviews

Shaun breaks down the Seether songs, including the one about his brother, the one about Ozzy, and the one that may or may not be about his ex-girlfriend Amy Lee.

Evolution Of The Prince Symbol

Evolution Of The Prince SymbolSong Writing

The evolution of the symbol that was Prince's name from 1993-2000.

Jello Biafra

Jello BiafraSongwriter Interviews

The former Dead Kennedys frontman on the past, present and future of the band, what music makes us "pliant and stupid," and what he learned from Alice Cooper.

Church Lyrics

Church LyricsMusic Quiz

Here is the church, here is the steeple - see if you can identify these lyrics that reference church.