From his bedroom to sold-out shows, electronic producer
Herobust rose to prominence alongside big basslines and Southern hip-hop stylings, like crunk and trap, that focused on deep percussion and rap rawness. Born Hayden Kramer in Atlanta, Georgia,
Herobust started making music as a teenager, creating Dirty South-style rap instrumentals and hip-hop tracks. It wasn't until he got a hold of the soulful atmospherics of
Prefuse 73 and the industrial-edged electronica of
Squarepusher that his style began to take shape. In 2011, he started recording under the name
Herobust. His first LP, 2011's Albumin, showcased his love of underground hip-hop and jazzy textures, much like
Flying Lotus. He followed with a steady output of sounds in 2012: the downtempo
Screw Loose EP and the chilled-out split LP Late Night and Morning After. During the ensuing years, he released a series of singles, like "Turn Ape," "Throw That," "Sheknowshebad," "Get Busted," and "Party McFly," as well as the Busted House EP. In addition to the punny wordplay that he employed for his song titles, he also branded himself by denoting
Herobust remixes as being "BUSTED." He caught the ears of
Skrillex,
Tiësto, and
Diplo, the latter even devoting an hour of his radio show to a curated
Herobust mix. As his style evolved from a primarily hip-hop vibe into a more
Skrillex-esque bass-heavy dancefloor sound, Kramer dropped his I'm Aloud EP on Mad Decent in 2016. ~ Neil Z. Yeung