heRobust

Born as Hayden Kramer in Atlanta, Georgia, electronic producer Herobust built his path from bedroom productions to sold-out performances by blending massive basslines with Southern hip-hop flavors such as crunk and trap, all anchored in heavy percussion and unfiltered rap energy. He began crafting tracks during his teenage years, starting with Dirty South-style rap instrumentals and additional hip-hop material. Exposure to Prefuse 73’s soulful atmospherics and Squarepusher’s industrial-edged electronica helped define his emerging approach. Kramer adopted the Herobust name in 2011 and issued his debut album, Albumin, that same year; the project highlighted his interest in underground hip-hop alongside jazzy textures in the manner of Flying Lotus. The next twelve months brought the downtempo Screw Loose EP and the chilled-out split LP Late Night and Morning After. Further output arrived through singles including “Turn Ape,” “Throw That,” “Sheknowshebad,” “Get Busted,” and “Party McFly,” plus the Busted House EP. In addition to the playful wordplay in his titles, he marked his remixes by branding them “BUSTED.” Skrillex, Tiësto, and Diplo all took notice, the last devoting an hour of his radio show to a curated Herobust mix. As his sound shifted from a core hip-hop base toward a bass-heavy, Skrillex-style dancefloor direction, Kramer released the I’m Aloud EP on Mad Decent in 2016.