Five great Skibadee (RIP) jams you really need to hear
We celebrate the life of the premier drum & bass MC with five not-to-be-missed anthems
Skibadee, unarguably the most distinctive MC voice in the drum & bass game, passed at the painfully young age of 47 at the weekend.
Although primarily known in the live field, the Juno system has a staggering 108 releases that feature his vocals in one shape or another, from rave mix tapes to Top 40 recordings.
To pay tribute to the man and his gigantic legacy, we bring you just five of his most memorable moments captured for posterity right here…
You’ll know this tune if a) you were anywhere near a drum and bass event around the turn of the millennium or b) you ever caught an episode of Ali G’s show, which used it as its theme tune. A massive, massive underground hit, but it only hit the Top 40 once Skibadee got involved.
2) Shy FX & T Power feat Skibadsee – Don’t Wanna Know (FFRR)
The follow up to the huge hit ‘Shake UR Body’, this similarly Latin-infused banger proved the genre genre could be hard hitting and hit the charts all at the same time, complete with feminist lyrics that were well ahead of the game.
3) Distorted Minds ft Skibadee – Give It To Me (Breakbeat Kaos)
This one’s all about the energy, as Bristol duo Distorted Minds dish up the brutal wobble of bass and smashing breaks and Skibadee puts the no less frenetic vocal cherry on top.
4) Roni Size feat Skibadee – No Pictures (Full Cycle)
Mercury Award winner Roni Size shows economic but highly effective use of Skibadee’s vocals on one of his more driving, minimal productions, peppering the sparse grooves with just enough MC power to keep things rolling and interesting all at the same time/
5) Freq Nasty feat Skibadee – Check It Out (Botchit & Scarper)
Rare non-d&b appearance here, with New Zealnder turned Peckham resident Freq Nasty offering his churning, momentum-filled mixture of fresh breakbeats and gnalry b-lines. Skiba switches roles and speed so deftly and naturally it can be hard to remember he didn’t always do this.