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Flowdan
Birth nameMarc Veira
Born (1980-03-17) 17 March 1980 (age 44)[1][2]
OriginBow, London, England
Genres
Occupations
Years active2001–present
Labels
  • SpentShell
  • Tru Thoughts
  • Hyperdub

Marc Veira (born 17 March 1980), better known by his stage name Flowdan, is an English grime MC and record producer from Bow and Poplar, East London.[3] A founding member of Roll Deep, he was responsible for naming the group and remained a member until its hiatus.[3][4] In 2015, he founded his record label, SpentShell, which has since signed YGG and GHSTLY XXVII to its roster. In 2023, he featured on two songs which reached the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart, and in 2024 he won his first Grammy Award for the Skrillex and Fred Again collaboration "Rumble", becoming the first grime MC to win a Grammy in any category.[5]

Career

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A founding member of Roll Deep, Veira appears intermittently on all five of their albums, although notably does not appear on any of their five singles to register on the UK Top 40. A good friend of Wiley, the crew's de facto leader, he came from a drum and bass and jungle background and was part of the first wave of grime MCs. He was one of nine artists to feature on Lethal Bizzle's 2004 single "Pow! (Forward)", which reached number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, making it one of the most commercially successful grime songs to date. The song also won the MOBO Award for Best Single. Veira's first solo album, Original Dan, was released in 2009 and featured a range of guest artists, including Frisco, Wiley, Killa P and Riko. An EP, Serious Business, followed in 2014, and his second full-length album Disaster Piece was released in 2016, to more positive reviews than his debut.[6][7]

Flowdan is also known for his frequent collaboration with dub and dancehall producer The Bug, and has appeared on at least seven of his songs.[8] In 2017, the pair's collaboration "Bad" peaked at number 37 on the UK Physical Singles Chart.[9] This was Veira's second named appearance on the chart, having reached number 63 with the Jubei collaboration "Say Nothin'" in 2013.[10]

In 2018, Flowdan forayed further into record production. He produced tracks for PK's Bad Ombré EP and GHSTLY XXVII's Guerrilla Tactics EP, the first two releases on his new label, SpentShell.[11] He also contributed preset sounds and samples as well as entire demo tracks to Native Instruments' Maschine expansion pack 'London Grit'.[12][13] In June 2018, he released the four-track One Shell Fits All EP, featuring vocals from D Double E, Nasty Jack, GHSTLY XXVII and Meridian Dan, and production from Masro, Teddy Music, Filthy Gears and Jammz.

In 2023, Veira released multiple collaborations with electronic dance music producer Skrillex, including the Fred Again collaboration "Rumble". Released in January 2023, it peaked at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart, marking Flowdan's second top 40 hit. He bettered this record with the Chase & Status and Bou collaboration "Baddadan", which spent over 20 continuous weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number five and also topping the country's Official Trending Chart.[14] The song was certified Platinum by the BPI in March 2024, in recognition of the equivalent of 600,000 sales.[15] In October of the same year, he reunited with Skrillex for the Lil Baby-featuring "Pepper", and performed the song live at the opening ceremony of the fourth Riyadh Season.[16] Boxer Francis Ngannou, who faced Tyson Fury at a heavyweight championship match at the event, appears in the song's music video alongside footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.[17] "Rumble" later won the 2024 Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording.[18][19] The song is also certified Silver by the BPI, in recognition of the equivalent of 200,000 sales.[15]

Style

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Flowdan is known for his deep voice and use of patois lyrics. Although rooted in grime, he performs over various different styles, from the drum and bass of his early days, to the dubstep of his numerous features with The Bug.

Discography

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Solo

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Albums
  • 2009: Original Dan
  • 2016: Disaster Piece
  • 2019: Full Metal Jacket
EPs
  • 2014: Serious Business
  • 2018: One Shell Fits All
  • 2020: The Red Pill
Singles
  • 2002: "Big Mic Man"
  • 2003: "Skydiver"
  • 2016: "Horror Show Style"
  • 2016: "Grime"
  • 2017: "Original Raggamuffin" (featuring Wiley)
  • 2019: "Welcome to London"
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  • 2001: "Terrible" (Roll Deep Entourage featuring Wiley, Breeze, Bubbles and Flowdan)
  • 2001: "Wickedest Ting" (Geeneus and Wiley featuring Flowdan and Breeze)
  • 2001: "1, 2, 3, 4..." (Pay As U Go Cartel)
  • 2001: "Dem No Ready" (Pay As U Go Cartel)
  • 2003: "Time Wasters" (Remix) (Musketeers featuring Maxwell D and Flowdan)
  • 2007: "Skeng" (The Bug featuring Killa P and Flowdan)
  • 2007: "Jah War" (The Bug featuring Flowdan)
  • 2007: "Poison Dart" (The Bug featuring Warrior Queen and Flowdan)
  • 2008: "Badman Talking" (Wiley featuring Flowdan)
  • 2009: "Bullet A' Go Fly" (DVA featuring Badness, Riko, Killa P and Flowdan)
  • 2012: "Say Nothin'" (Jubei featuring Flowdan)
  • 2016: "Hot like Jamaica" (Frisco featuring Newbaan and Flowdan)
  • 2017: "Round Here" (Lethal Bizzle featuring Giggs and Flowdan)
  • 2017: "Round Here - Remix" (Lethal Bizzle featuring Abra Cadabra, Ghetts, Frisco and Flowdan)
  • 2018: "Inventor" (Rockwell featuring Flowdan)
  • 2019: "Start Up" (Boylan featuring Flowdan)
  • 2019: "London In The Rain" (Meridian Dan featuring Flowdan)
  • 2021: "Trenches" (Duke & Jones featuring Flowdan)
  • 2021: "Power" (Millbrook and Flowdan)
  • 2022: "Gassed Up" (Zeds Dead and Subtronics featuring Flowdan)[20]
  • 2023: "Rumble" (Skrillex and Fred Again and Flowdan)
  • 2023: "Hydrate" (Skrillex with Flowdan, Beam and Peekaboo)
  • 2023: "Musket" (Rohaan featuring Flowdan)
  • 2023: "Wild Guide" (Le Motel & Flowdan)
  • 2023: "Outlaw" (IMANU featuring Flowdan)
  • 2023: "Wicked" (Sudley, Anaïs and Flowdan)
  • 2023: "Ten Ton" (Substance with Flowdan)
  • 2023: "Baddadan" (Chase & Status and Bou featuring Irah, Flowdan, Trigga and Takura)
  • 2023: "Shella Verse" (Sammy Virji & Flowdan)
  • 2023: "Wavy" (Mazde featuring Flowdan)
  • 2023: “Badders” (PEEKABOO with Flowdan, Skrillex, and G-Rex)
  • 2023: "Saga" (L'ENTOURLOOP featuring Flowdan, Killa P, and Big Red)
  • 2023: “Pepper” (Flowdan, Skrillex, and Lil Baby)
  • 2023: "My Crew" (Danny Avila, Flowdan)

With Roll Deep

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Main article: Roll Deep discography
Albums

Awards and nominations

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Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2005 "Pow! (Forward)" (Lethal Bizzle featuring Fumin, D Double E, Napper, Jamakabi, Neeko, Flowdan, Ozzie B, Forcer, and Demon) MOBO Award for Best Single Won [21]
2024 "Rumble" (with Skrillex and Fred Again) Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording Won [22][5]
Flowdan BBC Radio 1 Dance's Dance Vocalist Award 2024 Won [23]

References

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  1. ^ Flowdan (18 March 2016). "Flowdan on Twitter: "@TevynJ 1985 😩"". Twitter.com. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Flowdan on Twitter: "RT @WileyUpdates: @BigFlowdan Happy birthday. >>> done know mi doops!"". Twitter.com. 17 March 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  3. ^ a b Cowie, Richard Kylea (2017). Eskiboy. London: William Heinemann. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-785-15159-0.
  4. ^ Godfree, Cosmo. "CERTIFIED: FLOWDAN TALKS". Ransom Note. Archived from the original on 7 March 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Grammys 2024: Flowdan says award will boost UK grime scene". BBC Newsbeat. 6 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Flowdan on Discogs". Discogs. Archived from the original on 7 March 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  7. ^ Pattison, Louis. "Flowdan – 'Disaster Piece' Review". NME. Time Inc. (UK). Archived from the original on 7 March 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  8. ^ "The Bug on Discogs". Discogs. Archived from the original on 7 March 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  9. ^ "BUG FT FLOWDAN songs and albums - full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  10. ^ "JUBEI FT FLOWDAN songs and albums - full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  11. ^ "Big Who? Big What? Flowdan, PK Interviewed | Features | Clash Magazine". Clashmusic.com. 14 April 2020. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  12. ^ "From MC to producer: Flowdan on the making of 'Welcome to SpentShell'". Blog.native-instruments.com. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  13. ^ "Expansions : London Grit | Komplete". Native-instruments.com. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  14. ^ "Chase & Status, Bou and Flowdan pounce to Number 1 on Official Trending Chart". Official Charts Company. 30 August 2023.
  15. ^ a b "BRIT Certified - bpi". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  16. ^ "Battle of the Baddest RIYADH 2023 Work - Done+Dusted". Done+Dusted. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  17. ^ Breihan, Tom (13 October 2023). "Flowdan, Lil Baby, & Skrillex – "Pepper"". Stereogum.
  18. ^ "2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See the Full Nominees List". Grammy Awards. 10 November 2023.
  19. ^ Buckle, Becky (13 November 2023). "Aphex Twin, Disclosure, James Blake and more receive Grammy nominations". Mixmag.
  20. ^ King, Ariel (6 January 2022). "Zeds Dead, Subtronics get 'Gassed Up' on third all-time collaboration". Dancing Astronaut. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  21. ^ "MOBO Awards 2005". MOBO Awards. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  22. ^ "Flowdan makes history as the first UK MC to win a GRAMMY Award". Mixmag. 5 February 2024.
  23. ^ "Flowdan, Becky Hill, Peggy Gou among Radio 1's Dance Awards 2024 winners". On The Radio. 23 February 2024.
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