By the time the two Chicago DJs behind Flosstradamus — Curt Cameruci and Josh Young — parted ways in 2016, their nine years-long discography had basically become synonymous with EDM’s version of trap music. And it’s definitely a fair association, given the fact that the duo helped invent the genre.
Back in the early 2010s, it was they who were hard at work pioneering a new “Harlem Shake” adjacent blend of gritty high hats and steep bass drops alongside fellow founding fathers, Major Lazer, RL Grime, DJ Snake, DJ Craze and more. It was they who helped kickstart the trend of remixing songs with audacious trap beats, revamping everything from Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games” to Usher’s “Climax.” And it was they who were there at ground zero of the genre’s live movement, introducing trap to EDM festivals like Ultra Music Festival and Tomorrowland back in 2013.
When Billboard Dance asked the duo to rank their all-time favorite trap songs in October of 2016, no one knew at the time that it would become one of the last things they did together. Just two months afterward, however, they announced that Cameruci would continue performing solo as Flosstradamus; meanwhile, Young – who explained to Run The Trap that it was “time to let go” – would go off to pursue his own projects.
What began as a simple list of their favorite trap songs inadvertently turned into one last homage to the genre they helped carve out as a team. Prepare for a lot of 808s in your face and check out their picks below.
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#21: What So Not & RL Grime – “Tell Me”
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#20: Loudpvck & Gladiator – “Tony”
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#19: Yellow Claw – “DJ Turn It Up”
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#18: UZ – “Trap Shit V13”
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#17: Flosstradamus “Crowd CTRL”
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#16: Diplo – “Express Yourself” (Gent & Jawns Remix)
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#15: RL Grime – “Core”
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#14: Bro Safari – “The Drop”
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#13 Flosstradamus – “Roll Up” (Baauer Remix)
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#12: Keys N Krates – “Dum Dee Dum”
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#11: Boaz van de Beatz -“Guappa”
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#10: Flosstradamus & GTA – “Prison Riot”
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#9: DJ Snake – “Propaganda”
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#8: Gent & Jawns – “Turn Up”
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#7: Mayhem & Antiserum – “Brick Squad Anthem”
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#6: Flosstradamus – “Mosh Pit”
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#5: ETC!ETC! & Brillz – “Swoop”
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#4: Waka Flocka – “No Hands” (CRNKN Remix)
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#3: Baauer – “Harlem Shake”
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#2: Kanye West – “Mercy” (RL Grime & Salva Remix)
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#1: Major Lazer – “Original Don” (Flosstradamus Remix)
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