“Nobody” by Skindred

"Nobody" was the first single from Welsh reggae metal crew Skindred, released in 2005 off their debut album Babylon on Bieler Bros. Records, and it's a head-on collision of rap metal crunch and reggae lilt with Benji Webbe barking over the top. It was among the first songs the band wrote after Dub War fell apart, built on an idea from bassist Daniel Pugsley, and Webbe knew it was special while they were still slogging round pubs and tiny bottom-of-the-bill gigs, because it got every crowd moving.

It nearly didn't make the record. Producer Howard Benson wanted to scrap it altogether after one session, and it became a sore point between him and Webbe. The song stayed, and it reached number 14 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks and 23 on Modern Rock Tracks. The video keeps it simple: the band playing, a crowd pressed in around them.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.