Thanks to TikTok, Skindred’s “Nobody” is getting love from a whole new generation

The opening chords sound as if they’ve reached your ears from a CD you found deep in a store back in the early 2000s, the lyrics as if they’ve jumped from a sweaty, fun dance spot in Jamaica. But there is a gritty and energetic frenzy of metal swirling in as well. This melody belongs to Skindred’s track “Nobody,” from their 2002 debut album Babylon. And it’s one of the songs a younger generation has rediscovered on TikTok, thanks to a dance created by Shin.

For those unaware, Skindred are a band from Wales formed back in 1998. With music fusing Caribbean genres such as reggae, dancehall, and dub with metal, they join a legacy of bands such as Fishbone, Death, and Bad Brains who reference and incorporate their culture and heritage into their music. There’s a distinct energy and bravado one feels in hearing a Skindred song. Yes, there’s the intensity of the instruments, but there is also a deep lyricism born from real experiences and a quick delivery reminiscent of iconic dancehall tracks of the past 25 years. 

Read more: 15 greatest supergroups across rock, punk, and metal

Though the song gained popularity during its initial release, and was featured on the soundtrack for the 2004 game Need for Speed Underground 2, the dance trend this past spring reminded old fans of their love for the band, and piqued the interest of a new generation. 

Claude Pearson, a TikTok creator from Mississippi, was proud to see the band again after first learning of them in middle school. His music instructor introduced him to Skindred and other bands, which led him to explore other subgenres of metal. He describes himself as part of the alternative community on TikTok and a fan of its music, so he gladly joined the trend since it combined his interests.

“I was always on the more alternative/metal side of TikTok. I’ve known about Skindred for a very long time. When I was in middle school, I would always stumble upon their music. It was something that I knew about but wasn’t really that much engaged [in],” he says. 

Skindred’s resurgence in fame has led to many creators of color expressing joy in identifying with the band and their music.

“I really enjoy the representation brought about for Caribbean people and Black people in general — to get us back involved with the whole scene because I know there’s a couple of people that try to say, ‘Oh metal, it’s whiteface. It’s not for Black people.’ They don’t expect Black people to listen to these types of genres,” Pearson says. “And it’s really sad considering the history of rock ’n’ roll, and how a lot of Black people influenced and created this genre of music.”

For some newcomers, the band’s use of Caribbean music is personal. Dominique Johnson, of Washington state, is originally from Jamaica and is an avid metal fan. She joined the TikTok trend and was thrilled to hear the band’s fusion of genres.

“In Jamaican culture, it’s very conservative. If you like anything outside of the norm, they’re gonna ostracize you for it. As a kid growing up that liked metal, it was really hard to share that with other Jamaicans. I’d get bullied for it,” she says. “So hearing something that mixed my culture with something that I liked, it made me really happy and made me realize that there’s other Jamaicans out there that like the same things I like.”

Scott Williams, a longtime fan of the band, was also elated to see them getting recognition and wants younger fans to listen to Skindred, as well groups like King’s X, Living Colour, Bad Brains, and Fishbone. Williams first found Skindred through another group that their frontman had, Dub War. 

“Benji [Webbe] had this vision of doing something that was bringing in a different completely genre into what had become very white music. Now seeing that representation, I’m a gay man. So I recognize when I see representation happening because I see Rob Halford. King’s X is a gay man of color fronting a hard-rock band. Kele [Okereke] from Bloc Party [is] another gay man of color fronting a rock band.”

For Williams, he’s always heard a distinct message through Webbe and the band’s music as well.

“His message has always been inclusivity, harmony, and peace, and that message has permeated through all of their music — Dub War and Skindred,” he explains.

Frontman Webbe, however, is just happy to see Skindred’s music — both old and new — resonating with people. 

Webbe grew up listening to groups such as the Police, the Clash, and the Specials, the latter of which mixed genres such as reggae, dub, ska, and rockabilly into punk and rock music. Webbe wanted to do something similar to what they did, but in a different way. 

“As the architect of that song, it’s definitely ticked a box that I’m so glad that it’s brought people together from different ethnic backgrounds, and even people who just love metal, they never knew that was anything to do with this reggae thing. I see a lot of people who like hip-hop getting into it as well.”

With the song trending, Skindred eventually collaborated with Shin for the music video for their song “Set Fazers,” a single from their first album since 2018, Smile. Shin was able to meet up with the band and film with them in London.

“Skindred is a bridge-building band, and that’s what we did with ‘Nobody.’ I think it’s beautiful to see, and I hope that trend continues,” Webbe says. 

So far, over 3,000 TikToks have been made about Skindred’s “Nobody,” and their fans have shown their appreciation for the band, as well as their new music. “Set Fazers” and “Gimme That Boom,” also from the new record, already have millions of streams on Spotify. As with “Nobody,” their new songs bring the same energetic sound that newfound fans love, but the band are also carving out space to be reflective, too. The single “If I Could,” which centers around lockdown isolation, is about “[wanting to] erase 2020 from all of world history because it’d been such a bad year,” Webbe says.

For now, though, the band are looking forward as they gear up to tour overseas this summer and fall and see plenty of longtime fans — and those who’ve discovered them recently through TikTok.