What ya know about ProbCause?
Born from hip-hop but baptized in bass, the Chicago rapper turned DJ has taken bass music by storm with his infectious rhymes, impeccable flow, and a funk-fueled energy that hits deep in your soul.
From rocking stages with GRiZ to collabing with Liquid Stranger, Probcause’s distinct vocals have long been known to come with a heaping serving of face-melting bass.
But when Prob, whose real name is Collin Grimm, first broke into Chicago’s music scene, bass music was not even a thought, let alone a route he entertained. Known for his sharp rhymes and punchy delivery, he was a conscious rapper, far more concerned with lyrical wordplay than a bass drop… that is, until he heard the iconic dubstep classic, Woo Boost by Rusko.
“Initially, no, dubstep wasn’t a thought. I had no idea where rapping would take me,” ProbCause shared in an interview with The Daily Frequency. “But I remember hearing Rusko’s Woo Boost, then later some Big Gigantic beats and thinking these would be crazy to rap on.”
Fast forward to 2025, and he’s not only worked with Big Gigantic and the biggest names in bass music but just dropped his very own dubstep record, HEATWAVE.
Spanning across four tracks, HEATWAVE is a heavy-hitting collection of tunes that blur the lines between hip-hop and bass while simultaneously launching you into the ether.
“I really just wanted to showcase the range of music I’ve been making lately. It kinda goes from soulful hip-hop to heavy bass music over the course of the EP. I really love both sounds and am always trying to find a way to blend both of those sounds.”
Kicking things off with 11:11 featuring Daily Bread, Prob first pulls you in with soulful hip-hop beats and spirited rhymes that’ll revitalize your mind, and welcome in some blessings. But, as the final notes fade, the script begins to flip and shift into a bass-riddled chaos with HANDS UP featuring Noetika. Stepping up with a commanding swagger, he layers raw, gritty vocals with wubby headspinnin’ drops that take your brain to another dimension.
From there, he doubles down on that bass-heavy sound, joining forces with Smoakland for a ferocious dubstep banger MFKA that’ll blast you to complete oblivion. STARBURST then hits you with funk-infused beats, lethal rhymes, and brain-tickling wubs as Prob links with AHEE for an explosive finale that wraps up HEATWAVE with a blazing force.
Resulting in a genre-bending, bass experience, HEATWAVE not only captures the essence of ProbCause’s sound but stands as a testament to his versatility and the effortless chemistry he shares with the artists he works with.
“They are all just great producers and great humans,” he shares. “They all made it so easy to work together and do a good job of blending all the sounds I’m inspired by.”
But just because he’s making dubstep doesn’t mean he’s scaling back the lyricism that defines him as a rapper. Instead, he aims to bridge the gap between hip-hop and bass music.
“It’s something I’m always trying to find a balance with,” he says. “I want to bring a higher level of lyricism to EDM while still keeping a playful, fun vibe that people can dance and sing along with. I think finding the right balance is one of the hardest things to do.”
But, when you really think about it, the jump from hip-hop to bass music isn’t so surprising. After all, hip-hop originally started with the DJ, and for ProbCause, bass isn’t so much a separate genre but an expansion of the sound.
“I think a lot of my favorite EDM producers grew up on hip-hop, so a lot of the backbone of these beats have that core. I feel like a lot of EDM is like hip-hop beats on steroids.”
For years, he brought that hip-hop-grounded style across stages with GRiZ, forming a partnership that became its own language. From curated events like Grizmas to festival stages like Electric Forest Prob’s verses echoed through the vibrations of GRiZ’s mind-melting bass, resulting in a sound that garnered a Grateful Dead-like following.
When GRiZ went on hiatus in October 2023, the bass scene shifted. But for ProbCause, it opened the door to everything that came next.
Collabing with everyone from Ganja White Night and LSDREAM to Levity and GorillaT, ProbCause became one of the most featured artists in bass music. Not only did he put out banger after banger, but each collab helped shape his vision as a DJ and ultimately laid the groundwork for HEATWAVE.
“It’s wild, it really happened so organically. “It’s amazing how much studio work you can get done when you’re not on the road constantly. I think all the collabs definitely shaped the direction of my sound and my DJ sets in a major way.”
While challenging at times, Prob’s transition from hip-hop emcee to dubstep DJ has been one hell of a ride.
“It’s been such a fun transition. DJing has honestly made me such a better writer and performer. At first, I just had trouble not having the mic in my hand at all times. I’m so used to being on stage with a mic, it was hard to put it down, but it’s definitely easier mixing with two hands,” he laughed.
From headlining intimate venues to supporting Wooli at Red Rocks, Prob has found that DJ’ing comes with a new sense of freedom that you can’t really get solely as a rapper.
“There’s a level of freedom with DJing that I really enjoy. I’ve been able to create such a dynamic catalogue of music over the years that finding different ways to put all those songs together has been a really fun challenge. It’s also fun playing out and remixing a lot of homies’ songs, and not feeling obligated to rap the whole time.”
Of course, switching things up creatively is something ProbCause does on the daily. On top of rapping, producing, and DJing, he’s a visual artist who’s constantly creating. If he’s not making music, he’s painting, drawing, and even designing his own coloring books.
“It’s such a blessing to have visual art to turn to when I get burnt out on music. I love drawing and painting, and it’s become such a meditation for me over the years. To be able to share the coloring books with the fans has been really cool, too. It almost feels collaborative in a way!”
But between the constant touring, long studio nights, and life always in motion, finding balance can be a challenge. For ProbCause, carving out that moment of peace is just as important as the music itself.
“The moments of Zen are so important!” he reflects. “I feel like, especially right now, my schedule is really wild between GRiZ stuff and my DJ sets. I don’t have lots of free time, so I kinda find those moments wherever I can. My ultimate moment of Zen is being with my wife and dogs at the beach! Nothing better.”
And now, with HEATWAVE out and GRiZ’s long-awaited return just days away at Seven Stars Festival, ProbCause is gearing up for one of his biggest DJ sets yet. The past two years have been a blur of new music, growth, and nonstop shows, and it all leads to this weekend as the GRiZ Fam comes back together in full force.
“It’s a crazy week lol, the DJ set is gonna be almost entirely original music! Gonna just try to have fun with it. I want it to be a celebration of these last two years, which have really been life-changing for me.”
With new music in the works and more shows on the horizon, he’s not just stepping into a new chapter but making it clear: The ProbCause DJ era has arrived.
“Expect more solo projects! Bigger and better ProbCause headline shows and continue to grow and evolve with my brother GRiZ with the stuff we have planned,” he says. “Just really excited to keep growing and bringing more people into the world I’m building.”