Francis debuted in 2010, going willingly "dumb" from the beginning with his collaboration with rapper Dirty Nasty and the duo's cover of "Sandwiches" by the Detroit Grand Pubahs. He released the solo Swashbuckler EP on the Play Me label before joining Diplo's Mad Decent with the single "I.D.G.A.F.O.S." His 2011 cut "Que Que" with Diplo and Maluca was a huge hit in Moombahton, while his 2012 single "Masta Blasta (The Rebirth)" found him working with another stuttering genre in dance music: trap.

Work alongside A-Trak and DJ Snake found Francis venturing into EDM and other popular genres, with his 2014 album Money Sucks, Friends Rule reaping the varied results. The debut LP featured a parade of guest appearances, and nearly all those tracks became dance hits. First was "Get Low" with DJ Snake (which also hit the main singles chart), then "When We Were Young" with the Chain Gang of 1974, "We Make It Bounce" with Major Lazer, "Set Me Free" with Martin Garrix, and "Love in the Middle of a Firefight" featuring Brendon Urie. The seven-song release This Mixtape Is Fire. followed in 2015 and featured tracks with Skrillex, Calvin Harris, and Chromeo. ~ David Jeffries