No Trouble We Riddim – Redman International 1988

Redman International’s late-’80s output usually leans straight into the digital dancehall era, and this 1988 cut from the Weh Dem Fah family fits that moment neatly. The four-track set pairs Carl Meeks’ “Wa Dem Fah” and Horace Andy’s “Ease Off” with King Everald’s “Special Singer” and Tippa Lee and Rappa Robert’s “No Trouble We, ” giving the riddim a mix of hardened solo voices and a more playful deejay-style duo. Hugh “Redman” James had already made the pattern one of his signature vehicles, and here the sound is all sharp drum programming, clipped keyboard stabs and a bassline that stays tight rather than heavy. It moves at an easy mid-tempo, with the vocal phrasing riding just behind the beat and leaving the hooky “No Trouble We” refrain to hang in the air.