This Year Riddim – Legendary Muziq

This Year Riddim comes from Legendary Muziq, a Zimbabwean dancehall imprint that has kept its name active in the country’s riddim culture for years. The set dates to 2014 and sits squarely in the Zimdancehall lane, where Shona lyrics, streetwise talk and militant hooks meet a digital, bass-heavy groove.

The riddim itself has that busy, propulsive feel that made mid-2010s Zimbabwe dancehall so addictive: sharp drum programming, a clipped bounce in the low end and enough space for each singer to stamp a different mood on the same instrumental. Gentle Vybez’s “Stamina” and Empress Shelly’s “This Year” frame the project well, one riding the beat with grit and the other pushing a more hopeful, forward-looking message. Buju Bruce, Jocker Di Genius, Mega Jani and Ghetto Jnr keep the energy moving, while Kinnah and Guspy’s “Badman City” adds a tougher street edge that suits the riddim’s uncompromising pulse.

The lineup is heavily rooted in Zimbabwe’s dancehall scene, with familiar names like Empress Shelly, Guspy Warrior and Tocky Vybz orbiting a generation that was helping define the sound locally at the time. Legendary Muziq uses the juggling format the right way here: not as background noise, but as a platform for different voices to push different angles of the same mood. That variety is what gives This Year Riddim its staying power.