Badder Than Before Riddim

On the deck

Rate it Be the first

Badder Than Before Release Details

Riddim year: 2022
Style: Reggae
Total tracks: 6
Unique artists on riddim: 6
Release date: 2022-08-26
BPM: 82
Producer: Errol Stewart, Tad Dawkins
Key artists on this riddim: Delly Ranx, George Nooks, Lukie D, Nitty Kutchie, Richie Stephens, Sanchez
Browse this riddim in year & database lists: 2022 Riddims List · 2022 Reggae Riddims

DJ Smurf and Pot Of Gold Productions present the Badder Than Before Riddim featuring classic and much missed internationally acclaimed reggae artists. This riddim stems from the original titled Ali Baba Riddim, produced by Duke Reid in 1969 and a few years later by Edward O’Sullivan ‘Bunny Striker’ Lee in the early 70s. The rhythm has had many versions throughout the last 40-50 years. In total, there are well more than 50 singles released off this timeless rhythm.

It’s very refreshing to hear this reggae sound in 2022.

Badder Than Before Riddim lands as a modern Pot Of Gold juggling with a very old backbone. The set is credited to DJ Smurf and Pot Of Gold Productions, and it pulls from Duke Reid’s 1969 “Ali Baba” rhythm, later reworked by Bunny Striker Lee in the early 1970s. That history gives the project its shape: familiar, floating, rootsy, but updated with a clean 2022 reggae finish that keeps the bass warm and the groove unhurried.

The cast is strong and veteran-heavy. Sanchez opens with “Original Song, ” while Delly Ranx brings “Jah Jah Never Fail I Yet, ” Nitty Kutchie rides “Sell Out, ” Richie Stephens takes the title cut, George Nooks voices “Alibaba, ” and Lukie D closes with “God Is Still Alive. ” Sanchez remains one of reggae’s great lovers-rock voices, George Nooks is long known for his gospel-rooted, uplift-minded delivery, and Lukie D has spent decades balancing melody with sound system discipline. Richie Stephens, the Pot Of Gold anchor, has deep catalogue ties to the label, and Delly Ranx and Nitty Kutchie both add that seasoned dancehall phrasing that keeps the riddim from drifting too soft.

What makes the set work is the contrast between the rhythm’s classic foundation and the singers’ varied approaches. Richie Stephens’ cut feels especially natural on the track, while Lukie D and George Nooks give the riddim its most devotional turn. It is one of those releases that uses history without sounding dusty, and that balance is exactly where Pot Of Gold tends to be strongest.