Big Spliff Riddim – Dub Easy

Dub Easy’s Big Spliff Riddim has that hazy, ganja-charged dancehall feel from the first pull, with five cuts that keep the smoke thick and the groove loose. It was put out in 2012, even though it’s often tagged under the 2015 dancehall round-up, and the title does the heavy lifting: this is a spliff anthem set with no interest in subtlety. Silva Duss opens it with “Rollin My Big Spliff, ” while African Emprur, I. C. E. , Mox, and D! Arryval each take a turn riding the same laid-back framework in their own style. Dub Easy, working out of Los Angeles, was already pairing reggae voices with a more futuristic studio approach, and you can hear that clean, digitally shaped production under the weed-culture chants.

The sequencing stays tight and deliberate, moving from the most obvious head-nodders into the more reflective “So Blessed” and “Used To Say” before closing on the high-note of “Stay High. ”