Bling Riddim – Bling Entertainment

Bounty Killer gives Bling Riddim its backbone on “The Master, ” and that’s the tune that frames the whole set: hard-edged, streetwise dancehall with enough room for Beenie Man, Aidonia and Sizzla to cut their own lanes without the rhythm losing its bite. Bling Entertainment kept the 2011 project tight at 14 tracks, and the pull here is really the contrast between veterans like Beenie on “Ghetto Gal” and the more modern energy of cuts like Aidonia’s “Body Good” and Macka Diamond’s “When Mi A Touch. ” It feels like a label trying to stamp its name with a serious roll call rather than chasing a glossy crossover sound. In the end, Bling Riddim sits neatly in that early-2010s run of one-drop-free dancehall juggling big names, raw hooks and a clearly bass-heavy backbone.