Dark Again Riddim – Big Ship Records

Dark and cutthroat, Dark Again Riddim comes in like a mid-2000s Big Ship special with Stephen “Di Genius” McGregor at the controls and a hard, stripped-back dancehall pulse underneath it. The 2007 set pulls in a sharp spread of voices — Aidonia, Busy Signal, Cham, Chino, Elephant Man, Vybz Kartel, and the rest — and the tracklist leans into the clash-ready side of the era, with raw and edit versions sitting side by side on a few cuts. Aidonia’s “The Robbery” keeps pushing back through both mixes, while Busy Signal’s “Jah Protect Us” and Cham’s “Start It” keep the pressure on in different ways. But the one that lands hardest is Vybz Kartel’s “Army Empire, ” the kind of militant, street-level cut that leaves the riddim ringing in your head after the rest has passed.

Dark Again Riddim Tracklist:

1. Aidonia – Empty (Raw)
2. Aidonia – The Robbery (Edit)
3. Aidonia – The Robbery (Raw)
4. Bramma – Stand Alone (Edit)
5. Bramma – Stand Alone (Raw)
6. Busy Signal – Jah Protect Us (Raw)
7. Cham – Start It (Edit)
8. Cham – Start It (Raw)
9. Chino – Put Dem Inna Place (Edit)
10. Chino – Put Dem Inna Place (Raw)
11. Delly Ranks – Shoot Up (Raw)
12. Elephant Man – Gal Alone (Raw)
13. Empty (Edit) – Empty (Edit)
14. Frisco Kid – Head Hurt Me (Edit)
15. Frisco Kid – Head Hurt Me (Raw)
16. Leftside – Suck U Mumma (Edit)
17. Leftside – Suck U Mumma (Raw)
18. Mavado – Dem Bwoy Deh Nuh Bad (Raw)
19. Mr Vegas – Show Me Hand (Raw)
20. Version – Dark Again
21. Vybz Kartel – Army Empire (Edit)
22. Vybz Kartel – Army Empire (Raw)