Della Skank Riddim – Digital-B

Johnny P is the voice that pulls you into Della Skank first, and “Rude Boy” sits right in that sharp late-’80s dancehall pocket where Digital-B was tightening up its sound and trimming away the slack. The rest of the lineup keeps the pressure on: Red Dragon turns up twice with “Agony Part 2, ” “Della Skank, ” and “Man Short, ” while Shabba Ranks and Thriller U linking on “Real Real” gives the riddim a little extra bite and melody in the same breath. Compared with some of Bobby Digital’s more stripped, heavy-handed work around the period, this one has a slightly looser party swing, but it still hits with that crisp drum-and-bass snap the label was becoming known for. Eight tracks deep, it sits neatly in the part of the Digital-B catalogue where big DJ cuts and crossover hooks were sharing the same sound system space.