Dem Nuh Make It Riddim – Da Boss

By 2011, Da Boss was already putting out the kind of lean dancehall juggling that leaned more on attitude than heavy concept, and Dem Nuh Make It Riddim sits right in that pocket. The cut has that dry, propulsive late-2000s/early-2010s energy: sharp drums, a stubborn bass line, and enough space for the voices to carry the badman talk and everyday hustling that runs through Barron, Cyanide, Jahyanai King, and Sista Sony’s cuts. Da Boss keeps the title tune at the center, but the better moments come when the artists sharpen the riddim’s edge rather than try to overpower it. Tony Montanos’ “The Way She Loves Me” closes things out on a softer note, which makes the instrumental feel even more like a producer’s calling card than a loose compilation.