Everything Up Riddim – Vx Records

Everything Up has that late-2014 digital dancehall sheen: bright, a little brash, and geared for artists who can turn a simple hook into a roadside anthem. VX Records lines up Beenie Man, Sizzla, Skilli Bangs, New Kidz, Da Professor and Jah Torious over the title rhythm, with the Beenie and Sizzla cuts giving the set its most familiar pull while Skilli Bangs’ own “Everything Up” keeps the name of the riddim front and center. Compared with VX’s other work, it feels less about deep mood and more about quick-hit energy and radio-ready chatter, the sort of thing that sat comfortably beside the label’s other 2014-15 instrumentals. The instrumental closes the package cleanly, and the whole set sits neatly in that corner of the VX catalogue where slick modern reggae meets straight dancehall punch.