Fat Man Riddim – Blue Beat, Lee Perry

Built around the Fat Man rhythm from 1960, this Blue Beat/Lee Scratch Perry set traces the tune through a small but lively run of cuts, with Derrick Morgan’s original Fat Man, Andy Capp’s Popatop / The Law, Dennis Alcapone’s Pop A Version, and Jah Lloyd’s 1976 version all carrying the same tight, infectious pulse. The rhythm is credited here to Lynford Anderson and Lee Perry in its early form, and it shows that sharp, lean sound that helped keep ska and early reggae moving into the next decade. Derrick Morgan’s name gives the riddim extra weight, while Jah Lloyd’s later take brings it into the mid-70s with a more deejay-focused edge.