Federal Riddim – Trench Town

Set in Trench Town in 2001, Federal Riddim comes through as a compact three-cut slice of roots-minded reggae, with Anthony Cruz’s “I Was Excited” setting the tone, Ghetto Max keeping the pressure on with “Hol A Medi, ” and Hard Knock closing it out on “Jah Will Never. ” The same basic lineup also turns up in databases tied to 2002 and to the Trench Town Kingston 12 imprint, which points to a release that kept circulating beyond its first push and fit neatly into that early-2000s channel of conscious, singer-led material. It’s a small riddim, but that’s part of the appeal: no filler, just a tight Federal set that sits comfortably alongside Trench Town’s other straightforward reggae productions from that period.