Fire Chopper Riddim – Category 5 Jamaica

Fire Chopper came in as a sharp little 2016 dancehall juggling, all wiry guitar lines and a tense, mid-tempo pulse that leans more hard-edged than glossy. Delly Ranx sets the tone with “Nuh Coke, ” a blunt ganja-culture cut that feels like the kind of tune built to ride a sound system, while Esco’s “Look Back” is the one that catches the ear quickest, with that sly, gyal-song energy the riddim can carry so well. Singer J and Kevin Famous keep things moving on “Journey, ” and Versitile’s “Unruly” brings a tougher stance to the second half. Category 5 Jamaica kept the lineup tight at six tracks, and that brevity suits the riddim’s nervous, street-level mood. It’s the sort of release that sits right in that 2016 wave of lean, original dancehall production without trying too hard to polish the edges.