Fireman Riddim (2022) – Black Metro Music

Black Metro Music brought Fireman Riddim into the 2022 dancehall run with a grimy, militant backbone that suits the title. The set arrived on April 8, 2022, and lands as an 11-track digital release with 10 unique voices across the board. It sits squarely in the hardcore corner of the riddim market, where big-name toasters can still command attention over a stripped, belligerent pulse.

The project is strongest when it stacks veteran presence against newer names. Mavado opens with Step in both clean and raw versions, and that alone tells you the intended lane: street pressure, heavy talk, and enough space for the vocal to ride the groove. Capleton’s Fireman is the obvious anchor, with his fiery call-and-response energy matching the riddim’s title and mood. Sizzla’s Foundation Youth and Bounty Killer’s Badman Bible keep the spiritual-badman balance that has long defined this corner of dancehall, while Cutty Ranks’ Kill Dem brings that gravel-toned authority that still cuts through any modern mix.

The rest of the cast widens the frame without softening it. Chardel Rhoden’s Taking Me High, Bramma’s Wild Out, Goody Gapp’s Woman, and D Blackz’s Wine You Fi Wine add different shades of cadence and subject matter, but the production keeps everything locked into one hard-edged current. Black Metro Music’s own instrumental closes the package and underlines the riddim’s purpose: this is built for juggling, for selectors, and for voices that can sound dangerous without needing too much dressing up.