Hand Grenade Riddim (2015) – Notnice Records

Notnice Records was already a familiar force in dancehall by 2015, with Ainsley “Notnice” Morris known for hard-edged, drum-heavy productions and for helping shape the Portmore Empire era alongside Vybz Kartel. By the time Hand Grenade Riddim landed, that sound had become part of his signature: sharp percussion, a stripped-down bassline, and enough tension in the arrangement to leave room for voices to cut through cleanly.

Hand Grenade is a tense, militant dancehall set that feels built for clash settings. The groove is lean and aggressive rather than busy, with a clipped bounce that lets the deejays ride the pocket without crowding the rhythm. It sits in the modern dancehall lane that Notnice has long mined, where the beat is more about pressure than melody and the instrumental keeps a cold, street-level feel.

The lineup is strong and very Gaza-coded. Vybz Kartel’s Neva Drop My Guard is the anchor, with the kind of paranoid, self-protective lyricism he has always turned into striking dancehall. Shawn Storm’s From A War matches that mood with war-talk and urgency. Jah Vinci’s Funeral brings a darker, more melodic edge, while Jafrass uses Rest to add youthful grit to the package. Dosa Medicine’s Buss It gives the riddim another rough, direct cut and rounds out a set that never strays far from the battlefield mood.