Hard Drugs Riddim – Delperies Records

Coming out of Jamaica’s 2005 reggae run, Hard Drugs Riddim has that gritty, mid-2000s studio energy where the title sounds tougher than the groove really is — the cut has a rolling, bass-heavy swing that leaves room for big voices to lean in and cut through. Delperies Records lines up a strong cast here, and the sharpest tension comes when Buju Banton and Anthony Cruz ride “Too Bloody, ” a pairing that sits nicely against Capleton’s firebrand “Mek It Blaze” and Chuck Fenda’s hungry, street-level “Hungry Attack. ” There’s plenty more heat in the list, from Anthony B’s “Hot Stuff” with Prestige and L Devon to Luciano and Frisco Kid, which tells you this was built for singers and deejays who could make a one-riddim set feel varied. A deep cut from the year, and the kind of compilation that still feels dug up from the stash.