Hope Zoo 2 Riddim – 3r40

Hope Zoo 2 comes in lean and direct, a four-song dancehall cut from 3R40 that keeps the focus on the voices rather than any big concept. Hot Brain’s “Wow” opens with the kind of sharp, no-frills delivery that suits the riddim’s stripped-back pulse, while Kevio’s “Girl I Love You Last Year” brings a more melodic, sentimental edge into the middle of the set. Queen-Karmala gets a turn with “When Yuh Come A Mi Yard, ” adding a female presence that widens the feel of the project, but the sharpest moment is Specialist’s “Money Mi A Pree Fi, ” which lands with the kind of streetwise pressure that gives the whole release its bite. As a 2015 dancehall round with only four cuts, it keeps the energy tight and leaves the last word with Specialist.