How Can I Riddim – Buggie Productions

By 2008, reggae was still leaning hard on sharp social commentary, and Buggie Productions keeps How Can I Riddim in that lane with a compact four-track set that doesn’t waste a second. The cut has a lean, rootsy feel rather than a flashy dancehall push, which lets Lukie D’s “Fight No More” and Beenie Man’s “The More They Fight Me” land with extra bite, while Sizzla’s “Do It To Me” keeps the pressure on in a more militant mode. It’s a small lineup, but the weight comes from the subject matter and the way each singer rides the same stark backdrop. Sugar Roy and Conroy Crystal close it out with “Blood Shed, ” a grim final note that leaves the riddim sounding like a warning more than a party tune.