Hypnotic Riddim – Black Metro Music

Black Metro Music keeps Hypnotic Riddim on the smoother side of reggae, and the set leans into a compact five-track lineup rather than a crowded showcase. Ash-I’s “Way Life Is” sets the tone early, Barry Biggs brings his veteran calm to “Mama, ” and Chardel Rhoden’s “Born Again” pushes the energy up with the kind of forward motion that gives the riddim its name. Jay Sax adds a lighter, horn-touched turn on “Horny Times, ” while Mandee closes it out with “Love Regardless, ” a cut that sits neatly in the middle ground between uplift and romance. Released in April 2021, the project has that concise, no-frills feel Black Metro Music has been threading through its catalog, but it’s Barry Biggs who leaves the deepest mark here, his “Mama” giving the riddim its most memorable pull.