Hypocrites Riddim – Empire Records 1984

Empire Records’ Hypocrites Riddim comes out of the early digital transition in Jamaican reggae, and it carries that rough, streetwise edge you’d expect from 1984. The cut has a stripped, bass-heavy feel with lean drum programming, bright keyboard flashes, and enough space for the singers to ride the groove without crowding it. That sound suits a dancehall-minded selector system more than a polished LP, and the version cut under the Empire name reinforces that studio-first, juggling-ready approach.

The lineup is one of the riddim’s strengths. Earl Sixteen’s Come A Long Way gives the set some weight, with the kind of seasoned vocal control he was known for. Tony Tuff’s Gone Clear brings a sharper, more conversational style that fits the rude, cautionary mood of the rhythm. Wayne Smith’s Karma Chameleon is the most unexpected selection in the bunch, a sly reminder of how Jamaican producers were reworking outside pop material through local voices and local timing. Michael Palmer’s No More Lean Boot and Frankie Jones’ Wooden Heart keep the set moving with tough, succinct deliveries, while Don Angelo’s Settlement and Midnight Rider’s Hypocrite add more street-level pressure. Black Euphony’s Leggo Mi Hand rounds out the vocal spread with a more direct chant-and-response feel.

As a project, Hypocrites Riddim sits neatly in the era when riddims were being engineered for repeated play in the dance rather than for album-style listening. It is a compact 1984 dancehall document, with Empire using a single groove to draw out different voices and attitudes without losing momentum.