Killer Instinct Riddim – Various Artists

By 2005, Killer Instinct had landed in the thick of dancehall’s mid-aughts juggling act, and this one leans hard into the kind of vocal mix that kept soundsystems busy: Sizzla’s “Good Time” and Spragga Benz’s “Vanity” give it extra muscle, while Pinchers and Vybz Kartel’s “Money and Hoes” is the sharpest pairing on the set, all attitude and quick-tongued back-and-forth. Merciless comes in with “On Mi Cellie, ” and Ninja Ford’s “Look In The Streets” keeps the tension up, so the riddim doesn’t just sit in one mood. Latoya even turns up twice with “Swinging Dance” in two mixes, which tells you this rhythm was being worked for versions as much as songs. It’s a very 2005 dancehall line-up, right down to the way the voices crowd around one dark, punchy beat.