Life Goes On Riddim – Born Free Records

Born Free Records returns to riddim mode with Life Goes On Riddim, a roots-minded 2026 project that continues the label’s run of self-driven reggae compilations out of Cologne. Conrad Glaze has been building Born Free Records as his own imprint for years, and this set sits alongside earlier Born Free productions like the Road of Life and Worry riddims, with the Life Goes On campaign already in motion in late 2024 before the full rollout landed in 2026.

The riddim itself moves with a warm, meditative pulse rather than anything aggressive. The arrangement leaves space for the voices, with the kind of steady bassline and patient skank that suits messages about endurance, faith, and survival. That mood matches the song titles and the line-up: Don Yute brings his veteran singjay ease on Let Jah Do The Rest, Ky-Mani Marley adds familiar weight to Africa Is Calling, and Ijah Reece, Teflon Young King, and Raymond Wright all fit the conscious tone without crowding the production. Anue Nahki’s Many Rivers To Cross and Manfred and The New Buffaloes’ My Africa (Buyephi Ubuntu) deepen the spiritual and Pan-African thread, while Philemon Miller’s version cut keeps the riddim front and center.

There is a clear family resemblance across the selections: reflective lyrics, uplift, and a steady, rootsy backdrop that never rushes the message. Life Goes On Riddim feels less like a one-off compilation than another chapter in Born Free’s long, independent catalogue, with the label using the format exactly as it should be used — to give strong singers a shared foundation and let the song carry the weight.