Light Up Riddim (2021) – Ruzha Records

By 2021, reggae riddims were still leaning hard into uplifting, message-driven tunes, and Ruzha Records’ Light Up fit right into that current with a Zimbabwe-rooted lineup and a clean, rootsy feel. Mannex turns up twice, and both Bepa Rudzii and What Kind of Leaf keep the songwriting close to everyday life, while Lee Mugadza’s Better Days pushes a more hopeful note without getting syrupy. Nevin’s Try and Jah Khing’s Nonstop add a steady forward motion, the sort of songs that sit nicely between reflection and momentum. With 13 tracks from 12 artists, it’s a busy various-artists set, but it never feels overcrowded; instead, it plays like a snapshot of where Ruzha Records was in September 2021, when this one landed.