Move Bitch Riddim – Don Corleon Records

Don Corleon was already one of the sharpest ears in early-2000s dancehall, and Move Bitch Riddim catches that era when U. S. rap hooks and Jamaican juggling were running side by side. The rhythm has a rude, streetwise bounce, all punchy drums and a nagging bass line that leaves plenty of room for talkative cut-and-paste lyrics and gunman bravado. Elephant Man’s “Caan Dis” and Vybz Kartel with Wayne Marshall’s “New Mille” feel like the heat-seeking tracks here, while Izzla’s “Empty The Clip” keeps the tension high and Drag On’s take on “Move Bitch Get Out The Way” nods straight at the crossover moment the riddim was chasing. It’s a tidy snapshot of 2002 dancehall’s American-facing energy, when producers like Don Corleon were making sound-system music that could move in Kingston and still catch ears abroad.