Mp5 Riddim – Keno 4 Star

Keno 4 Star’s MP5 Riddim leans harder into militant dancehall than a lot of the producer’s later, more party-minded work, and that edge is right there in the titles alone. Released in 2014 and running eight cuts long, the juggling gathers Mavado, Demarco, Capleton, Jah Vinci, D’Angel, Khago, Turbulence and Cymflo around a tense, confrontational groove that feels built for war tunes rather than easy crossover. One quick detail that helps place it: the project came out on April 29, 2014. Capleton’s “People” and Mavado’s “Can’t Bad Mi Up” give the riddim its sharpest early charge, while Demarco and Jah Vinci keep the pressure up with their own takes.

The sequencing is tight and deliberate, opening with the biggest names before moving through the rest of the posse, and then closing on Keno 4 Star’s own “MP5 Riddim, ” like the producer wanted the riddim itself to land as the last word.