Throwback Thursday : Riot Squad Riddim

For this edition of Thursday Throwbacks, we will go back to a time when Vybz Kartel was a free man. Riot Squad Riddim was released by Massive B Records in 2010 and is our focus for today.

Dominated by Vybz Kartel the riddim has numerous bangers with a host of artists including Burro Bunton, Mr Vegas, Khago, Major Mackarel, Pamputtae, Boogie Man, Ding Dong, Armstrong, Bramma, Future Fambo, Gwallo, and Elephant Man.

Vybz Kartel was on a hot streak as a free man and Get Gal Eazy is your quintessential dancehall song. Needing no introduction, Kartel’s arrogance and mastery come to the fore and you realize why he has such a following. Kartel had more to offer with another cut in Ghetto Road. If you want to hear what all the fuss is about when it comes to Vybz this riddim will go a long way in explaining the effect he had on the genre.

The riddim also had Elephant Man in his prime making his name as the Energy God for his song on the riddim. Riot is another club banger worth listening to. I would love for the younger generation to make music similar to this but it’s becoming more and more like wishful thinking. The drum melodies are simply not the same and the general tempo of the songs are just not the same.

The riddim also had a lot of household names like Mr. Vegas and Major Mackarel. The riddim makes you wanna jump up and down and that’s the general feeling I reminisce about. Step back to 2010, when South Africa hosted the first-ever FIFA World Cup in Africa. The riddim dominated the club scene and would set the tone for concerts. Appreciate dancehall at its core when the riddim culture thrived and see what the fuss about old-school dancehall is about.