Panic Riddim (2004) – In Time Music

In Time Music packed a lot into Panic Riddim: by the time you get to the version, you’ve already had Bounty Killer, Capleton, Elephant Man, Lady Saw, Sizzla and a run of other heavyweights circling the same dark, streetwise groove. Bounty’s “Ghetto Panic” and Capleton’s “Wuk Dem” hit like pure confrontation, while Elephant Man’s “War Nuh Done” keeps the energy up with that frantic, bashment charge he was carrying so well in the mid-2000s. The set also leaves room for sharper, more conversational cuts like Cecile’s “Safe Sex” and Macka Diamond’s “Take Care Of Him, ” which give the riddim a bit more range than its title might suggest. Released in 2004, it lands right in that period when In Time Music was pushing out some of the harder dancehall sides of the era.