Political Riddim – Shak Wave Productions

Shak Wave Productions keeps this one on the conscious side, and that matters because Political Riddim leans less on party-turn energy than on straight talk about social pressure, greed, and survival. Released in 2014, the set runs seven tracks deep, with Alex Marley’s “Nah Tek Nuh Talk, ” Dj Black Berry’s blunt “Only Politician A Get Fat, ” and Jah Certain’s “Care For The Poor” doing the heaviest lifting. The vocals sit over a crisp, mid-tempo reggae groove that leaves enough room for the messages to land without crowding them. Shak Wave also takes a spot on the mic with “Your All, ” then closes with the instrumental, which tells you the arrangement was meant to spotlight the riddim first and the singers second.