Prime Minister Riddim – Xterminator

Jamaica’s mid-’90s dancehall circuit was full of sharp, topical one-riddim 45s like this, and Prime Minister Riddim lands right in that moment with a lean, stripped-back Xterminator cut from Phillip “Fatis” Burrell. The rhythm has that clipped, militant swing Xterminator was known for, leaving plenty of room for Jesse Jendau’s “Missa Prime Minister and MP, ” a pointed singjay piece that rides the groove with a sermon-like edge. Burrell’s instrumental version keeps the focus on the bass line and drum pattern, which is exactly the point here: no overcrowding, just a tight groove and a political title that fit the era’s conscious-to-ragga crossover. Coming out in 1995, it sits neatly among those Xterminator releases that helped keep roots ideas alive inside dancehall’s harder, leaner framework.