Purple Skunk Riddim – Purple Skunk Records

By 2003, Purple Skunk Records was pushing a distinctly Jamaican juggling out of its own camp, and this set pulls in a heavyweight mix of voices around the same rhythm: Bounty Killer, Sizzla, Lady Saw, Elephant Man, Vybz Kartel and Wayne Marshall all cut through the one-riddim format with different moods and attitudes. The cut list leans toward gritty dancehall energy, but there’s enough variety in the performances to keep it moving, from Bling Dawg’s “Duppy Dat” to Kartel’s “Money Over War” and Wayne Marshall’s “Victim. ” Purple Skunk Records was founded by Wayne “DJ Wayne” Morris, and this early-2000s release sits among the label’s first documented riddims. It runs ten tracks across thirteen artists, with Earthworm and Guinea Pepper and Predator and Kibarky adding the kind of crew cuts that were common on the era’s sound-system-friendly compilations.