Rain Riddim – Very Huge Records

2002 was a busy stretch for hard-edged dancehall, and Rain Riddim sits right in that pocket with a stark, percussive groove that leaves room for sharp toasting and clash-ready hooks. Very Huge Records lines it up with a mixed cast that keeps the energy moving: Alley Cat’s “Eyes For You Only” has the kind of gritty charm that suits the rhythm, while the Frisco Kid and Vybz Kartel combination on “Wild West” gives the set one of its most obvious sparks. Determine’s “African Pearl” and Problem Child’s “Fake Friends” keep the mood on the street side, and the project closes with the instrumental “Version, ” which lays bare the riddim’s stripped, rainy-day bounce and makes the whole package feel even more pointed.

Rain Riddim Tracklist:

1. Alley Cat – Eyes For You Only
2. Brain Damage – Ghetto
3. D Ranks And Christopher – Say No
4. Determine – African Pearl
5. Frisco Kid And Vybz Kartel – Wild West
6. Gabriel And Action K – The Rain
7. Hit List – Jamaican People
8. Power Man – Jamaican Japanese
9. Problem Child – Fake Friends
10. Taz – Have It
11. Version – Rain Riddim
12. Vybz Kartel – Tek Nu Bungs
13. Ward 21 And Wicker Man – West Indies
14. Wasp – Rappa
15. Bobby Hustle – Hear Dem Talk
16. Verbal – Not Afraid
17. Winstrong – Champions