Real Cry Riddim – Studious Entertainment

Out of Jamaica’s 2013 dancehall churn, Real Cry Riddim lands with a plainspoken, street-level mood that keeps its focus on money pressure, badmind, and the daily push to stay afloat. Studious Entertainment lines up ten vocal cuts around the riddim, and the titles alone tell the story: Astasio’s “Hustle Man A Hustle, ” Caratca’s “Badmind Monkey, ” Cubanis’ “We A Get Rich, ” and Kem J’s “Money Affi Mek” all chase the same hard-earned lane without sounding like copy-paste. There’s a nice bit of tension in the sequence too, with Demsi’s “Haffi Break Free” and E. A. D’s “Pressure Is On” giving the set some extra bite before Pistal comes in with “Hurt Mi Head. ” The strongest finish, though, is Jah Malo’s “We Nah, ” a clipped, wary cut that leaves the riddim sounding more bruised than triumphant.