Reggae Roadblock Riddim – Forever Music

Set for release on March 26, 2021, Reggae Roadblock Riddim came through as a straight-ahead jugglin’ set from Forever Music, but the lineup gives it a little more bite than the average one-drop compilation. Earth Tremma’s title cut, Kumar Fyah’s “Greedy Joe, ” Perfect Giddimani’s “Guh Hard, ” and Prezident Brown’s “Contempt” sit comfortably alongside Empress Petra, Lymie Murray, and Vysionaer, with the instrumental version closing things out in tidy fashion. The production keeps a mid-tempo, rootsy stride, the kind of groove that leaves space for conscious lyrics without sounding sleepy. It also fits neatly into Forever Music’s run of reggae projects from the 2010s into the early 2020s, following the label’s habit of pairing message-driven voices with clean, no-frills riddim work.