Rent Man Riddim – Joe Gibbs

By 1979, Joe Gibbs had the sound of this one locked in tight: a lean, heavyweight reggae riddim with Black Uhuru at the center, and the double-header of “Rent Man Or Resident Area” with Jah Grundy and “Rent Man” with Jah Thomas sets the tone before Black Uhuru’s own “4th Generation” and “Rent Man” push it further. The longer cut, “Give A Little” credited to Black Uhuru Trinity, adds a tougher deejay edge, while Ranking Joe’s “Rent Man Style” keeps the chatter rolling over that same sharp groove. There’s also a dub-side detour in “Cayamanas Park Dub, ” which underlines how much mileage Gibbs and his camp could pull from one rhythm in that late-’70s studio era. Eight tracks deep, it moves from vocal roots to deejay business and finishes with Ring Craft Posse’s “Caymanas Park. ”