Resistance Riddim (2019) – Napem Records

By 2019, Napem Records had locked this one into a straight-up various-artist showcase, and Resistance Riddim sits neatly in that catalogue with eight cuts and an instrumental version on the release. The draw is the range of voices over a tight, militant-sounding reggae riddim: Echo Minott’s “One Life To Live” brings veteran weight, Jigsy King and Mwanamke lean into the sly bounce of “Ganja Pickney, ” and Rayven Amani’s “Black Without Apology” pushes the set into sharper social territory. Around them, the project keeps a clipped, rootsy feel, with the arrangements leaving space for the bassline and skanking guitar to carry the pressure. It runs 28 minutes in all, and the pacing stays measured rather than flashy, with the instrumental confirming a sturdy mid-tempo groove that holds the whole thing together.