Social Riddim – Royal Order Music

Royal Order Music’s Social Riddim is a tidy 2015 reggae set that leans more toward a rootsy, singjay-friendly vibe than the bigger, harder dancehall cuts the crew would later be associated with. The headline moment is J Boog and Sizzla’s “Stand Firm, ” which sets a stern, militant tone straight away, while Iba Mahr’s “Glory To The King” keeps things uplifted and devotional. Gappy Ranks’ “Stoory About Marvin” has more of a storyteller’s touch, and Keida’s “Mad World” adds a slightly more reflective edge to the sequence. The riddim itself runs as a six-track vocal set, with a dub cut tucked on the end, and it landed in early September 2015, right in that period when conscious reggae was still finding plenty of room alongside the heavier bashment work coming out of Jamaica and the diaspora.