Stalker Riddim – Various Artists

Stalker Riddim cuts a little leaner than a lot of the bigger 2007 reggae compilations, with just five tracks and no wasted space, so the focus stays on the voices and the groove. Bongo Lion’s More Fire and Emanuel’s Give Me D’ Fire both lean into that fiery roots-dancehall energy, while Jah Banton’s Wholesale has a sharper, more chatty edge that gives the riddim a different bite. Prince Levi’s Why Dis Him sits nicely in the middle of it all, and the bare version at the end lets the rhythm breathe without much dressing up. Coming in 2007, it lands right in that period when digital reggae was still pushing forward but keeping one foot in the sound system tradition, which gives the whole set a useful bit of context.