Stepz Riddim – Renaissance Records

Stepz landed in 2004 as one of Renaissance Records’ sharper dancehall works, and you can hear why in the way the rhythm gives equal room to raw toughness and radio-ready hooks. Assassin’s “Idiot Thing” comes in sharp and direct, while Sean Paul’s “We Be Burning (Legalize It)” pushes the riddim into bigger crossover territory, and Sasha’s “Slave To My Ride” adds a slyer female counterpoint that keeps the set from leaning too heavily one way. Produced by Delano Thomas, Michael Jarrett and Andre Saunders for Renaissance, the tune list also stretches to names like Bounty Killer, Busy Signal, T. O. K. and Spragga Benz, which tells you the level this project was moving at. The release version includes those three vocal cuts plus the instrumental version on the Stepz Riddim.