Stinkin Riddim – Ward 21 Music

Mavado’s “So Clear” gives Stinkin Riddim its sharpest pull, with that hard-edged voice riding Ward 21’s grimy, mid-2000s dancehall pulse before the set widens out into a strong local-culture lineup: Tony Curtis, Konshens, Assassin, Bounty Killa, Elephant Man and Mr Lex all turn up with different shades of badmind talk, war talk and street-ready swagger. Ward 21 were already deep into their producer run by 2008, and this one sits comfortably beside the tougher, more aggressive side of their catalogue rather than the crossover-minded material they’d also been circling around that period. The riddim has that dry, stomping feel that leaves plenty of room for the chants and cuttalk to land clean, which is exactly why the Mavado cut and Bounty Killa’s “Warlord Waryard” hit so well here.