Struggling Riddim – Vii Productions

Vii Productions’ Struggling Riddim sits in that 2014 wave of roots-leaning juggling where the message matters as much as the groove, and this one keeps its focus tight with eight cuts and no wasted space. The set leans on conscious themes right through the tracklist, from Clarkz’s “Seed Weh Yuh Sow” and Empress Tetteh’s “Time Waits 4 No Man” to Jah Defender’s “You Got Me, ” each voice circling the same hard-earned idea in a slightly different way. Vinnie Vii closes the sequence with the title track, which feels less like a bonus and more like the producer staking out the riddim’s identity at the end. It’s a compact release, but the ordering tells you the intention was to keep the message moving forward, one tune leading straight into the next.