The Forrest Park Riddim – Various Artists

THE FORREST PARK RIDDIM produced by VARIOUS ARTISTS 2010

A little 2010 dancehall time capsule, this one moves with that lean, local-pressing energy you get from a riddim cut for the scene rather than the charts, with seven songs and a lone version tucked at the end. Graduate and Patriot set the tone on “Madness, ” while Jah Vello’s “Hold Ah Gul” and Kenyatta’s “Push Back” carry the kind of clipped, forceful phrasing that sits nicely on a spare, forward-driving rhythm. By the time Nicko drops “Takin Over, ” the cut has found its pocket: bare-bones, bass-heavy, and focused on the vocal runs rather than any studio gloss. The tracklist is short, but it’s got that early-2010s dancehall snap to it, and the version at the end feels like the producer leaving the mic open just long enough.

The Forrest Park Riddim Tracklist:

1. Graduate & Patriot – Madness
2. Jah Vello – Hold Ah Gul
3. Jr B – Punchin
4. Kenyatta – Push Back
5. Nicko – Takin Over
6. Revelation – Build It Up
7. The Forrest Park Riddim – Version