Top 10 Dancehall Riddims Of 2014

On this riddim

2014 Dancehall Riddims
10 cuts
10 artists

Rate it Be the first

DJ Frass went back to the hard-edged side of dancehall with Gwaan Bad, a 2014 riddim that leaned into warning-talk and badman posture the same way Brukout did back in 1998. The pull here is the lineup: Buju Banton, Vybz Kartel, Mavado, I-Octane, Lady Saw, Elephant Man and Leftside all step in, and Leftside’s “Wickedest Wine” gives the set a sharper, more dancefloor-minded twist amid the gun-talk. That call-back to the late-’90s Brukout feel wasn’t accidental; Frass was clearly working in the same rough, stripped-down lane he’d already opened on earlier projects, but with the 2014 90s-revival wave giving it extra bite. In the DJ Frass catalogue, Gwaan Bad sits neatly beside his other street-level rhythm work, a pure dancehall set built for selectors and clash-minded crowds rather than crossover polish.

With the 90’s revival movement in full swing in 2014, DJ Frass chose the perfect time to bring back the vibes of 1998’s iconic Brukout Riddim in the form of Gwaan Bad. This release stuck to the hard subject matter familiar with Brukout, with most artists on the Gwaan Bad riddim warning foes not to test. Still, Leftside and Elephant Man managed to sneak in a few dancing chunes, and we got to hear the only new release for 2014 by the still-incarcerated Buju Banton with his youth-inspiring track “Make It.”. Another incarcerated dancehall star of 2014 (arguably the best for the year), Vybz Kartel also features on the riddim with a song titled “Make Di Star Shine”