Upliftment Riddim – Various Artists

UPLIFTMENT RIDDIM produced by VARIOUS ARTISTS 2006

Bright and meditative, Upliftment Riddim feels like a mid-2000s roots set with a sharper edge, gathering 14 cuts from 15 artists around a patient, heavyweight groove rather than chasing club speed. The lineup leans on conscious lyrics and social pressure points: Jigsy King’s “Rise Ghetto Youth” and Mykal Rose’s “Jump Nya Benge” sit naturally beside Roger Robin’s pair, “African People Be Free” and “Hurricane Ivan, ” while C4 and Prince Pankhi keep the message direct and unsentimental. There’s a little extra lift in Roger feat. Papa Levy’s “She’s Only 14, ” but the riddim’s real pull comes from the veterans, especially Mykal Rose, whose voice cuts through the arrangement with the kind of authority that gives the whole project its backbone.

Upliftment Riddim Tracklist:

1. Anbessa – Dem A Gone
2. Ancient Warrior – Farmer Man
3. Bongo Kanny – Watch Them
4. C4 – Too Much Suffering
5. Jigsy King – Rise Ghetto Youth
6. Kalamaweh – This Black Woman
7. Mykal Rose – Jump Nya Benge
8. Philip Fraser – Thats Life
9. Prince Pankhi – Musical Starving
10. Roger Feat. Papa Levy – Shes Only 14
11. Roger Robin – African People Be Free
12. Roger Robin – Hurricane Ivan
13. Shanti High – Show Love
14. Solo Feat. Bamboo – Going Down The West