“Rough & Ready Vol. l.” Led by the throaty bedroom boasts “Mr. Loverman,” “Wicked in Bed” and “Hard and Stiff,” this is a sundae of slackness and hard, sophisticated rap beats.
“Don Dada.” Guest rapper Heavy D provides a New York flavor, as Super Cat mixes hard-core ghetto toasting with a sweet lyricism and an easy sense of humor.
“The Stopper.” No relation to Shabba (dancehall is full of performers who use the adopted last name Ranks), Cutty is strictly criminal-minded. “ragamuffin roughneck, style.
“Hard to Wet, Easy to Dry.” Sexy and often comically salacious, Cobra has the heart of a smut hound and a direct approach to romance: “Me tell the girl flex / Time to have sex.”
“The Best of Reggae Dancehall Music Vol.’s I & II.” Snapshots from 1989 and ‘90, these two excellent compilations chart the roots of the current explosion, with cuts by Tiger, Ninjaman, Shelly Thunder, others.
“Bam Bam It’s Murder.” Ten raps over one computer-generated rhythm (a common reggae tactic), this set shows the variety of dancehall styles possible even within a narrow field.
