In the year or so we’ve been running this website, we’ve made no excuse of our love for bashment. The clues in the name, right? But with so many decent local events often our attention is drawn towards Oxford gigs and away from the music we promised to cover. Today, we pick up on the dancehall tip with a focus on one of our favourite riddims from 2010; the fantastic Badda Don riddim. Click the Read More link below for the full audio-included focus.
Produced and released in June 2010 through Yard Vybz Entertainment (who more recently were behind last year’s smash Captain riddim) this minimal low-bass riddim with steel drum break gave artists a fantastic platform to show off their lyrical and vocal techniques. Wayne Marshall keeps things simple with Careless, inviting then brushing off any diss attempts. He’s Wayne Marshall FFS. Whoever you are, whatever you’ve got, it aint gonna touch him. He literally couldn’t care less.
Windel Edwards goes in with some classic vocal duties on Watch Gyal. Such a crooner. Somehow he turns this minimal beat into a total wining track, references Bob Marley & The Wailers, and once again proving he can get the ladies moving on the dancefloor. What else do you expect from man like Gyptian?!
Elephant Man teams up with fellow JA dancehall artist Chi Ching Ching, both giving an appreciative nod to the UK grime pioneers Boy Better Know (you’d assume, unless it’s a massive coincidence).
Both the Gyptian and Wayne Marshall tracks above were remixed/edited last year by Swiss producer Wildlife, giving the original a little more oomff by adding another drum beat and some big bassy club wobbles. Download both from the MadDecent website.
On another remix tip, this one comes from Clubb Rock out of London, blending the sensual vocal of Beyonce’s Baby Boy (not forgetting Sean Paul’s cameo) over the ever-reliable riddim.
Whilst Gyptian made this into a wining classic, David Brooks manages to pull an epic sing-along out of nowhere, a habit of that’s clearly helped propel him to the mainstream success he enjoys today. Backed by gospel harmonies, if the riddim hasn’t already smashed the dance, the chorus sure as hell will.
For a look at our previous riddim features, among everything else on this website, check out the Riddim Focus section index page bookmarked on the left hand side.
