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Lethal Riddims: Dancehall Explosion '93 (Relativity, 1993) This is about as close to a definitive collection of early digital dancehall as you could find until VP's Dancehall 101 sets came out in the year 2000. The landmark songs are piled high, from Super Cat's "Ghetto Red Hot" to Cutty Ranks' "A Who Seh Me Dun" to Ninjaman's "Murder Dem" to Johnny P's "Look Good" to Shabba Ranks' simple yet mesmerizing "Ting a Ling" to Mad Cobra's smash "Flex" -- one of the more popular reggae songs of recent history -- this compilation is truly "lethal." Additionally, some nice cuts that received less exposure in the US are included, such as Buju Banton's "Big It Up" and Jesse Jender's rootsy "Rude Boy Remember." Nine of the 11 songs on this album came out in 1992-3, evidence of the golden era of dancehall in which it was released. The sheer mass of great dancehall tunes that emerged in the early to mid-'90s virtually guaranteed the crossover success that many of the songs on Lethal Riddims '93 had. This collection represents one of the first contacts that many people (including myself) had with dancehall reggae, beginning a love affair that would last throughout the decade and beyond. |
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