4. Lumidee, “Never Leave You” (NY/PR/JA)
This New York/Puerto Rico/Jamaica hybrid was not only the song of the year (and many years to follow) it was also the biggest hit on the Diwali–as Erin MacLeod pointed out in chambers, the first riddim to cross over on its own riddimatical terms, spawning hits for not just Lumi but Sean and Wayne Wonder and club-classics for Bounty Killer, TOK and Elephant Man, among others. Pan-Caribbean teamwork at its finest.