Toppa Top 10: Sly + Robbie’s Most Deadly Riddims

Words by Midnight Raver

Of reggae’s living legends, few have remained more relevant than Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare. Tomorrow, the most influential and prolific rhythm section that reggae has ever known will receive the Musgrave Gold Medal from the Institute of Jamaica for “distinguished eminence in music.”

The Riddim Twins’ most recent projects find them backing Gregory Isaacs one last time, and bringing the Reggae Power with Japan’s Spicy Chocolate. The Cool Ruler’s killer “Poor Man in Love” hit the streets last month, nearly 10 years after being produced at Harry J Studio by Sly and Robbie with Tabou1 Records’ Guillaume Bougard, while Sly & Robbie and Spicy Chocolate Present the Reggae Power 2, also released last month, teamed the Taxi label with Tuff Gong for a compilation of new music.

Here, guest contributor Midnight Raver runs through his selections for Sly & Robbie’s most deadly riddim tracks. Check back  soon, for Sly’s own picks on this topic.

Start the list here.

10. Carbine (Black Uhuru, 1981)

“Carbine” is one of those deadly tracks from Black Uhuru’s Red album. It’s a tough call because you also have “Sistren” where Robbie almost pulls the strings from his bass; “Journey,” with its wicked Groucho dub; “Utterance,” “Rockstone”… there isn’t an easy riddim in that set. But “Carbine” was so brutal and so relevant for the time, as Uhuru had moved from Jamaica to NYC to escape escalating tensions at home.

9. Soon Forward (Gregory Isaacs, 1979)

The catchy title track from Gregory Isaacs’ landmark 1979 album co-produced by Sly & Robbie brilliantly complements the subtly emotive vocal stylings of the Cool Ruler. It is an extraordinary performance from start to finish and one of the Ruler’s most enduring anthems. The instrumental would later come to be known as the Mean Girl riddim; re-cut by XTerminator Records in the ’90s, it spawned tracks including Luciano’s “Sweep Over My Soul.”

8. General (Ini Kamoze, 1983)

Another brilliant banger first bestowed upon Ini Kamoze, “General” served the artist well. Not to be confused with this General riddim, XTerminator’s Philip “Fatis” Burrell would later cut a new version of the instrumental, for Luciano’s “Gunzalis.”

 7. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (Black Uhuru, 1980)

Originally a Michael Rose solo effort produced by Winston “Niney” Holness, the Riddim Twins turned this bouncy, danceable tune into an historic heavyweight killer with bludgeoning drums and bass.

6. Unmetered Taxi (Sly & Robbie, 1982)

This smash instrumental, contained on Sly & Robbie’s 1982 Crucial Reggae LP, underlies more than 40 popular reggae singles including Leroy Smart’s “She Love It In The Morning,” Little John’s “Tickle Me,” Lone Ranger’s “Learn to Drive,” Johnny Osbourne’s “Reason,” Sister Nancy’s “One Two” and, more recently, Buju Banton’s “Driver A.”

5. Baltimore (The Tamlins, 1978)

Sly & Robbie’s take on this Randy Newman tune (by way of Nina Simone) was more danceable than disco and as funky as anything around in 1978 when The Tamlins rode it to the top of the Jamaican charts. Its hard-stepping riddim (later touched by Dennis Brown and Welton Irie, taking one of Jamaica’s earliest stabs at a hip-hop flow on “Hotter Reggae Music”) was a powder keg of militancy and resolve.

4. Revolution (Dennis Brown, 1983)

Always ahead of the game, Sly leaned on what was then the brand-new Roland TR-808 drum machine to bring the thunder come clap for Dennis Brown’s vibrant anthem “Revolution.” Adapted by Jah Life for Barrington Levy’s “Black Roses” and by Jah Screw for Levy’s  “Broader Than Broadway,” among countless other tracks over the years, this riddim has truly stood the test of time.

3. Murder She Wrote (Chaka Demus & Pliers, 1990)

This Sly & Robbie recut of the “Santa Barbara” instrumental hit the radio airwaves like an atom bomb, with a sound that was raw, unbridled exuberance. Originally released as a single on Sly & Robbie’s Taxi label in 1990, Chaka Demus & Pliers’ “Murder She Wrote” was typical of the ’80s dancehall era, while pointing towards the genre’s future, a bare-bones riddim with a commanding bass line featuring a crisp guitar riff and understated keys.

2. Sensimilia (Black Uhuru, 1980)

The thunderous sound and austere structure of “Sinsemilla,” fleshed out by Bunny Tom Tom’s fierce mix, was the Riddim Twins’ frank and forthright message to the world that the sound of reggae had changed. There was no warning, no apology, and nowhere for the weak hearts to hide. Sly & Robbie forged the most militant, hard-hitting, high-stepping sound in reggae, leaving nothing but scorched earth and rattled skulls in their wake.

 1. World-A-Music (Ini Kamoze, 1983)

A riddim of historic proportions, “World-A-Music” underlies more than 50 reggae tunes including Dennis Brown’s “Joy in the Morning,” Junior Reid’s “Boom-Shack-A-Lack,” and, of course, Damian Marley’s 2004 ghetto anthem “Welcome To Jamrock.” The timeless riddim has also inspired modern roots spinoffs such as the World Jam riddim and 2006’s Rastar Riddim (check Midnite’s “Gi Dem”).