CHUNE

Riddim: Drum Song

Producer: Robert “Bobby Digital” Dixon

Some people change the game with their debut. For Sizzla, it took until his sophomore album. If 1997’s Black Woman and Child is short of a masterpiece, it’s only by millimeters. Produced in full by Bobby Digital, it’s the sound of a young firebrand finding his voice¹. The title track made his mission clear, and “Mek It Secure” reiterates his commitment to making a change for the younger generation. Nuh time fi pretend it’s I-and-I create these problems…

(I’d also be remiss if I didn’t point out that his early 45s boasted some amazing misspellings. Sysiller?)

Additional Listening:

• Jackie MIttoo, “Drum Song” (1967): Mittoo was one of rocksteady’s steadiest musicians, and this Studio One cut shows why.

• Sizzla, “Pump Up” (2001): Just because a man is righteous doesn’t mean he doesn’t have earthly concerns. One of his slackest tunes, over the iconic Buzz riddim. (Well, at least one of his slackest hooks; the verses seem almost coy in comparison.)

1. That voice would undergo some astonishing contortions over the years: Sizzla singjays with such emotion that it sometimes eclipses tone, and he can go from crystalline to guttural at the drop of a beat. ↩︎