Following a rollout over several months that introduced listeners to a series of individual releases, Ghetto Youths International unveiled the complete No Better Riddim on Friday, Oct. 16.<\/p>\n
Produced by Grammy Award-winning artist and producer Damian \u201cJr. Gong\u201d Marley, the 16-track compilation brings together some of reggae\u2019s most distinctive voices while celebrating Jamaica\u2019s one-riddim or \u201cjuggling\u201d tradition, according to Brooklyn-based, Jamaican-born entertainment publicist Ronnie Tomlinson.<\/p>\n
Tomlinson, the CEO of New York-based Destine Media, Inc., told Caribbean Life that the \u201cjuggling\u201d tradition is where multiple artists bring their own lyrics, melodies and perspectives to a shared musical track.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe result is a collection that feels connected without sounding repetitive,\u201d she said. \u201cAcross No Better Riddim, established voices and a new generation of reggae artists explore love, relationships, spirituality, consciousness, resilience and personal reflection, demonstrating the versatility of a single riddim when placed in the hands of different storytellers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tomlinson said the road to the full compilation began earlier this year with Jemere Morgan\u2019s \u201cKnow Better,\u201d \u201cthe release that introduced the riddim\u2019s warm, melodic foundation.<\/p>\n
\u201cGhetto Youths International continued to unveil the project piece by piece, allowing individual songs and artists to establish their own identities before bringing the complete body of work together,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Tomlinson said among the songs released ahead of the full project are Romain Virgo\u2019s \u201cLay My Head,\u201d Alaine\u2019s \u201cLove Again,\u201d Pressure Busspipe\u2019s \u201cSo Amazing,\u201d Turbulence\u2019s \u201cTwin Flames,\u201d Ghost\u2019s \u201cComing Again\u201d and Jaz Elise\u2019s \u201cDon\u2019t Spoil Love.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the Oct. 16 release, Tomlinson said listeners will now hear the complete vision for the first time, including previously unreleased contributions from Sevana, Chino McGregor, Richie Spice, Medisun, Singing Melody, Da\u2019ville, Zaila Jazz and Queen Omega, before closing with Damian Marley\u2019s instrumental \u201cNo Better Riddim (Version).\u201d<\/p>\n
At its core, Tomlinson said No Better Riddim celebrates a format that has long been central to reggae and dancehall culture.<\/p>\n
\u201cRather than having an artist simply appear as a \u2018feature,\u2019 each performer is given the same musical foundation and the freedom to build an entirely different song around it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cDamian Marley\u2019s production provides the common thread throughout the compilation, blending roots reggae sensibilities, lovers rock warmth and contemporary influences while leaving enough space for each artist\u2019s individual character to take center stage,\u201d Tomlinson added.<\/p>\n
She said the diversity of the lineup is central to that vision.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom veteran voices and internationally recognized reggae artists to members of the genre\u2019s contemporary generation, No Better Riddim creates a meeting point between eras while remaining firmly rooted in Jamaican musical tradition,\u201d Tomlinson said.<\/p>\n
She said the project also reflects Ghetto Youths International\u2019s continued commitment to reggae music \u201cbuilt around substance, musicianship and authentic storytelling, while demonstrating how the traditional riddim format can continue to evolve for today\u2019s global audience.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Following a rollout over several months that introduced listeners to a series of individual releases, Ghetto Youths International unveiled the complete No Better Riddim on Friday, Oct. 16. Produced by Grammy Award-winning artist and producer Damian \u201cJr. Gong\u201d Marley, the 16-track compilation brings together some of reggae\u2019s most distinctive voices while celebrating Jamaica\u2019s one-riddim or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latest-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6025"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6025\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}