You Rate It: Damian Marley + Sean Paul’s “Riot”

Words by Jesse Serwer—

With electronic dance music’s influence on dancehall growing considerably lately, two of the earliest adopters of the trend, Sean Paul and Damian Marley, have gotten back on the train with their latest, “Riot.” (Sean’s last LP Tomahawk Technique was geared more towards European clubs than the dancehall; Damian’s 2012 collaboration with Skrillex, “Make It Bun Dem,” is perhaps the most visible fusion of dubstep and dancehall)

A dancehall tune with a dubstep bent,”Riot” begins with an atmosphere-establish King Tubby sample before shifting into uptempo rave territory, with both deejays dropping lyrics in rapid-fire clips. What’s most notable about the culture-minded track might be Sean Paul’s lyrics— SP makes a rare dive into social commentary here, and it’s his best performance in a minute. Also worth noting is that this is the first-ever collaboration between the two.  Listen to “Riot” below, and share your thoughts about the collaboration in the comments.