Vybz Kartel Juggles Old School Flow In New Title Track Off Smoothie Riddim

‘Tis the season of classic 90s dancehall riddims, bringing glad tidings of old school flows and traditional storytelling through music. Vybz Kartel’s Smoothie is among a handful of dancehall tracks to juggle old school riddims this year.

Released just two days after his single, ADIADIKING, Smoothie rocks to a tempo very similar to Buju Banton’s Trust, which premiered two weeks ago, and shares an identical rhythmic composition.

The three-minute title track appears on the Smoothie Riddim and displays Kartel’s renowned lyrical prowess and meticulous skill to own the beat on which he voices. It joins the artiste’s vast collection of stellar hits sure to dominate the airwaves and party scenes well into 2020.

The title seemingly encapsulates the mix of activities, similar to the mix of ingredients in a smoothie, that the artiste describes throughout the song, alluding to the stereotypical “mix up” or slander that usually accompanies disagreement among women. The clever metaphorical track has racked up over 150,000 views since its upload to YouTube 17 hours ago.

The new riddim also features Jodi Couture with Only Big, Sikka Rymes’ Badmind and Lisa Hyper’s All Ova.

Dancehall artistes constantly pay homage to old school dancehall styles, bringing back eras that are nostalgic for many Jamaicans and dancehall fans alike. Kartel has done this previously with early tracks like Number One (2004) on King Jammy’s Sleng Teng riddim. Spice’s Romantic Mood and Tables Turn, which were released earlier this year, also sample classic 90s hits like Romantic Call (1993) by Patra and Lady G’s Breeze Off (1997).

Smoothie is the sixth song from Vybz Kartel in the past seven days, following the release of more than ten songs in the last month and an estimated 50 songs for the entire year of 2019.

That’s almost one song a week despite being incarcerated at the Tower Street Adult Correction Centre in Kingston, Jamaica.

Smoothie is produced by Vybz Kartel Muzik and distributed by Johnny Wonder.  Listen to the new track below and let us know what you think in the comments.