After achieving crossover success with his first U.S. album, 1994's
Yaga Yaga, colorfully nicknamed DJ
Terror Fabulous returned to his base with the follow-up. Gone were the hip-hop beats and the duets with reggae lovermen like
Maxi Priest and
Wayne Wonder, replaced by a much harder-edged collection of basic dancehall more focused on the star's hoarse chatting and bad-boy themes, as the title suggests. While
Terror is up to the task, using his
Shabba-style rasp to essay the expected sex talk and tough-guy tales with energy and élan, it's the production that really makes this one memorable. Overseen by John John, the son of Jamaican legend
King Jammy (who helped arrange), the exceedingly spare album is nevertheless stuffed with nagging hooks, from the ominous saxophone of "Gun Fool" to the dog barks of "Pop Style" to the pistol-crack snare of the title cut. Some of these superb rhythms, voiced with help from heavy hitters like
Sly & Robbie,
Steely & Clevie, and
Danny Browne, would later underpin tracks for bigger stars like
Bounty Killer and
Beenie Man, but having them all in one place is reason enough for owning this outstanding collection. ~ Dan LeRoy