When Adrian Hanson envisioned a project to address global strife, the producer reflected on an EP he released almost 20 years ago. The artists would be different, but its concept similar.
In March, the Atlanta-based Hanson’s Donsome Records released ‘Gruesome Act Riddim’, a six-song EP featuring acts such as Anthony B, Turbulence, Mykal Rose, Kiprich and Tommy B Sal.
Each song calls for global peace and decries political dishonesty, with special attention on their homeland of Jamaica.
“I wanted a project that would be a follow-up to my 2009 ‘Crime Stop Riddim’, that has ‘Mama Bawl’ by Gyptian, ‘Lost Our Way’ by I-Octane, ‘Famine and Drought’ by I Wayne and ‘The Summary’ by Influential. All the tracks tackle the poverty, killing and crime that was out of control in Jamaica,” Hanson explained. ‘Just like the ‘Crime Stop Riddim’ that only has four songs, I decided that for this project I just want it to be an EP instead of a full album.”
Artists and songs on the ‘Gruesome Act Riddim’ are: Mykal Rose (‘War Is Not the Answer’), Kiprich (‘No More Crime’), Anthony B (‘Fly Away Home’), Turbulence (‘We Keep Going’) and Tommy B Sal (‘Nah Vote’). The closing track is the Gruesome Act Riddim.
Hanson is originally from Clarendon parish in southern Jamaica. He made his name producing ‘riddim’-driven compilation albums featuring top dancehall acts. In 2023, Hanson produced Rose’s ‘I Give You Love’, his first solo artist album.
