Ini Kamoze is a real fixture in the Jamaican dancehall scene, and was one of the most capable practitioners of the singjay style, with hits like “World A Music”.
Later, he was a toasting deejay, with the international pop hit “Here Comes The Hotstepper” in 1994.
This song is chronologically and stylistically in between those two songs, although much more of a proper reggae song than the latter!
The riddim is Nice & Cute/ Enquirer, a classic ragga cut. The bass is full and round, with trilling guitar licks and funky keyboards adding their own touches to the song.
The lyrics are a boast about how his sound is so good that everyone else should give up. It’s a great song for sound clashes…
“Stress” was released in 1989 on the Selekta record label. A few other vocalists also did the riddim at the same time, notably Johnny P with “Nice & Cute”.