Bobo Ashanti

On Bobo Ashanti—named for the Rastafari Mansion to which he belongs—Sizzla uses his gruff, gravelly voice to spit doctrine over crisp, turn-of-the-century dancehall beats. The record is, accordingly, plenty spiritual. But this is a spirituality grounded in the daily struggle of life in Babylon, as he deals with topics like the beauty of dark skin and the importance of dreadlocks. Some songs, like the hard-edged “Whether or Not”, have a hip-hop kick that connects the streets of Jamaica to those around the world.