The partnership between Bounty Killer and Cham started in the early 90s when Cham was just a school boy under the tutelage of Dave Kelly and Killer was an already established artist. Bounty took Cham under his wings, Cham introduced him to Kelly and the rest is history. The trio’s relationship has spawned some of the most genre defining songs in dancehall such as Anytime and Another Level.

When tensions grew, as they tend to do with Bounty Killer, Cham and Kelly kept the formula going with several hit songs. Now they are all back together again for the “Time Bomb” EP just in time for Christmas shalala la la la la.

Cham broke the cardinal rule of album making by offering a scene description, “Dancehall is more than a genre, dancehall is more than entertainment, dancehall is a way of life,” Why explain when you can create an album cover to show?

Soomething less obvious and more profound could have set the tone for their first collaborative project. ‘Don’t Play’ would have been a better fit to start the EP. as it is the essence of ‘Time Bomb’ with Cham boasting and Bounty endorsing wealth as a way of life over a staccato Dave Kelly beat.

Bounty makes up words and terms throughout the album like “My dream is to make ten thousand million/buy a few dozen bike nah carry no pillion/so all immigrants you fi proud a you nation,” another time he rhymes “King Pin with Cherry Garden” like on Bounty Killer could.  But there are no obvious hits on this EP, and none of the singles fit into a playlist on the current top ten on Apple Music chart in Jamaica where chopping and scamming rule the narrative.

Of course no one expects Cham and Bounty Killer to release an album loaded with sexual innuendos and gun man lyrics in 2023, but still they did. Because both artists have strong vocals, a female feature on Slow Motion‘s would better convey the message.

U.K. actor and entertainment Idris Elba’s cinematic voice on “Bad Man Ting,” gives it a unique touch forcing both Cham and Killer to simplify their delivery to reinforce cultural and gender stereotypes for one of the stand out tracks.

If you can get over the vocal monotony and dated timelines then you will enjoy “Time Bomb” from two of dancehall’s greatest artists. The EP is geared towards immigrants who long for a taste of 90s dancehall in a sea of trap.

★★★☆☆

“Time Bomb EP” is released by MadHouse Records.