'Riko's Theme' features legendary grime MC Riko Dan aka the London City Warlord, spitting over The Heatwave's update of the classic Stalag riddim.
The track is inspired by 'Yardie' a 2018 British crime drama directed by Idris Elba.
In the film, Rico (played by Stephen Graham) is a coke-dealing, gun-wielding, soundclash-throwing Jamaican gangster based in London.
In the tune, Riko Dan (played by Zane Williams) is a coke-dealing, gun-wielding, soundclash-throwing Jamaican gangster based in London.
The original vocal is pretty explicit: swearing, violent threats, gun talk, drug dealing, and soundboy killing.
In the Super Clean version we've tried to remove and replace all the references to violence, guns, drugs, and even murdering a sound. But it's still fairly obvious what the lyrics are about.
We haven't called any version a Radio Edit because in the end you'll need to make a call as to which version (if any) is appropriate for your radio show.
lyrics
I sent you to London so you wouldn't start a war in Kingston
Now you gone to London to start one?
What is wrong with you youth?
Heatwave business
London city warlord
Mi have a bredrin in London his name is Riko
He's expecting you
A fi mi name Riko dem call mi di don
Original don mi a don gorgon
Mi a real wicked man from 19 o long (wicked man rude boy)
We nuh kill pickney cah we a big grown man (big man)
Just make sure yuh nuh dis di programme
Cah if yuh dis di programme then you know mi slogan
A boy haffi ____ lef dem inna old van
A mek yuh mumma rest her head inna har hands
A Riko yuh work for?
We don't work for nobody. We're self employed
Self employ?
Well yuh better unemploy yuhself
Tek off di darkers eediat boy
Yuh waan dis Riko den yuh ago ___
Bwoy skull a ____ when yuh marrow start ___
We nuh tek question don't ask me why
We never run out of ____ we mek di ____ multiply
Yuh waan dis Riko den yuh ago ____
When we ____ ____ we ____ ____ inna yuh ____
Real badman we run di whole city ___
When big man a war yuh fi deh inna yuh bed
I let Riko do his business in Hackney
Riko leave Green Lanes alone
Riko have nuttin fi do with it
Right now me di man who handle it
A mi yuh have to deal with
When it come to ______
We nuh pet and we nuh powder
And if yuh tek mi ______
Yuh better sell mi ______
Nuh tek nuh profit just gimme mi money fi mi ______
Mi will gi yuh sum'n tru yuh know seh mi a yuh older
Yuh know seh mi a yuh elder (mi a yuh faada)
Mi bad like helter skelter
And when it start to rain dem boy better find some shelter
We have it locked we have it locked just like a Feltham
Messing with mi ______ haffi tell mi ___ dem welcome
Weh Riko deh? Yuh get di money?
Him have something weh belong to Riko
So we tek something weh belong to you
Mi give yuh sum'n den yuh know you haffi bring it back
When it come to business, can't tek mi fi nuh eediat (yuh a fool)
Can't tek mi fi no likkle man, mek dem try nuh dis mi man (nah)
Cah if dem diss mi man dem get some ____ and mi nuh response
Mi nuh business, mi nuh cater, tell dem bwoy deh later
Waan fi stop mi money, high like a skyscraper
Playing with my paper, I'll make you ____ your maker
Don't care if you're from Hackney or from Brixton or Jamaica
Riko control east London nightlife
Weh Riko deh?
Don't forget the big soundclash tonight at Riko's
High noon!
Inna London nightlife a mi wear di crown
We have some top top selector and some bad boy sound (trust me)
And inna soundclash we a go ______ yuh sound
Can't tek man fi fool yuh can't tek man fi clown
Hey listen! Phenomenomenon one
Dis one dedicated to all sound man (all sound man)
Anywhere we go we say di dance haffi ram
Bwoy get pack up like a rubbish in a van
Boss di radio station seh dem nah play di tune
Seh it's not a hit
Yuh believe dis?
Radio station nah play my song
Nah man yuh gonna mek dem play it
Yuh know it
credits
from RIKO'S THEME ft RIKO DAN,
released September 2, 2022
Written by Winston Riley, Zane Williams, Gabriel May & Henry Bainbridge
Produced by The Heatwave
Mixed by Sticky
Mastered by Joker
Engineered by Morfius
Artwork by Naomi Gennery
Published by Prophesy Music Publishing Co and Westbury Music Ltd
supported by 9 fans who also own “RIKO'S THEME (SUPER CLEAN)”
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