Reggae fans, heed warning! If you desire an upbeat, catchy but purposeful song, you do not want to sleep on this one. Listen to Higgler Move here!

Pure Roots out of Santa Cruz, California, drop this nugget tomorrow, but you can hear it today here on Rootfire.net. 

Titled “Higgler Move,” the scorcher features the unmistakable vocals of Junior Reid (formerly of Black Uhuru) and bass from Steel Pulse’s Amlak Tafari. Additionally, the track was mixed by dub luminary The Scientist to create a very impactful three minutes and 28 seconds. 

The single combines vocals in both English and Jamaican Patios.  “Higgler” is a Patois word that is used to describe the informal economic activity of small-scale street vending, dating back to the days of slavery. “Higgler Moves” describes the life of a street hustler who has a family, wife and kids to support.

Producer Jeff Allgrove of Right Vibes Productions explains that the lyrics say what translates to “What you can get from one shop, you can get from another shop. But the one you didn’t go to might go out of business, and then they have to work for the vendor who you purchased from.” 

Another lyric translates to “Watch how the Higgler smiles, as he collects his coil,” which is a term that refers to cash wrapped in a roll.  

“A large portion of the population is very poor and rely on what they can sell on the streets to make ends meet,” adds Allgrove. “It’s such a fragile economy in Jamaica.”

“Higgler Move” is from Pure Roots forthcoming album titled Youth Rising to be released in April 2023.