What is a reggae “riddim”?

“Riddim” is the Jamaican Patois term for the instrumental “rhythmic” track of a song, also known as “groove” or “beat”. Jamaican folk songs and many other types of Caribbean music are based on riddles.

Riddims generally consist of a prominent bass line and a particular unique drum pattern and are truly the backbone of dub, reggae, lovers rock, ragga, roots, dancehall, etc. Many riddims originate from a hit song and the riddim is named after the song, for example, I-Wayne’s 2004 hit “Lava Ground” on the Lava Ground Riddim. Or, in some cases, the riddim takes its name from the most popular song recorded on it. For example, Satta Massagana Riddim is named after The Abyssinians’ original song “Satta Massagana”.

Every now and then an artist will voice two completely different songs on the same riddim. And it is very common for different artists to express the same riddles with different lyrics and different vocal styles, ranging from singing to toasting. For example, “Call On Me” by Jah Cure, “Butterfly” by Gyptian and “Reminiscing” by Tanya Stephens are all in the wonderful Good Love Riddim of 2009. The success of a riddim is judged by the number of artists who ” manipulate “or make their own vocal performances. The Jamaican audience will judge whether the tune is great or not and if so, other artists will write new lyrics to “ride the riddim.”

There may be more than a dozen current popular riddims, but there are usually only a few “hot” riddims at any one time. Artists have to record on these hot puzzles if they want to have a better chance of having their songs played in dance halls or on the radio. Many times a dance is even created in honor of the riddim, such as Pepperseed or Gully Creeper, or who can forget the victory dance of the fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt, “Nah Linga”?

Riddims don’t always originate from reggae; some contemporary urban songs can also become riddims. Ne-Yo’s instrumental on “Miss Independent” has become a popular riddim; many dancehall artists have recorded songs using the track. Other songs have also inspired riddims, such as the song “Faith” by George Michael, which became a riddim of the same name, and “Snake” by R. Kelly, which became the Bagdad Riddim.

Types of riddims

Riddims are of African origin and are generally of three types. The oldest, the “classic” riddim, provides the instruments for dub, roots reggae and lovers’ rock (among the best known producers are Sly & Robbie). The back “ragga” riddim (or I used to do it back) raggamuffin and dancehall. And “digital” riddims (for example, King Jammy’s Sleng Teng Riddim) are created with computers, synthesizers, and drum machines; in other words, they are actually electronic puzzles.

The advent of technology changed the entire business. You no longer have to pay for study time and hire musicians! This opened the business to a whole new generation of producers, musicians and performers. Today, most of the riddles that accompany dancehall and Soca are digital. Digital puzzles, along with the global reach and popularity of dancehall, have also led to the creation of increasingly popular puzzles outside of Jamaica.

Version control

“Versed” is the term for recycling or rejuvenating old riddims using computers and samplers, and expressing them with new artists. Jamaica has been covering since the 1960s. Some of these riddles are decades old, many of them come from Clement “Coxsone” Dodd’s renowned studio in Kingston, Studio One. Some great riddims came out of Studio One in the 60s and 70, and you’ll still hear them covered in constant rotation by today’s sound systems.

However, version control can be controversial because many of those who produced the original classic riddims never received a payment for them. It would be nice to get some “copyrights” !! But today’s artists argue that they are inspired by these classics and respect them by covering and popularizing them. Many Jamaican producers rely heavily on cover versions although, in the last decade, we saw less of this practice with hundreds of new creative riddims being released.

The dancehall explosion in recent years spawned many new puzzles. But some are already being versioned as well. The Unfinished Business Riddim, popular in 2008, was a cover of the 1998 hit Showtime Riddim. So it seems like old riddles never die!

Producers

Of course, creating a new and original riddim is much more difficult than versioning an old one! Here are some of the best original riddim producers past and present: Black Chiney (sound system, DJ, producer), Bobby “Digital B” Dixon (producer), Clement “Coxsone” Dodd (producer, Studio One Records) , Donovan Germain (producer, Penthouse Studio), Joe Gibbs (producer), King Jammy (dubbing mixer, producer), King Tubby (dubbing mixer, producer from 1960 to 1980), Duke Reid (producer, Treasure Isle Records, Dominoes 1960s), Sly and Robbie (producers, Taxi Records), Steely & Clevie (producers).

Two of the most attractive young producers of the new millennium share a surname, but are not related. Stephen “Di Genius” McGregor, son of veteran singer Freddie McGregor, can boast of one of my favorite dancehall puzzles of recent years, the Tremor Riddim (2007), voiced by Mavado (“Amazing Grace”), Sean Paul (“Watch Them Roll”) and others. The riddles of this talented musician are so popular that more than a dozen people could express each of them.

The other young star producer is Kemar “Flava” McGregor, who is responsible for some of the hottest hits of recent years and, in my opinion, the best roots reggae beats to come out of Jamaica (or the world, for the case). in years, for example: 2005’s Triumphant Riddim (Gyptian’s “Mama Don’t Cry”), 2007’s 83 Riddim (Richie Spice’s “Ah No Me Dat” and Queen Ifrica’s “Daddy”), and 2010’s Classic Riddim (“Thinking About You”, “Soon As We Rise” by Duane Stephenson & Ras Shiloh), and Sweet Riddim (“Happy Heart” by Etana, “See You Again” by Beres Hammond, “Prayer” by Ginjah). I love the wide mix of artists expressing their puzzles, veteran and newbie alike, definitely something to appeal to everyone. These two producers are at the forefront of Jamaica’s current hitmakers!

For me, it’s the soft rhythms of reggae that make me dance and sway; for others, it’s the harsh bass lines they enjoy on the dance floor. No matter your preference, riddims are the foundation of reggae music! Enjoy!