A riddim (Patois for instrumental rhythm track) is an instrumental version of a song, which applies to Jamaican music or other forms of Caribbean music. Riddims usually consist of a drum pattern and a prominent bass line. The Jamaican Patois term riddim is derived from the English word "rhythm". "Riddims are the primary musical building blocks of Jamaican popular songs.... At any given time, ten to fifteen riddims are widely used in dancehall recordings, but only two or three of these are the now ting (i.e., the latest riddims that everyone must record over if they want to get them played in the dance or on radio).... In dancehall performing, those whose timing is right on top of the rhythm are said to be ridding di riddim."
Riddims are the instrumental backgrounds of reggae, lovers rock, dub, ragga, dancehall, soca and also grime compositions. Also, rare cases in reggaeton, which itself is largely based on the Dem Bow and Poco riddims by Steely & Clevie from the early 1990s, feature a riddim, such as Ivy Queen and Sasha's "Dat Sexy Body," which uses the Bookshelf riddim produced by Tony Kelly of the K-Licious reggae label. In other musical contexts, a riddim would be called a groove or beat. In most cases the term riddim is used in reference to the entire background track or rhythm section, but in older roots riddims, riddim is used to reference a certain bass line and drum pattern. Often a melody is associated with the riddim, and occasionally an artist will produce two different songs with the same riddim (e.g. Elephant Man's "Ele Melody" and "Father Elephant" were both produced using the Kopa riddim, produced by Supa Dups).
Some urban contemporary songs may become riddims as well. The instrumental of Ne-Yo's "Miss Independent" has become a popular riddim; many dancehall artists have recorded songs using the track. Other songs have inspired riddims too, such as George Michael’s song “Faith,” which became a riddim of the same name, and R. Kelly’s “Snake,” which became the Baghdad riddim.
So-called digital riddims refer to riddims created around the time that Jamaican producers incorporated drum machines and synthesizers into reggae-music production. Nowadays, however, most dancehall and soca riddims are created by electronic instruments, so, in essence, almost all are digital.
Several notable producers include
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