Bookshelf riddim

Riddim is the Jamaican Patois pronunciation of the English word "rhythm", but in reggae, dancehall, calypso, soca, and reggaeton parlance it refers to the instrumental accompaniment to a song. These genres consist of the riddim plus the "voicing" (vocal part) sung by the deejay. The resulting song structure is distinctive in many ways. A given riddim, if popular, may be used in dozens—or even hundreds—of songs, not only in recordings, but also in live performances.

Some classic riddims, such as "Nanny Goat" and "Real Rock" both produced by Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, are essentially the accompaniment tracks of the original 1960s reggae songs with those names. Since the 1980s, however, riddims started to be originally composed by producers/beatmakers, who give the riddims original names and, typically, contract artists to voice over them. Thus, for example, "Diwali" is the name not of a song, but of a riddim created by Steven "Lenky" Marsden, subsequently used as the basis for several songs, such as Sean Paul's "Get Busy" and Bounty Killer's "Sufferer."

"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 riding di riddim.

"Riddim dubstep" since 2015 is also a term for talking of a subgenre of dubstep that tends to be really repetitive and bouncy in nature. The name originally comes from the Jamaican Patois pronunciation of rhythm, and can also be used to describe the instrumental backgrounds for a variety of genres outside of dubstep as well. Riddim is characterized by a strong bass line and drum patter, and is very minimalistic layers. Riddim also often uses some elements of trap, like snares, hats, and 808s, but is otherwise mostly focused on the sub-bass.

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