Music ProductionWami Encyclopedia
RIDDIM
Core Definition
The instrumental backing track — drum and bass pattern — over which multiple artists record different vocal lines, a core building block of Jamaican music.
[ Comprehensive Explanation & Cultural Context ]
A 'riddim' is a specific rhythm track that, unlike in most Western music, gets reused by dozens of different singers and deejays who each voice their own song over the exact same instrumental. A single riddim can spawn an entire 'riddim album' with a dozen or more distinct vocal cuts.
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