riddim

A riddim is a rhythm pattern consisting basically of a drum pattern and a prominent bassline. This Patois or Jamaican-English term originates from the English word "rhythm."Riddims are the instrumental backgrounds of reggae, lovers rock, dub, raggamuffin and dancehall compositions. Also, rare cases in reggaeton, which itself is largely based on the Dem Bow riddim from the early 1990s, feature a riddim, such as Ivy Queen and Sasha's "Dat Sexy Body", which is on 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 bassline 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, produced by Supa Dups).
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