Tags: Genre, Music Genre, Topical Concept.
Riddim is the Jamaican Patois pronunciation of the English word rhythm but in dancehall/reggae parlance it refers to the instrumental accompaniment to a song. Thus a dancehall song consists of the riddim plus the voicing (vocal part) sung by the deejay. The resulting song structure may be taken for granted by dancehall fans but 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.