Riddim of the Week

Don Riddim

01 Elephant Man - Turn It Up
02 Sizzla - Eyes On Me
03 Vybz Kartel - Wha Yu Get
04 Elephant Man - Dancing Time
05 Vybz Kartel - Come Inna Di War Come Dead

The first time I heard this riddim was on a Cash Money mixtape, and it immediately caught my attention. This sounds like a Don Corleone production, and judging from the name of the riddim I'm probably right, which would make this the first eponymous riddim since the Cool Face Riddim (the real name of which was actually the Fusion Riddim). If this is indeed a Corleone creation, then it proves that Don is, well, a Don, but unnu done know who THE Don really is. ;)

Intricately layered yet deceptively minimalist, the Don Riddim kicks off with the warming-up of two instruments that I'm sure don't actually exist, then what sounds suspiciously like a submarine sonar bip, before delving into an infectious drumbeat which Elephant Man vocally emulates perfectly on both of his songs on this riddim. It's impossible to flop on this beat... every single I've heard on this riddim is flawless. But then again the only artists who've voiced on the riddim thus far have been three of the most indisputable talents in dancehall right now: two high-energy offerings from the Energy God himself, another two from Adi Banton at the top of his game, and one from the High Priest Sizzla Kalonji. These three (actually four) different styles complement each other perfectly; the riddim is milked to its full potential by each and every track. All that's needed now are a few more artists to round it out. I'm of the opinion that Sean Paul would perform well on this beat (don't hate, di yute can flow even if a uptown him come from). It's hard to pick a favourite from the five singles I've heard on the Don Riddim, but I find myself pulling up Vybz Kartel's Come Inna Di War Come Dead over and over.

A few lines up I remarked that although there were three deejays on the riddim there are actually four styles on display here. Allow me to elaborate on this point. Elephant Man, as he usually does on high-calibre riddims such as Mad Guitar, Dancehall Rock and Steps, does a 'dance chune' and a 'badman chune' on the same riddim. This is probably to appease both types of dancehall fans, the hardcore male fan such as myself who considers Bounty Killer the real King of Dancehall, and the mainstream listeners and females who like the beats, culture, fashion, and of course dance moves of Jamaican dancehall and are more apt to crown Beenie Man the reigning monarch. Of course, there's nothing wrong with either... both are essential for dancehall's success: the hardcore fans to 'keep it real' and the mainstream fans to keep the music popular. My point about Elephant Man is this: although his subject matter is usually markedly different when he has two songs on the same riddim, his high-energy delivery and usually even the hook remains the same in both.

Vybz Kartel on the other hand, is decidedly schizophrenic here. He focusses all his attention on the girls in the naughty Wha Yu Get, on which he suggests seductively that females ought to expect payment for the sexual services they provide: "Balance pon yu nosebridge, yu mus get a fridge, yu pum-pum likkle so yu bankbook big. Yu bedroom waan some richer furniture? Den pose pon mi cocky like yu a tek pikcha". Hmmm... counterbalance to his infamous Tek Buddy? However, on Come Inna Di War Come Dead, his beguiling bedroom manner is completely dropped, making way for ominous, thinly veiled threats against his new rival Spragga Benz, or as he names him on the track 'Fagga' Benz. Kartel's flow is excellently sinister here: "Wha really tek Fagga, an him likkle brodda, Teflon mek di pussy piss ina him bladda, climb up a tall house top wid a ladda, get a diving suit chuck back inna yu madda". Mi rate Spragga long time, but it look like him a guh need all him skills if him a guh clash Kartel an win. We'll see what happens at Sting, if it comes to that.