During an exclusive conversation with AllHipHop, Beenie Man opened up about the current state of Dancehall riddims.
The King suggested politics, artist alliances and competition are sometimes keeping veteran artists from participating in the hottest musical movements. The Jamaican icon also explained that there are times when he hears a riddim he likes and would gladly jump on it. But by the time he returns home from touring Africa, Europe or elsewhere, the moment may have already passed. Beenie Man comes from an era when competition was practically built into the architecture of Dancehall. One riddim could feature numerous artists, giving selectors multiple records to play while simultaneously forcing artists to distinguish themselves over the exact same musical foundation.
The problem, as Beenie sees it, isn’t simply that there are fewer artists sharing riddims. In some cases, he believes the opposite is happening. Too many songs are being recorded without enough quality control. Later in the interview, Beenie Man stressed that he listens to younger Dancehall artists because remaining connected to new music is essential to longevity. He believes producers once played a stronger role in assembling riddims, choosing artists and creating a musical ecosystem where several records could become hits simultaneously.
Dancehall’s riddim tradition has historically created a uniquely competitive environment. Different artists could attack the same instrumental from completely different perspectives, while DJs and sound systems ultimately helped determine which versions connected with audiences.