Toppa Top 10: The Top Dancehall Riddims of 2011

Words by DJ Autograph and Hanna Herbertson—

For our last countdown looking back at the highlights of 2011, we had LargeUp contributor/Brooklyn selector DJ Autograph and choreographer (and now a DJ, too) Hanna Herbertson of New York City’s Blackgold dance crew give us their picks for the top 10 riddims of the year. Click #10 below or above to start reading the list, and be sure to check our rundowns of the year’s best albums, mixtapes, soca, dancehall singles and dances, if you haven’t yet. On and forward.

10) Bus Stop

Cashflow Records starts of the list with their Bus Stop riddim. Released in February in two volumes as the Country Stop and the City Stop, respectively, this riddim provided us with two of the years bigger tunes in Konshens’ “Forward” and I-Octane’s “Nuh Ramp Wid Wi.” They were also the production team behind one of Cham’s latest tunes, “Wine,” which has gotten a lot of attention internationally of late. Be on the lookout for more fire from Cashflow in 2012.

9) Bad Acid

It’s basically expected that at least one Stephen “Di Genius” McGregor production will be on this list (there are actually two). Bad Acid, a musically similar follow up to the Pepper riddim released earlier in the year, was the basis for Mavado’s “Lost Dem,” Busy Signal’s  “We Nah Dweet,” Aidonia’s “Bad Pickney” and Agent Sasco’s “We Dem A Watch,” amongst a host of other big tunes.

8) Snap Back

TJ Records had a big year in 2011, producing two of the riddims on this list. Snap Back was released in September and spawned one of Popcaan’s biggest hits of the year in “Clean.” Other notable tunes include Jahmiel’s “Cut Them Off”, Vybz Kartel’s “Put It On” and Bugle’s “Original Friend.”

7) Gaza World

Speaking of TJ Records, here they are again with a riddim that was released in April. This time they brought the entire Gaza crew together and then some on the Gaza World riddim. Vybz Kartel was definitely the star on this riddim with his two tunes “Real Badman” and “Life” but other strong efforts include Chan Dizzy’s “Dat Mi Know” and G Whizz with his party tune “Bartender.”

6) Contra Riddim

ZJ Chrome’s uptempo Contra riddim may not contain any of the years’ monster tunes, but it boasts two very strong offerings from Vybz Kartel with “Sex And The City” and “Stronger We Get.” Throw in Assassin with “Tun Up”, Mavado with “Do Road” and I-Octane with “Tell Some Bwoy,” and you’ve got a collection of tunes that makes it an overall contender for one of the best juggling riddims of 2011.

5) Lost Angel

Another riddim, another string of hits from the Gaza camp. 2011 proved to be a break out year for Vybz Kartel protege Popcaan with several big tunes, the second biggest of the year being “Only Man She Want” on the Lost Angel riddim (produced by Sounique Records). Popcaan’s tune even eclipses that of the Gaza general on this particular occasion. Other notable efforts on this riddim come from Shawn Storm and Gaza Slim.

4) Summer Fling

A late contribution to the roster of summer riddims, Chimney Records’ Summer Fling quickly grew in popularity  after dropping in July, generating such hits as Mavado’s “Final Destination,” Supa Hype, Chi Ching and Munga’s “Imma Need Security” and Tarrus Riley’s “Summer Fling” (which received one of the biggest forwards in Berlin that I’ve ever seen).

3) Pepper

The Pepper Riddim is a Stephen “Di Genius” McGregor production released in February 2011. Mavado’s dance friendly “Pepper”, Di Genius’ “Bounce a Gyal” and Agent Sasco’s “Nothing At All” were notable tracks on Pepper but probably the biggest tune on the riddim was the late entry “None A Dem,” the boastful comeback anthem from the legendary Shabba Ranks.

2) Summer Time

This riddim, released right before summer, instantly became the soundtrack for the rest of 2011. Vybz Kartel’s “Summer Time” and Popcaan’s “Ravin,” the two biggest tunes on the riddim, dominated the airwaves and became party anthems all over the world. Summer Time is the work of upcoming Swedish producer Adde, whose follow up production, the BBQ riddim, has also been well received in dancehall circles. Definitely look out for big things from him in 2012.

1) Overproof

Undoubtedly the most popular riddim out of Jamaica in 2011, Justus Arison of JA Productions’ work was the basis for Mavado’s smash “Settle Down” and also featured the voices of international pop star Daniel Bedingfield, Sean Paul, Mavado, Swedish dancehall star Million Styles, Keida, Wayne Marshall, Kurrup (A.K.A Uncle Mucks) and a host of others. Released in August of last year, it quickly became one of the most requested and played riddims around the world—and it’s still burning up clubs as we speak.

Honorebel Mention: White Label

This production from Jamaica’s Equiknoxx Music flew under a lot of people’s radars, and didn’t produce any breakout hits, but it would be difficult to name a more creative and energetic riddim released in 2011. Beenie Man (“Missa Man”), Kiprich (“Boring”) and T.O.K. (“Eagle Buss”) absolutely bodied their contributions, while quite a few female deejays (Spice, Timberlee, Japan’s Akane) got busy on it, too.—Jesse Serwer