VOICING A RIDDIM
A riddim already exists. A singer or deejay steps in and gives it another life. That act of putting a new vocal performance on the track is voicing.
Jamaican production often separates building the riddim from recording the person who will perform over it. A producer can call several artists to voice the same backing, with each writing a different lyric, melody or deejay performance. Those recordings can then circulate as separate songs while listeners still recognize the shared musical foundation underneath. Voicing is one reason dancehall can move so quickly: a successful riddim can become a conversation among many artists instead of belonging to one record alone. The practice reaches back through version culture and earlier Jamaican recording, but it becomes especially visible in the riddim-driven dancehall economy.