Words by Deejay Theory and DJ Arems

Faction Sound Crew representatives Deejay Theory and DJ Arems here, bringing you the goods once again. For all our bashment juggling DJs out there, you should already be familiar with the contents of this list. If not, there’s still a week to catch up.

From badman business to international fusions like World Fete, these were the tracks that ran the street dances and late-night wining sessions from Kingston to Brixton, with a few crew favorites mixed in for good measure.

Riddim up right here.

10. Chicken And Dumplin

This was an inescapable riddim in the dance – and the campground – this summer courtesy of the globetrotting genna Walshy Fire and soca scientist Kubiyashi. I distinctly remember this one beating from multiple campsites at Reggae on the River (where Walshy had also just shelled the late-night dancehall). Walshy quarterbacked another mixed bag of singles and collaborations this year, but Chicken And Dumplin made a heavy impact with stars like Sean Paul‘s “Lock N Key,” Beenie Man’s “In My Room” and the title track from the Soca Viking, Bunji Garlin. – Deejay Theory

9. Eagle

This year’s stand out badman riddim was the Eagle brought to us by TJ Records. It’s a shame that only three artists were featured on the production but Vybz Kartel‘s title track “Eagle” and Masicka‘s “Wave It” came so hard that it made up for the lack of choice on the riddim. Still, it would have been nice to hear artists like Alkaline, Mavado and I-Octane on this one with their certified shotta flows. – DJ Arems

8. Humbug

Producer, selecta and sometimes deejay, ZJ Chrome, dropped the Humbug Riddim back in March with a stellar line up that had speakers bumping worldwide. The happy-go-lucky production featured big chunes from Vybz Kartel, Mavado, Tifa and Charly Black and it’s success eventually led to the Humbug Riddim Remixes that dropped in July with more artists blessing the riddim. – DJ Arems

7. 1 Guh

This Junglist anthem from Yung Vibez Production (YVP) was a clear favorite this year. Clocking in at 107bpm, the riddim has a distinctly uptempo skank to it ,which translates nice in the dance. It’s a bit awkward to mix in, but any seasoned selector would have no problem. Popcaan really caught his stride this summer with the title track “1 Guh” which helped set the pace for a barrage of badman lyrics from him the rest of the year. Aidonia‘s “Fire” same way – helped lay the foundation for more big hits to come in the following months. – Deejay Theory

6. Money Mix

2017 saw a further continuation of the highly infectious dembow rhythm throughout dancehall. One of the best examples of this energy was Good Good Production‘s wicked Money Mix Riddim. Mavado took another huge forward with his single “Fresh Cash” – which UK badman Smutlee made a solid blend over “Unforgettable” as well that got nuff spins from me this year. Other standouts include Kartel’s vintage-inspired “Poco Man Skank” as well as solid cuts from Masicka, Tifa, I Octane and Ding Dong. – Deejay Theory

5. Forever

Another strong offering from Maurice and his Armzhouse Records camp this year was the uplifting, R&B-tinged Forever Riddim. Boasting big singles with Mavado‘s “Forever” and Alkaline’s “Pretty Girl Team” along with big chunes from Kranium and Jahmiel, this one was a sure shot. Also note this has a similar feel to Markus Records’ Dream Team Riddim which dropped around the same time and gets an honorable forward with Popcaan‘s “Up Forever”. No badman business round here, strictly upness. – Deejay Theory

4. Mhm Hm

Another huge riddim and top contender for riddim of the year was Jones Avenue Records‘ Mhm Hm. The hard hitting production was put out with only 4 artists on it but none of them gained as much attention as Vybz Kartel‘s title track. The riddim dropped in September but “Mhm Hm“.is still one of the biggest songs in dancehall right now. I-Octane gave a memorable performance as well on the riddim with his chune “Ready When You Ready” but it’s a shame that more artists were not asked to voice on this riddim. – DJ Arems

3. La Vida

Lee Milla Productions dropped the La Vida Riddim in May just in time for it to heat things up for the summer. It wasn’t the most danceable riddim to drop this year but the easy listening production gave us big chunes from Alkaline with “Red Eyes” and Mavado’s hit track “Laugh and Gwan.” Jahmiel and I-Octane turned in good tracks as well but it was hard to steal the spot light from the big dawgs on the La Vida Riddim. – DJ Arems

2. World Fete

Massive crossover riddim this year from TJ Records by way of Kick Raux. Last February Kick Raux sent me the latest song he was working on which just happened to be a combination with Vybz Kartel and Wizkid called “Wine To Di Top” – which not surprisingly ended up being a rather large tune in 2017. The infectious tropical keys, bright brass hook and dembow drum pattern made this an easy backbone for more stars to ride on, lending pop-driven vocals from Masicka, Charly Black, Pternsky and Konshens‘ currently-impacting single “Turn Me On.” Big global riddim for sure from two bright producers. – Deejay Theory

1. Genna Bounce

An easy frontrunner among 2017’s best dancehall riddims, Emudio Records’ Genna Bounce dropped in August with the catchiest song of the year as its lead track — Aidonia’s “Yeah Yeah.” Yeah Yeah gained much attention in Jamaica after a bus conductor was filmed hanging off the side of a bus doing wild dance moves while the track played in the background. Police in Jamaica released a statement that the song threatens public safety as it emanates such powerful energy and tried to ban the song. Other standout tracks on the riddim, which spawned its own dance, include Ding Dong‘s “Dweet” and Chi Ching Ching‘s “Swing Yuh Energy.” – DJ Arems

Honorable Mention: The Law Riddim

Although a bit more obscure in selector stature, Misik Musik’s recently released Law Riddim deserves a spot on here. A very stripped down and minimal production built around a simple synth stab lends itself perfectly for the Grung Gaad’s JA political statement “Duh Better Than This“. A mix of culture and bashment artists touched this one as well including Fantan Mojah, Spragga Benz, Bugle, Beenie, Sasco, and even Kardinal Offishal. I would’ve liked some additional drums on this riddim to help carry it in a dance setting, but the riddim bad like 90’s dancehall. – Deejay Theory