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Diwali Riddim: Two Decades and Waxing On

There are many genres of instrumentals or beats, so to say that have changed the music industry. Today, we take a trip to about 21 years ago when the Reggae Jesus, Steven ‘Lenky’ Marsden created Diwali, one of the best sounds that will change the industry.

He created the sound in 1998. Diwali was misinterpreted as boring and unappealing, more especially because of the syncopated handclaps that characterised it. The rhythm which ties the handclaps and Giddha together, too, is characteristic of that commonly associated with the Dhol. The dhol is a large, double-headed drum whose origins can be traced back to the 15th century, first used in the ceremonies of Sufi mystics and their followers.

The innovative sound had to wait longer, finding its way back to the shelf.

“No one wanted it because no one knew what it was. I was trying to give it to [vocalists], and they say it was too ‘ noisy-sounding,’ so I put it back in my drawer,”

he admitted.

“I had it for, like, three years. Then I was going through my tape and heard it again, and I started voicing it.”

Three years later, little did anyone know that the discarded sound would make a huge impression globally. A torrent of artists began to lay on Diwali which put the beat on the map.

The love for Diwali began in Jamaica and would slowly grow courtesy to Meet Me at the Party (Party Time) by Danny English and Egg Nog. However, it gained international notoriety with Sean Paul and Wayne Wonder. Their songs went to number one and number 11, respectively, on the Billboard charts.

In 2022 at the point to release Get Busy. There was some sort of conflicted feeling between Sean Paul and the record label. The latter felt the song wasn’t going to be a flop. They felt Diwali was dancehall but not ready for the American audience. The risk was taken and it made its way to the #1 spot ousting ‘In da Club’ by 50 Cent. That was huge! American hip hop artiste Lumidee also worked the Diwali rhythm taking it to number two on the Billboard charts with Uh uh.

 

Diwali musical adaptability to acclimatize with hip-hop, pop and r n b made its acceptance broader. A wide range of timeless music such as Rihanna’s Pon De Replay (2005), Brick & Lace’s Love is Wicked (2007), DJ Snake’s Let Me Love You (2016), or even Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You (2017): all hit songs. They are all Diwali rooted or influenced. For Lenky though, these accolades aren’t much more than a means to an end. It is a way for more people to connect with his work.

In an interview with World A Reggae, Lensky said,

“I wasn’t doing it for no Billboard hits, I was doing it for the music,”

The most influential dancehall beat is Diwali. It is still making its way to the top of the charts, blasting the speaker and thriving in the mainstream space.

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