Karol G’s ‘BbY WOW’ Revives the Early‑2000s ‘Coolie Dance Riddim’ Across Global Pop, Arab, and Turkish Hits

Karol G described “BbY WOW” as a club‑ready record from her latest album *No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto*. In an August interview with *Rolling Stone*, she said she wanted an emotional track with an infectious beat that would make people want to dance. The song also features Spanish acts Judeline and Rusowsky and quickly became a viral smash, topping the Billboard Hot Latin chart, Apple Music’s Global 100 chart and Spotify’s Global Top 50. It has amassed over 78 million Spotify streams and 21 million YouTube views.

A large part of this success stems from the song’s ingenious sample of an early‑2000s Jamaican riddim, a beat instantly recognizable to millennial fans.

Nearly 30 seconds into the track, listeners hear the distinctive drum pattern of “Coolie Dance Riddim,” the iconic instrumental dancehall riddim created by influential Jamaican producer Cordel Skatta Burrell in 2003. Two albums released that year—*Greensleeves Rhythm Album #45: Coolie Dance* and *Coolie Skank*—showcased artists such as Ce’Cile, Elephant Man, Sean Paul and Bounty Killer, while other dancehall acts like Beenie Man and Mr. Vegas also employed the riddim.

“Coolie Dance Riddim” quickly became a staple of pop and Latin music a year after its release. In 2004, Nina Sky and Jabba’s “Move Ya Body” and Pitbull and Lil Jon’s “Culo” (later remixed with Ivy Queen) were impossible to avoid on radio and in clubs. The beat continued to be used throughout the 2000s: Lumidee and Fatman Scoop’s “Dance!” (2006) sampled it and added Whitney Houston’s vocal hook, while Latin artists Jr Ranks (“Dale Candela”) and Angel y Khriz (“Na De Na”) put their own spins on the riddim.

After a quiet period post‑2009, the riddim has seen a renewed surge over the past six years, this time led by non‑Caribbean creators. Argentine artist Ms Nina slowed the beat for her 2019 album *Perreando Por Fuera, Llorando Por Dentro*. Spanish rapper Cruzzi added a sultry lo‑fi effect for his 2023 song “Movezz en Silencio.” Kehlani gave the riddim an R&B feel on her 2024 single “After Hours,” the lead track of *CRASH*.

The riddim’s revival has been especially strong in Turkey since 2024, with four local artists incorporating it into their work. Sefo and Demet Akalın’s “Yerinde Dur” and Lvbel C5’s “DOĞUŞTAN BERİ HAKLIYIM” have gathered over 329 million YouTube views and 140 million Spotify streams, respectively.

French DJs HUGEL and SOLTO sampled the riddim in their 2025 global house hit “Jamaican (Bam Bam),” which also features Sister Nancy’s track of the same name.

In less than a year, the riddim has appeared four times in Arab pop: DYSTINCT’s viral “YAMA,” Amr Diab’s “Baba,” Dana Salah’s “Wedding Riddim,” and Elyanna’s “BOSA.”

<p class=”paragraph larva // lrv-u-line-height-copy lrv-a-font-body-l “Cordel Skatta Burrell says, “I’ve always tried not to get stuck in a dancehall‑only approach, instead drawing inspiration from global music that I’ve connected with and this can be from almost any genre. At the end of the day as a Jamaican, my creativity will always be heavily influenced by my culture. The next step was making it palatable for the world to appreciate.”

Katelina “La Gata” Eccleston, a Latin‑music historian, attributes the riddim’s resurgence to nostalgia for millennials. “Riddim culture thrives in artists displaying individuality and creativity over a common beat, so if an artist is able to invoke a sense of nostalgia by showing homage to another song with a bar or adding to the beat with lyrics that complement its soundscape, then I think the task is completed,” she observes.

DYSTINCT, who first heard the riddim on “Move Ya Body” as a child growing up in Belgium, says he wanted to add his own flair. “The riddim is usable in so many different styles and it’s so timeless,” he explains. “Even if you heard the riddim sampled in so many songs, it still sounds cool and fresh every time.” He notes that “YAMA” has become his biggest hit to date, with over 212 million YouTube views and 73 million Spotify streams. “I was in the studio with [producers] YAM & Unleaded, and I had the idea of mixing up dancehall influences with my Arabic influences and we ended up using the sample,” he adds.

Dana Salah, who worked with producers Michael Brun and Rami Afuni on “Wedding Riddim,” says the riddim reminded her of Arab dabke music. “It has such a strong identity: joyful, playful, and sensual, but it also leaves enough space for every artist to find their own melody and culture inside it,” she says. “More than 20 years later, your body still understands that rhythm before your brain does.”

Burrell continues to celebrate artists who sample the riddim on his Instagram. He praised Karol G’s “BbY WOW” as “a great job” and called the track “a child of the 2000s.” “From its birth, I’ve always felt its commercial viability,” he reflects. “However, witnessing its growth on an international scale is an experience I relish every time there’s another global release.”

Source link