Dembow beat

Dembow beat

Sample of three common variations of the dembow beat

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The dembow beat or dembow riddim is a musical rhythm best known for its use as the core percussion element in reggaeton music, having taken its name from the 1990 dancehall song "Dem Bow" by Shabba Ranks. The rhythm, first developed by Jamaican and Panamanian producers in the early 1990s^[1] as reggaeton was beginning to form, employs the tresillo pattern that is common in Latin American music.