The Birth of Digital Dancehall

Before Sleng Teng, reggae and dancehall were primarily analog built around live bands, live drum kits, and dub mixing boards. But in 1985, a 16-year-old Wayne Smith, working closely with Prince Jammy (now King Jammy), introduced a sound that was new, raw, and futuristic.

The riddim was programmed using a Casio MT-40 keyboard, and what started as a playful experiment became a cultural explosion.

“We knew we had something different… but we didn’t know we were about to change the whole music game,” Jammy recalls. 

Global Impact

The Sleng Teng riddim has been versioned over 450 times by artists across generations  from Tenor Saw and Nitty Gritty to Vybz Kartel, Beenie Man, and even global producers in hip-hop and EDM.

Its signature bassline and synthetic snare helped pave the way for:

• • • Digital reggae and dancehall
    • Modern sound system culture
    • The DIY beat-making revolution around the world

One of the most notable examples of Sleng Teng’s enduring global relevance came in 2021, when Facebook used the riddim in its global rebrand campaign to Meta. The iconic bassline was featured in a high-profile television and digital advert, introducing Meta’s pivot into the metaverse  a major tech milestone soundtracked by one of dancehall’s greatest riddims.

40 Years Later and Still Running the Sound

In 2025, the King Jammy Legacy Project is honouring this pivotal moment in music with a year-long tribute:

• • • Archival content
    • Reworks and remixes
    • Exclusive interviews & more

Sleng Teng’s legacy isn’t just about a riddim, it’s about how one beat empowered generations of artists and producers across the world.