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Karriem Riggins

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}

{{short description|American drummer}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Karriem Riggins

| image = Karriem Riggins in Germany 2014.jpg

| caption = Riggins in 2014

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1975|8|25}}

| origin = Detroit, Michigan, U.S.

| instrument = {{hlist|Drums|percussion}}

| genre = {{hlist|Jazz|hip hop}}

| occupation = {{flatlist|

  • Record producer
  • disc jockey
  • songwriter}}

| years_active = 1990s–present

| label = Stones Throw

| current_member_of = {{hlist|August Greene|Jahari Massamba Unit}}

| website = {{URL|karriemriggins.com}}

}}

Karriem Riggins is an American jazz drummer, record producer, DJ and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan. He met Chicago rapper Common and fellow Detroit musician J Dilla both in 1996, and served as an extensive contributor for releases by both artists. He produced for Common's 1997 album One Day It'll All Make Sense, did so on much of his further projects, and formed the musical trio August Greene with the rapper alongside fellow jazz instrumentalist Robert Glasper in 2018. Furthermore, he formed the Jahari Massamba Unit with Madlib in 2020, and has also worked with prominent music industry artists including Paul McCartney, Kanye West, Denzel Curry, Earl Sweatshirt, and Norah Jones, among others.

Biography

Riggins was born in Detroit, Michigan, son of keyboardist Emmanuel Riggins. As a child, he often watched his father perform with acts including Grant Green and Marcus Belgrave. He joined the Kennedy Elementary school band in the sixth grade as a trumpeter, studying with Belgrave, where he played for two years in addition to drums before switching to drums full-time in the eighth grade.

Riggins was a DJ, producing hip-hop and performing in three different school bands at Southfield High School before leaving school in the eleventh grade. He joined Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead band soon after at age 17 and moved to New York in 1994,{{Cite news|url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/music/what-you-feel/Content?oid=468057|title=What You Feel|first=Jalylah|last=Burrell|newspaper=Portland Mercury}}{{Dead link|date=March 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} later joining the Mulgrew Miller trio. He also performed in bands with Steven Scott and Benny Green before joining Roy Hargrove's band in the middle of 1995.

After three years with Hargrove, Riggins joined the trio of famed bassist Ray Brown. After leaving Brown's band, he began producing hip-hop extensively and serving as the bandleader for rapper Common's band, A Black Girl Named Becky. Riggins had met Common in 1996, and began spending time with the rapper during visits with notable hip-hop producers. He also met J Dilla, a fellow Detroit native, that same year. He then formed a close friendship with Dilla until his death; Riggins has cited Dilla as a primary influence in helping him overcome multiple creative ruts throughout his career. He credits Dilla for purchasing the first production he ever sold, for "The Clapper" on Welcome 2 Detroit (2001), followed by two songs on his album, The Shining (2006).{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAKrjVS3atw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/UAKrjVS3atw |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |url-status=live|title=The Diary: Karriem Riggins Speaks on J Dilla|publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}

Apart from working with Common and Dilla, Riggins has produced for other hip hop artists like Slum Village, Erykah Badu, The Roots, Kanye West, Talib Kweli, Kaytranada, Earl Sweatshirt, Phat Kat, Consequence and Dwele.{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/karriem-riggins-mn0000176820/credits|title=Karriem Riggins | Credits|website=AllMusic}} He also collaborated with multi-instrumentalist Madlib on his 2007 album Yesterdays Universe, they formed the musical outfits Supreme Team and The Jahari Massamba Unit.{{cite web|title=Karriem Riggins: True Virtuoso by Dale Coachman|url=http://schememag.com/hip-hop/karriem-riggins-true-virtuoso/|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://archive.today/20071015201338/http://schememag.com/hip-hop/karriem-riggins-true-virtuoso/|archive-date=October 15, 2007}}

As a drummer, Riggins has recorded or performed with Donald Byrd, Hank Jones, Milt Jackson, Oscar Peterson, Norah Jones, Cedar Walton, Roy Hargrove, Esperanza Spalding and Bobby Hutcherson.{{Cite web|url=https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/karriemriggins|title=Karriem Riggins @ All About Jazz|first=All About|last=Jazz|website=Allaboutjazz.com}} In 2011, he collaborated with Paul McCartney of the Beatles in concert and on his album Kisses on the Bottom—McCartney's first studio release in five years.

Riggins released his debut full-length album, the instrumental double-LP Alone Together on Stones Throw Records on October 23, 2012. Prior to its release, Stones Throw released the two halves of the album separately on vinyl as well as digitally exclusively through their website. Alone was released on July 30 and Together followed on October 2.{{cite web|title=KARRIEM RIGGINS – TOGETHER LP|url=http://www.stonesthrow.com/news/2012/10/karriem-riggins-together-lp|website=Stones Throw Records|access-date=September 14, 2017}} He extensively worked on Common's highly acclaimed 2016 album Black America Again, which featured Stevie Wonder on the titular song and included a performance at the White House as part of NPR's "Tiny Desk Concerts" series. On February 24, 2017, Riggins released his second album on Stones Throw, Headnod Suite.{{cite web|last1=Bromwich|first1=Jonah|title=Karriem Riggins: Headnod Suite Album Review|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22935-headnod-suite/|website=Pitchfork|access-date=September 15, 2017}}

Along with Common and Robert Glasper, Riggins received the award for Outstanding Original Music & Lyrics at the 69th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for Common's song "Letter to the Free," which appeared in Ava DuVernay's Netflix documentary "13th".{{cite news|last1=Swartz|first1=Tracy|title=Common wins Emmy to move closer to EGOT honor|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chicagoinc/ct-ent-emmy-winners-common-egot-20170911-story.html|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=September 14, 2017}}

Personal life

As of 2007, he resides in Los Angeles, California.{{cite web|title=Karriem Riggins: True Virtuoso by Dale Coachman|url=http://schememag.com/hip-hop/karriem-riggins-true-virtuoso/|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015201338/http://schememag.com/hip-hop/karriem-riggins-true-virtuoso/|archive-date=October 15, 2007}}

Discography

=Albums=

  • Alone Together (2012){{cite web |url=http://www.stonesthrow.com/news/2012/06/stones-throw-podcast-74|title=Stones Throw Podcast 74: Karriem Riggins Produced That |access-date=June 21, 2012 |date=June 21, 2012 |work=Stones Throw}}
  • Headnod Suite (2017)
  • Pardon My French (2020) as Jahari Massamba Unit with Madlib
  • To the Jungle (2024)
  • YHWH Is Love (2024) as Jahari Massamba Unit with Madlib{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/madlib-and-karriem-riggins-announce-new-jahari-massamba-unit-album-share-song-listen/|title=Madlib and Karriem Riggins Announce New Jahari Massamba Unit Album, Share Song: Listen|last=Lindert|first=Hattie|website=Pitchfork|date=December 14, 2023|access-date=December 14, 2023}}

=Production credits=

with Common

with J Dilla

with others

=As drummer=

Awards and honors

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{Official website}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riggins, Karriem}}

Category:1975 births

Category:Living people

Category:Jazz musicians from Michigan

Category:Drummers from Detroit

Category:20th-century American drummers

Category:20th-century American male musicians

Category:21st-century American drummers

Category:21st-century American male musicians

Category:American jazz drummers

Category:American male drummers

Category:American male jazz musicians

Category:August Greene members

Category:Hip-hop record producers