Karriem Riggins is an American jazz drummer, record producer, DJ and songwriter from

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, Michigan. He met Chicago rapper

Common Common may refer to: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Com ...

and fellow Detroit musician

J Dilla James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006), better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer, composer and rapper. He emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michiga ...

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 Robert Andre Glasper (born April 5, 1978) is an American pianist, record producer, songwriter, and Arrangement, musical arranger. His music embodies numerous musical genres, primarily centered around jazz. Glasper has won five Grammy Awards from ...

in 2018. Furthermore, he formed the Jahari Massamba Unit with

Madlib Otis Lee Jackson Jr. (born October 24, 1973), known professionally as Madlib, is an American record producer, DJ, multi-instrumentalist, and rapper. Critically acclaimed for his eclectic, music sample, sample-heavy production style, he is rega ...

in 2020, and has also worked with prominent music industry artists including

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

Denzel Curry Denzel Rae Don Curry (born February 16, 1995) is an American rapper. Born and raised in Miami Gardens, Florida, Curry started rapping while in the sixth grade and began working on his first mixtape, ''King Remembered Underground Tape 1991–1995 ...

, Earl Sweatshirt, and

Norah Jones Norah Jones ( ; born Geethali Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She has won several awards for her music and, , has sold more than 53 million records worldwide. '' Billboard'' named her the top jazz artist of ...

, among others.

Biography

Riggins was born in

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, son of keyboardist Emmanuel Riggins. As a child, he often watched his father perform with acts including

Grant Green Grant Green (June 6, 1935 – January 31, 1979) was an American jazz guitarist and composer. Green has been called one of the "most sampled guitarists." Biography Grant Green was born on June 6, 1935, in St. Louis, Missouri, to John and ...

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 Betty Carter (born Lillie Mae Jones; May 16, 1929 – September 26, 1998) was an American jazz singer known for her improvisational technique, scatting and other complex musical abilities that demonstrated her vocal talent and imaginative inter ...

's Jazz Ahead band soon after at age 17 and moved to New York in 1994, later joining the Mulgrew Miller trio. He also performed in bands with Steven Scott and Benny Green before joining

Roy Hargrove Roy Anthony Hargrove (October 16, 1969 – November 2, 2018) was an American jazz musician and composer whose principal instruments were the trumpet and flugelhorn. He achieved critical acclaim after winning two Grammy Awards for differing styles ...

'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

'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

, a fellow

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). Apart from working with Common and Dilla, Riggins has produced for other hip hop artists like Slum Village,

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu, is an American singer and songwriter. Influenced by rhythm and blues, R&B, Soul music, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...

The Roots The Roots are an American Hip-hop, hip hop band formed in 1987 by singer Black Thought, Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and drummer Questlove, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''T ...

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He first earned recognition through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def (now known as Yasiin Bey) in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's music ...

, Kaytranada, Earl Sweatshirt, Phat Kat, Consequence and Dwele. He also collaborated with

multi-instrumentalist A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments, often but not exclusively at a professional level of proficiency. Also known as woodwind doubler, doubling, the practice allows greater ensemble flexibility and mor ...

on his 2007 album '' Yesterdays Universe'', they formed the musical outfits Supreme Team and The Jahari Massamba Unit. As a drummer, Riggins has recorded or performed with

Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter, composer and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few h ...

Hank Jones Henry Jones Jr. (July 31, 1918 – May 16, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians have described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts h ...

Milt Jackson Milton Jackson (January 1, 1923 – October 9, 1999), nicknamed "Bags", was an American jazz vibraphonist. He is especially remembered for his cool swinging solos as a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet and his penchant for collaborating with ...

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. As a virtuoso who is considered to be one of the greatest Jazz piano, jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordin ...

Cedar Walton Cedar Anthony Walton Jr. (January 17, 1934 – August 19, 2013) was an American hard bop jazz pianist. He came to prominence as a member of drummer Art Blakey's band, The Jazz Messengers, before establishing a long career as a bandleader and c ...

Esperanza Spalding Esperanza Emily Spalding (born October 18, 1984), sometimes professionally known with the stylized name of esperanza spalding, is an American bassist, singer, songwriter, and composer. Her accolades include five Grammy Awards, a Boston Music Aw ...

and

Bobby Hutcherson Robert Hutcherson (January 27, 1941 – August 15, 2016) was an American jazz vibraphone and marimba player. "Little B's Poem", from the 1966 Blue Note Records, Blue Note album ''Components (album), Components'', is one of his best-known composi ...

. In 2011, he collaborated with

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

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 Stones Throw Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. Under the direction of founder Peanut Butter Wolf, Stones Throw has released music ranging from hip hop to experimental psychedelic rock. ''LA Weekly'' ...

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. He extensively worked on Common's highly acclaimed 2016 album '' Black America Again'', which featured

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

on the titular song and included a performance at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

as part of NPR's "

Tiny Desk Concerts ''Tiny Desk Concerts'' is a video series of live concerts hosted by NPR Music at the desk of former ''All Songs Considered'' host Bob Boilen in Washington, D.C. The first ''Tiny Desk Concert'' came about in 2008 after Boilen and NPR Music edit ...

" series. On February 24, 2017, Riggins released his second album on Stones Throw, ''Headnod Suite''. Along with Common and

, 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".

Personal life

As of 2007, he resides in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Discography

Albums

*''Alone Together'' (2012) *''Headnod Suite'' (2017) *'' Pardon My French'' (2020) as Jahari Massamba Unit with

*''To the Jungle'' (2024) *'' YHWH Is Love'' (2024) as Jahari Massamba Unit with Madlib

Production credits

with

*1997: "Pop's Rap, Pt. 2 / Fatherhood" on '' One Day It'll All Make Sense'' *2000: "Pops Rap III... All My Children" (featuring Lonnie "Pops" Lynn) on '' Like Water for Chocolate'' *2002: "The Hustle" (featuring Omar and Dart Chillz) on '' Electric Circus'' *2003: " Come Close Remix (Closer)" *2005: "It's Your World (Part 1 & 2)" on '' Be,'' co-produced with J Dilla and James Poyser *2007: "Play Your Cards Right" (featuring Bilal), iTunes bonus track for '' Finding Forever'' *2016: '' Black America Again,'' main producer, in part co-produced with

, also executive producer with

*2001: "The Clapper" on '' Welcome 2 Detroit,'' co-producer *2002: "Drive Me Wild" on '' The Diary'' *2006: "Over the Breaks" and "Body Movin'" (featuring J. Rocc) on '' The Shining,'' co-producer with others *2001:

Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. They achieved popularity in the late 1990s as part of the French house movement, combining house music, funk, disco, tech ...

– "

Aerodynamic Aerodynamics () is the study of the motion of atmosphere of Earth, air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dynamics and its subfield of gas dynamics, and is an ...

(Remix)" *2002: Phat Kat – "VIP In" (on Slum Village mix ''Dirty District'') *2002: Slum Village – "Tainted" (featuring Dwele), "S.O.U.L." and "Harmony" on '' Trinity (Past, Present and Future),'' co-producer *2002:

– "Quills" on ''

Phrenology Phrenology is a pseudoscience that involves the measurement of bumps on the skull to predict mental traits. It is based on the concept that the Human brain, brain is the organ of the mind, and that certain brain areas have localized, specific ...

'' *2003: Dwele – '' Subject'' *2004: Phat Kat – "VIP In" and "Club Banger" on '' The Undeniable LP'' *2005: Slum Village – "We Be Dem (Part II)" and "Do Our Thing" (featuring The Dramatics) on ''Prequel to a Classic'' *2007: Consequence – "Uncle Rahiem" on '' Don't Quit Your Day Job!,'' co-wrote "Yo Dex! (Skit)" *2008: Keziah Jones – '' Nigerian Wood'' *2008:

– "Soldier" on ''

New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) ''New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary R&B, R&B singer Erykah Badu. It was released on February 26, 2008, by Universal Motown following Badu's hiatus from recording music due to writer's blo ...

'' *2010: Erykah Badu – "Fall in Love (Your Funeral)" on '' New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh),'' drums on "Turn Me Away (Get MuNNY)" *2010: M.E.D. – "Classic" (featuring Talib Kweli) *2012:

– '' Medicine Show: The Brick'' *2016:

– "30 Hours" on ''

The Life of Pablo ''The Life of Pablo'' is the seventh studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It was released on February 14, 2016, through GOOD Music and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place from 2013 to 2016, in Italy, Mexico, ...

,'' co-producer *2016: Kaytranada – "Bus Ride" on '' 99.9%'' *2016: Elzhi – "Two 16's" on ''Lead Poison'' *2017: Nick Grant – "Gotta Be More" on ''Return of the Cool'' *2022:

– "Angelz" on '' Melt My Eyez See Your Future''

As drummer

*1994: Stephen Scott – ''Renaissance'' *1995: Mulgrew Miller – '' Getting to Know You'' *1996: Rodney Whitaker – ''Children of the Light'' *1996: Eric Reed – ''Musicale'' *1998: Rodney Whitaker – ''Hidden Kingdom'' *1999: Junko Onishi – '' Fragile'' *1999:

, Ray Brown and

– ''The Very Tall Band, Live at the Blue Note'' *2000: Ray Brown Trio – ''Some of My Best Friends Are... The Trumpet Players'' *2002: Mulgrew Miller – ''The Sequel'' *2003: Ray Brown Trio – ''Walk On'' *2003: Mulgrew Miller – ''Live at Yoshi's, Vol. 1'', and ''Vol. 2'' *2003: The Detroit Experiment – '' The Detroit Experiment'', also produced three tracks *2009:

Diana Krall Diana Jean Krall (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over six million in the US. On December 11, 2009, ''Billboard (magazi ...

– '' Quiet Nights – Live in Madrid'' *2010: Miguel Atwood-Ferguson – ''Timeless: Suite for Ma Dukes'' *2012:

– '' Kisses on the Bottom'' *2014:

Theo Croker Theodore Lee Croker (born July 18, 1985) is an American jazz trumpeter, composer, producer and vocalist. He is a Grammy Award nominee, three-time Echo Award nominee, as well as a Theodore Presser Award recipient. Croker has released over seve ...

– ''Afro Physicist'' *2015:

Orrin Evans Orrin Evans (born 28 March 1975) is an American jazz pianist. Evans was born in Trenton, New Jersey, Trenton, New Jersey and raised in Philadelphia.Lutz, Phillip. "Orrin Evans The Instigator." ''Downbeat'' 81.11 (2014): 42-45. Print. He attended ...

– ''The Evolution of Oneself'' *2015: Diana Krall – '' Wallflower'' *2016:

– '' Emily's D+Evolution'' *2016:

– '' Day Breaks'' *2018: Kandace Springs – ''Indigo,'' also producer *2020: Diana Krall – '' This Dream of You''

Awards and honors

* Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics,

and Karriem Riggins for "Letter to the Free" from the documentary film '' 13th'', 2017

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Riggins, Karriem 1975 births Living people Jazz musicians from Michigan Drummers from Detroit 20th-century American drummers 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American drummers 21st-century American male musicians American jazz drummers American male drummers American male jazz musicians August Greene members Hip-hop record producers