Karriem Riggins

Karriem Riggins has often shifted between the jazz and hip-hop scenes, but the two genres are so inextricably linked that it would be better to call him a flexible multi-instrumentalist and producer. Primarily a drummer -- he plays several other instruments and raps as well -- Riggins grew up in Detroit, took up music at an early age and, at the age of 17, was playing drums for Betty Carter. Before he turned 20, he temporarily relocated to New York and gained steady work with gigs, session dates, and production work. During the latter half of the '90s, he recorded with the lik...