Is there something faintly absurd about spelling 'rhythm' as 'riddim'

This doesn't stop me feeling a tad silly for using the word myself, though.

(xpost)

Printing Quotes from Caribbean Artists Phonetically: C/D?

I love this word. Scrabulous don't.

OED says:

A musical rhythm, esp. in the context of reggae music; (now) spec. a recorded rhythm track usually consisting of a bass melody and basic drum beat, often sampled from one song and used as the basis for composing another.

1975 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 10 July 18/2 "The hard-driving Reggae score..includes the tune ‘Ringo Riddim’." 1988 Los Angeles Times (Nexis) 10 June VI. "21 The five-piece unit continually locked into slithering, rock-solid riddims." 1993 Vibe Sept. 84/1 "They elbowed their way into the deejay fraternity, mostly..by paying them indirect homage via answer tracks em ‘counteractions’ to men's hit songs, recorded on the same riddim." 2004 Touch Mar. 102/2 "A pleasant enough light-hearted gal tune jaunt over a riddim that is actually a little tuffer than it might first appear."

Is there an earlier citation than 1975?

If, as it appears, there is a useful distinction between a 'rhythm' and a 'riddim', then there is nothing absurd about using the more exact word, or spelling it as it is customarily spelled.

If, otoh, there is no standard useage or general agreement on what distinguishes a 'riddim' from a 'rhythm', and no useful distinction can be conveyed by using the non-standard spelling or pronunciation, then it should be regarded as a dialect variant of 'rhythm', useful only when one wishes to write or quote that local dialect.

Jeez, do I have to explain everything to you guys?