Meaning
The instrumental 'version' of a reggae tune — the stripped-back rhythm track (the 'riddim' with the vocals removed) pressed on the B-side of a single. Versions gave deejays something to 'toast' over and producers something to remix, and this B-side dub practice birthed the whole culture of toasting, dub, and remixing.
Examples
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Di deejay chat pon di vershun.
The deejay toasts over the instrumental version.
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Flip di record an play di vershun.
Flip the record and play the version.
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One riddim, nuff different vershun.
One rhythm, plenty of different versions.
Origin
The Patois pronunciation of 'version'; from the 1960s practice of pressing an instrumental 'version' on a single's B-side, foundational to dub and toasting.
How it’s used
The instrumental B-side/riddim track; the seedbed of dub and toasting. See [[riddim]], [[toasting]], [[dub-poetry]].