Article written by Empress for DAT NET

            Imagine if you will, standing on the corner of Flatbush and Church Avenue in Brooklyn, New York.

This is your first visit to Brooklyn and you come across two guys standing on the corner with a crowd around them. The crowd is hype and the two guys turn out to be street MC's getting ready for battle. As you join the crowd, you become hype and start cheering not knowing who's who or what's really about to happen. The first MC drops his lyrics and your in a state of aw, you begin to sway your vibes in his direction. Then the next MC spits and you start feeling him. They go back and forth for like three or four rounds. As each round passes the energy of the crowd determines the winner.

            Now imagine the two guys are replaced with two Sound Systems and instead of being on the corner, they are in an open arena or a club playing music. The crowd is getting "Jiggy" and everyone is enjoying the tunes. All of a sudden, a selector plays a dub plate by reggae artist Sizzla who bigs up that sound as the wickedest sound. The selector on the other sound responds with a dub plate by Capleton who says that his sound is the wickedest sound. This is the beginning of an all out Jamaican Sound Clash.

      According to Andrew C. Campbell also known as Prince Tuffie in his essay Reggae Sound Systems , " A Sound Clash is a musical competition where selectors and MCs from opposing sounds (two or more, but usually two) match wits in selecting, hyping up the crowd, and toasting (ridiculing the other sound's members).  The object of the clash is to "kill" the other sound or sounds, leaving you the winner."

           Wicked Face of Killa Face Sounds out of Chicago, Illinois who has been mixing for over 15 years gave a specific description of what a Sound Clash entails. He said that it can include anywhere between 2 to 6 rival sounds. Prior to the actual Clash, the Systems get together to determine the rules of their Clash; each Clash has different rule that are determined by promoters and/or the people of the respective Sound Systems. In recent decades, Clash's have been split into rounds; each round with specific rules. For example, in a clash with three rounds and 15 minutes of playing time, one round may consist of playing only Rockers tunes (Beres Hammond, Sanchez), the next round consist of no cursing out the next sound, and the final round may be the tune for tune, dub for dub round.

        A dub, more commonly referred to as a dubplate is a personalized record from a known artist that identifies the sound. Campbell identifies a dubplate as "a recording on which an artist mentions the name of the sound (in effect identifying it as a top sound and pledging to back it or support it). This is also called "bigging up" the sound."  A dubplate usually comes in the form of an extra thick vinyl record (that looks much like a plate, thus the name) with two songs (dubs) on each side.  Dubplates are unique because of the fact that they are usually renditions of popular hit songs that particular artists has made." In recent times, a dubplate has been modified for CD Selector's and Laptop DJ's in the form of CD's and Audio Files.   It is said that the more dubplates a sound acquires, the stronger the sound.

            One of the most important rules of a Sound Clash is that you never repeat a tune, or dubplate. No matter how the clash is structured, this rule must be obeyed or, it will end in the termination of that sounds participation. Another rule that is just as important, but is unspoken, is that you must get the crowd hype, you must play to the audience; the crowd is the judge.   The crowd not only determines who goes to the next round, but they also determine the winners. If you want to experience this artistic from of competition, come out on June 3rd to Club Safari in the Strip District and witness the energy exuded from a one on one Sound Clash between Vybz Machine and Gangsta Shack.

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