- The sound clash is so culturally unique to West Indian music it seems vaguely perverse that an Austrian energy drinks brand should remove it from its reggae roots, supersize it and repackage it for a young audience. But then again Red Bull's not shy of a ballsy move. Felix Baumgartner was, after all, shot into space in order to promote their caffeine-saturated products. It's not a company that does things by halves.
In truth, Red Bull Culture Clash delivered the concept brilliantly. The fact that both David Rodigan, as one part of Rebel Sound, and original Jamaican sound clash veterans Stone Love played gave the event an air of authenticity. Pitching them against British grime crew Boy Better Know and US rappers A$AP Mob really gave the impression of worlds colliding. Across the evening, there was plenty of drama and frankly ridiculous set pieces: Rebel Sound paid the veteran British newsreader, Sir Trevor McDonald, to record a fake news bulletin on the team's impeding victory; A$AP Rocky rode onto stage on a quad bike and BBK brought out almost every grime MC in London. Red Bull Culture Clash was, in the best possible way, about as unsubtle and over the top as dance music can be.
At times it was quite a disorientating spectacle. As one sound system took over from another, thousands of ravers surged to different sides of the arena. Stray into the wrong area at the wrong time, as I did, and you would find yourself in a mosh pit full of pumped-up, shirtless juveniles. A$AP Mob were seemingly confused by the whole concept of a sound clash, choosing only to perform their own records for the majority of the night. As a result, David Rodigan—a 63-year-old from Oxfordshire—ended up dissing one of the world's hottest rap crews.
As for the contest itself, it was actually a remarkably tightly run race from the off. Boy Better Know seemed to be the team to beat, opening with a series of grime hits the young crowd went berserk for. But slowly, Rebel Sound pulled away from the pack. One of the night's defining moments saw Rebel Sound invite Tempa T, one of grime’s most popular MCs, on stage. This blatant switch of allegiances proved a powerful move, with the crowd showing Tempa T their full support. It was a betrayal worthy of Game Of Thrones and probably the highlight of the entire night.
In the home stretch Rebel Sound really brought out the big guns. Dubplates from Emeli Sandé, Pusha T, DJ Luck & MC Neat, Beenie Man and, unbelievably, Rihanna, assured them victory. The dubs not only shouted out Rebel Sound, but also disparaged the opposition. When I interviewed Rodigan he told me he walked away from many Jamaican sound clashes out of pocket—he’d have paid the artists so much to voice his dubplates that he’d be in the red. What kind of cash they paid Rihanna god only knows. Regardless, the fact that they did gives you some idea of just how seriously the teams took the contest and, consequently, just how unique a show this was.
Photo credit: Time Out London