As thousands of revelers filled the Norwegian Pearl for the Welcome to JamRock Reggae Cruise to experience round-the-clock entertainment, an authentic art form of Jamaican music and culture awaited them, sound clash. Whether dubbed a sport or an all-out musical war between competing teams, an unprecedented buzz overcame the cruise liner, as big league sounds Mighty Crown, Bass Odyssey and Metromedia geared up for “3 Di Hard Way,” the first ever Welcome to Jamrock sound clash. As fate has it, following a tricky fight, hard work and great music, Mighty Crown “The Far East Rulaz” won the esteemed clash, taking home the larger than life victory and trophy.
“Overall the Welcome To JamRock Reggae Cruise clash was a great experience, as it took us out of our regular playing of clash anthems and caused us to think outside the box and entertain the crowd, ” says Rohan “Ninja” Henry of Mighty Crown. “But one thing we realized is that the cruise’s crowd loved clash and understood the gist of sound clash….when they heard those customs and the familiar hooks they knew exactly what it meant and responded with hardcore clash gestures like hands up, load roars or gun fingers.”
The Irish and Chin managed sound’s road to victory was not without a fight. With clout and their reputation on the line, the popular International sound that will soon celebrate 25 years in the business, injected their all into this clash. In fact, the sound, with team members Masta Simon (Simon Tse), Sami T (Samuel Tse) and Ninja (Rohan Henry) found themselves in quite the volatile position, given that no winner was declared on cruise one, amidst controversy. With this in mind, “The Far East Rulaz” coveted their second chance at victory, entering the stage musically armed and dangerous, before nearly every traveler on deck. Needless to say, they were greeted with cheers, yells, whistles and horns during the late night of Tuesday, December 8.
Without question, the industry’s “sound from way inna the country” Bass Odyssey delivered a great performance during Round 1. The noticeable chemistry between team members Damian and Worm worked in the sound’s favor. The duo hit hard, solidifying this round with a string of Jr. Gong dub plates. Mighty Crown rose to the occasion as well, dropping some notable speech and dubs, with Metromedia trailing behind. It was clear that Mighty Crown used Round 1 to warm up, as there was no stopping the International sound in Round 2. Indisputably, they were the crowd favorite, based on the consistent roars and forwards from the massive crowd.
The infamous tune-fi-tune segment followed Rounds 1 and 2 in the heated no elimination clash. At this time, the immense energy and excitement went into over drive, inspiring sounds to draw for their heaviest dubs. Each sound was given a chance to play five of their very best customs. Mighty Crown and Bass Odyssey were hungry for the win. While Crown earned points for a custom of Freddie McGregor’s befitting “Big Ship” and TOK’s “Footprints,” Bass Odyssey drew for dub box favorites.
The intense tune-fi-tune boiled down to Mighty Crown – 2 and Bass Odyssey – 2. A final tune would be the tie breaker to send one of the sounds home a winner. It was at this point that “The Far East Rulaz” dropped a tune that only they could drop, a rare Super Cat dub that drove the crowd into frenzy! Bass Odyssey responded in a manner which Sami T funnily predicted, with a Garnet Silk dub. Although this was a dub from a late great, it couldn’t quite compare to the capacity of the Super Cat, which led Mighty Crown to a deserved and heartfelt victory.
“It was a great opportunity and a feeling of joy to know that we walked away with the trophy, but more importantly all three sounds created history together and gained new clash fans……the greatest prize of all,” says Ninja. “Big up to Bass Odyssey, Metro Media and all sound men and women on the cruise as well as to the entire Welcome to JamRock Reggae Cruise team……Damian ‘Junior Gong’ Marley RESPECT.”
