In a first-of-its-kind event, the Asaase Sound Clash brought together in one boxing ring the two giants of dancehall music in Ghana – Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy – in a clash of titans to show just who is the King of Dancehall. Fanatical dancehall fans didn’t miss out, wherever they were in the world: 500,000 of them tapped in to innovative streaming of the Reggae Joust of the Year, live and direct from Accra.
Taking off in September 2020, directly after the launch of the Accra radio station, Asaase Sound Clash was the biggest buzz in news on the entertainment scene in the second half of the year and took dancehall to a new level of digital sophistication.
The drama sparked off with a dissing match at the Asaase HQ in Cantonments on a Tuesday night in August with a glittering launch event in front of a high-powered, invitation-only audience. The Asaase Sound Clash also carried a public health message, running under the tag of the Clash2CrushCOVID.
The action spilled over into competing interviews at home with the two stars for Asaase Radio – Shatta from his crib in East Legon, Stonebwoy from his base in Ashaiman – amid offstage beefs with Samini. Both conversations were streamed live on Asaase Radio’s social media.
Then came the big confrontation: Shatta Movement foot soldiers facing off against the armies of Bhim Nation at the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra on Saturday 12 September, as their heroes battled on stage to settle the argument once and for all about who is the don of the dancehall scene in Ghana.
The Dancehall Queen, MzVee, set the tone with an energetic opening set of dancehall covers and her own chart-topping Afropop hits. The undercard clash was between Kamelyeon and Ras Kuuku, newly named VGMA Reggae Dancehall Artist of the Year.
Then it was off with the Big Boys, sparks flying as Shatta versus Stonebwoy let rip with tune after tune.
Tension was high and the night was hot but DJ Seani B of BBC Radio 1Xtra fame, who has played a key role in taking reggae mainstream in the UK, flew in to referee the contest between the dancehall gladiators. He just about managed to keep his and the fans’ cool as each of the two superstars performed over 40 numbers! It was an exhilarating night of great music, bold entertainment and uplifting vibes.
The two multi-talented giants of dancehall electrified the venue and dominated the stage in a first-of-its-kind performance: this was the first ever reggae-school sound clash streamed live across the African continent, taking roots music from the Caribbean back to the source and out again to the black diaspora
When the dust settled … who had won the Sound Clash? The energy was so high and the fans had struck so much common ground that it was impossible to say. But they got top entertainment as well as a pile of freebies and goodie bags, and one fan did come away with the top prize: a brand-new Mahindra KUV 100, courtesy of Svani Group Ltd (formerly UTC Motors).
But it was too close to call on the gladiatorial confrontation that was the Asaase Sound Clash. As the head of marketing and branding at Asaase Radio said:
We cannot determine who the King of Dancehall is. At this point we have left it completely in the hands of the general public to decide for themselves
One thing was clear: the Asaase Sound Clash had raised the bar for entertainment in Ghana – and Ghanaian dancehall will never be the same again!