Mon | Nov 4, 2024

MadHouse Experience claims Red Bull Culture Clash title

Published:Monday | November 4, 2024 | 12:08 AM
MadHouse Experience celebrates winning the Red Bull Culture Clash on Saturday night inside the National Arena in Kingston.
MadHouse Experience celebrates winning the Red Bull Culture Clash on Saturday night inside the National Arena in Kingston.
Shalem Shell performing at the Red Bull Culture on Saturday night.
Shalem Shell performing at the Red Bull Culture on Saturday night.
Steff Lon Don and IWaata entertain the dancehall massive inside the National Arena.
Steff Lon Don and IWaata entertain the dancehall massive inside the National Arena.
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The National Arena was electrified as the 2024 Red Bull Culture Clash Jamaica unfolded, bringing the island’s iconic sound system culture to the stage. In an intense five-round showdown, including a tie-breaker, MadHouse Experience emerged victorious, capturing the crowd’s energy and applause in a night filled with exclusive dubplates, high-energy performances, and surprise guest appearances that kept the audience on their feet.

The night captured the raw spirit of Jamaica’s legendary sound system culture, transporting fans through decades of musical evolution with the winner of each round determined by the crowd’s enthusiastic response.

The event’s second staging in Jamaica featured four powerhouse crews – MadHouse Experience, Big Bad Soca, Lon Don Crew, and Jamaica Wi Seh. Each crew took over its own stage, unleashing a series of powerful mixes, all to win the crowd’s favour. Ultimately, MadHouse Experience clinched the victory with their fierce musical selections, unique dubs, special guests, and fan engagement, as measured through Red Bull’s decibel reader.

Though the first round didn’t contribute to the overall point tally, it set the tone for the night, energising the crowd and introducing them to the decibel reader. Round two, ‘The Selector’ and Round three ‘Time To Get Versatile’, each worth one point, were claimed by Jamaica Wi Seh as the crowd favourite. However, in the final round, which was worth double points and featured special guest artistes, MadHouse Experience equalised. This took the event into a final five-minute tie-breaker round between Jamaica Wi Seh and Mad House Experience, where ultimately, Mad House secured their victory.

The 2024 Red Bull Culture Clash Jamaica wasn’t just about the battle; it was a showcase of artistry and a celebration of Jamaica’s undeniable influence on global music. When asked how they felt about their new title as champions of the 2024 Red Bull Culture Clash Jamaica the MadHouse Experience crew shared that they were “elated, grateful, excited, thankful and proud of the whole team”.

“Being the Red Bull Culture Clash Jamaica Champions means everything, we defended our culture to the best of our ability and ultimately took the win,” crew lead Cham shared. “We really thought out everything, every round, every dub, every guest, every detail. Everyone knew the assignment. We had a plan and strategy, but also at the end of the day we focused on entertainment, we want the people dem come and enjoy themselves! Big up to all our special guests and every single person behind the scenes that played a part in making this happen.”

When breaking down their preparation and strategy for ultimately taking the win, MadHouse Experience shared, “We don’t put anything past any of our competitors, we respect every competitor, so when we went to the studio we put together a set that would entertain. If you noticed, we didn’t cut any specials, call any names, degrade anyone … we just play music, entertain and give them big records. For our set with Beenie and Bounty, we wanted Jamaica to experience how sounds used to do it back in the day, like King Jammy’s, Studio Mix, Stereo Mars.”

In closing, Cham, Collin ‘The Captain’ Hines and the crew were happy to see the event return to Jamaica, and clash culture being put on the world stage. They shared, “We appreciate Red Bull for allowing this facet of our culture to be played out in its raw natural form. Jamaica is the root of clash, dancehall and reggae. And for them to take it back here, because they took it all over the world, they came back to the start, so we wah tell them to keep it going, we love your belief in our culture, keep spreading the culture.”

The MadHouse Experience united an eclectic team led by renowned reggae dancehall star Cham (formerly Baby Cham) and curated by the legendary Dave Kelly, founder of MadHouse Records. Alongside Cham, the crew, known as the ‘Mad People Gang’, included talents such as Collin ‘The Captain’ Hines, Copper Cyclone, CopperShaun, Game Changaz Stainy, and Brandon.

Each crew brought their A-game in the final round, showcasing an impressive line-up of guest artiste performances. Across the four teams, over 20 guest artistes took the stage, including standout appearances by Capleton, Valiant, Beenie Man, Stalk Ashley, Bayka, JR Chromatic, Jahvillani, Bounty Killa, Masicka, Munga, viral star Debbie Burp, Louie Culture, Ding Dong & Bravo Ravers, Likkle Vybz, IWaata, Ishawna, Eddy G Bomba, 10Tik, Prettii Prettii, and Armanii.

Red Bull Culture Clash Jamaica 2024 was powered by Main Event Entertainment Group Ltd, Jamaica’s top event production company, known for their innovation and commitment to quality.

The event was sponsored by Main Event Group Ltd, ROK Hotel, Restaurant’s Associates Ltd., Wisynco Group Ltd., iPrint Group, RETV, and Fame 95FM.