1 month ago
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WESTERN BUREAU:
The Reggae Sumfest Global Fest delivered fire and fierce competition. But, its highly anticipated Global Clash ended with more questions than closure.
The face-off between veteran selector Tony Matterhorn and rising challenger Notorious Shabba, ignited the Catherine Hall Stadium in Montego Bay on Thursday night, stretching into the early hours of Friday morning. But despite an electrifying battle, the winner was quietly announced only after most of the audience had exited, leaving fans puzzled and Matterhorn reportedly not conceding.
When Matterhorn touched the stage, it appeared as if he had brought his own vuvuzela-blowing fans with him. They lined the left of the stage while he packed the first round with 15 minutes of ruthless dubplate domination. Notorious Shabba, who opened with Peter Tosh’s Jah is My Keeper, looked outmatched at first and even divine intervention could not save him in that round.
It was a “beat and teach” moment for the younger selector, and Shabba knew it. Still, he clapped back, calling Matterhorn a “dinosaur” of the industry and signalling that he came to fight.
In the second round, Matterhorn scorched Shabba lyrically, dubbing him a “young cheetah” before bringing the crowd to church with Amazing Grace. He even pulled a dubplate endorsement from Moliy to drive his dominance home. But Shabba refused to back down, armed with support from Masicka, he warned that it was time for the torch to be passed. Matterhorn countered, declaring he had ‘Colt the Game’, warned Shabba he was nothing without his Japanese partner, and blasted a Vybz Kartel dubplate to shake the stage.
Despite Matterhorn’s seasoned tactics, Shabba found his rhythm in the final round. Drawing on tracks like Beres Hammond’s Step Aside Now and tapping into the nostalgic pull of Jamaican festival songs, Shabba clawed his way back, his stamina and selections impressing even sceptics.
In the end, however, although the audience voted overwhelmingly for Shabba in the final round, Matterhorn refused to concede, insisting he had already won the earlier rounds and that the final call was unjust. Many of his fans agreed, voicing their support at the venue.
The judges, Fireman of Fyah 105 FM and Dwight ‘Bub’ James, ultimately declared Notorious Shabba the winner. “Trust me, it was a wonderful, wonderful clash,” said Fireman. “Matterhorn was leading in the early rounds, but Shabba held his ground and convinced the people by the end.”
Both judges maintained that the clash was meant to celebrate sound system culture, not inflame competition. “There was no money involved,” James explained.“It was about fun, keeping sound clash alive. It’s a dying art form we’re trying to preserve.”
Yet, the delayed announcement and disagreement over the outcome left a sour note, especially for Matterhorn, who was not present when the winner was revealed. Efforts to reach him for a comment are ongoing.
After the controversy, the night was complemented with performances from Ghanaian hitmaker Moliy, whose catchy Shake it to the Max track had fans swaying; bold dancehall diva Marcy Chin; and rising talent Yung Breda, whose energy kept the vibe alive through to sunrise. Their sets brought a dynamic, global flair to the début of Global Fest, a genre-fusing celebration of Afrobeats, soca, and dancehall.
Fireman called the event a cultural melting pot and predicted that “Global Fest is only going to get bigger.” But as for the Global Clash, fans and selectors alike are already looking forward to round two.
English (US) ·