Round 2Publication date : 11-08-2004 45 Shoot Out 2004 |
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Fire Links knew nights of glory in the 1990s, when he defended the colours of Bodyguard in most of the clashes of that era. We will remember the Addies/Bodyguard clash and also World Clash 93 in England with Kebra Negus/Bodyguard/Saxon. Throughout those years Fire Links burned every dancefloor in the world with relentless arguments for his opponents and a most hardcore show. Since 99, he has left Bodyguard to pursue a solo career, and it has worked out rather well for him, since he continues to clash from New York to Japan without neglecting his massive in Jamaica, where he gives a bad show every Monday, "Hot Mondays".
One Love represents Europe and, as at the World Clash, we hope, the Italian sound already has part of the previous night's crowd behind it. There are many of them on stage and they are well organised: two MCs, a mixer, a selector and the founder Lampa, who supervises it all.
One Love: XXX
Matsimela: X
Fire Links: X
Round 2 (10 min of tunes) One Love: XThe Italians resume with a little less ease than in the previous round, but they get by with big classics, though without many arguments. That is exactly what they lack to collect forwards; the selection of big tunes must be replaced by killing tunes accompanied by serious arguments. The longer it goes on, the more the crowd tires, and the round ends painfully. Jazzy T: XX The second round follows the logic of the first for Renaissance: a selection of big tunes, well mixed, with effective hosting. The clash spirit is not really there, and it shows in the crowd's forwards, which are again a little less present. Jazzy T does not take too many risks, as a flop could be fatal for him. Matsimela: X Matsimela take things back in hand, beginning with the soca tunes that made their name in New York last year at the World Clash. They try to answer Mighty Crown but without much success, and their round ends rather averagely.  Black Reaction: XXTo stay in the competition, the Canadian sound has to do better than the previous sounds, and that is exactly what happens, with an old-school dancehall selection (90-95) that delights all the veterans in the room. It makes no mistakes in this round, which will secure its qualification for the next stage. Mad Squad: 0 The young sound from Mobay is not in an easy position; they are on the spot, because if they do not do better in this round, they will undoubtedly be among the first eliminated. They try to lift Amazura with a few big classics, but the pressure quickly drops and the sound does not resurface, even sinking completely when they play "Chiney Ting" to the whistles of the Japanese women in the place. Fire Links: XXX After his flop in the first round, Fire Links climbs back on stage and it is another man who takes the mic; the attacks from Mighty Crown seem to have given him the motivation to win. He goes directly after them, taunting them on stage after his forwards and even allowing himself to go and clash face to face with Sammy T, Mighty Crown's selector, while the latter is preparing his next selection. He frees himself completely and tells the crowd that he has just rediscovered his knowledge of the clash: "Mi rememba how fi war". Mighty Crown: XXX War is declared, and now one must play with strategy in one's arguments and in the choice of tunes. Mighty Crown then launch a good selection of tunes and go after Matsimela, accusing them of lying about being rasta; unable to be that big while being vegetarian, they must be eating pork, to howls of laughter from the crowd. They also take care of burying Mad Squad and give One Love little respite. Fire Links also gets it when Sammy T hands him a joint of herb, asking him to show New York that he is not a coke smoker... Out: One Love, Mad Squad Winner: Fire Links
Report written by Benoit Georges et Polo |
Round 3
Publication date : 11-08-2004
45 Shoot Out 2004
Round 3
Round 3 ( 10 min of tunes ) Jazzy T: XThis round is decisive for every sound, so Jazzy T knows he must not make a single slip in the next 10 minutes, yet that is exactly what happens when he replays Bob Marley's "Tired to see my face"; Fire Links points it out very explicitly by rushing onto the stage. In the end the crowd does not hold it against him too much, and he finishes his set fairly effectively. Matsimela: X The rastas of Matsimila try the same formula as in the previous round, but the sauce does not take, and it is an average set mixing soca and reggae that does not win over the crowd. Forwards are rare and the dice seem to be cast for Matsimela. Black Reaction: XX After the average performances of the two previous sounds, the Canadians launch into the clash and tell the crowd that even though they do not come from Jamaica, they should not be taken for choirboys. They then begin a selection of oldies dancehall with plenty of badman lyrics and collect good forwards. They finish their round a little less effectively, notably by replaying a tune by Fire Links.  Fire Links: XXXAfter his excellent second round, can Fire Links keep up his momentum? The answer is yes, and better still: he delivers the best round of the night. He leaves the CD decks to pull out vinyl (at last) and a succession of speeches and tunes begins. Mighty Crown are the first targets and are literally shot down; Links explains very clearly that the Japanese think they are badmen but cannot live up to it, playing Elephant Man's "Don't take a badman role, if u know say it no fit you", and ends by explaining that he has never seen badmen like Mighty Crown in the ghettos of Kingston and that if they went there they would end up in their underwear in the street. The crowd is won over. Mighty Crown: X The sound has a lot to do after the full-hundred round that Fire Links has just delivered; the Japanese go back into battle harder than ever, but from the first tunes the crowd is barely receptive. The oldies dancehall and their badman lyrics do not hit the mark and nothing seems to work. The Japanese may have gone to war against Links too early, and they did not hold up, especially in terms of arguments. The rest of the round is uninteresting; the badman clash between Fire Links and Mighty Crown has found its winner, the one from the Kingston ghetto. Out: Mighty Crown, Matsimela Winner: Fire Links The judging was very tight, and it is clear that the fans of Fire Links did everything to get Mighty Crown eliminated; indeed, under the new rules the sound with the most victories across the various rounds wins. With his two victories to one, Links was still threatened by the Japanese sound should they win the next round; with their elimination, he has nothing more to fear.
Report written by Benoit Georges et Polo |
Round 4
Publication date : 11-08-2004
45 Shoot out Out 2004
Round 4
Round 4 (5 min of dubplates) Jazzy T: In the current situation it is hard to see how Renaissance could trouble Fire Links; it is in fact a round without forwards, even if the tunes are of good quality, though very classic. It seems the crowd has already chosen its champion.Black Reaction: Here again the room does not make itself heard. The dubplates are not very convincing and the crowd does not react much. Fire Links: To close the clash, Links finishes with a selection of hardcore Vybz Kartel dubplates, which can only delight the crowd, who give him good forwards; Kartel is at the top in Jamaica at the moment and Fire Links merely cements his victory. Winner: Fire Links With three rounds won, Fire Links wins the clash without having to go to dub fi dub. Conclusion  Once again, the New York crowd had a good show, notably thanks to the performance of Fire Links, who with ten years of clash experience behind him easily knows how to set traps for his opponents, as he did with Mighty Crown. The clash is still a far more tactical test than it appears, and Fire Links knows it; his flop in the first round was in my opinion premeditated, which allowed him to come back even stronger in the following rounds. Mighty Crown still lack consistency: they always start their clashes very well, but once again they struggled at the end.
Report written by Benoit Georges et Polo |
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