When the dust settled, DJ Naz, the sole female in the competition stood at the top of the pile. “At the end of the day ‘girl power’ reigns supreme,” said Naz.

The gloves came off early and the battle began as the bells signaled what would be the start of an explosive night. Sound clash and Guinness lovers gathered from near and far to witness the biggest and baddest sounds go head to head. With the judges, Not Nice, Bishop Escobar and special guest Delingy from Bass Odyssey at the helm, battling sounds had no choice but to step up and prove their mettle.

Presiding over the night as “just the referee” was none other than the enigmatic host Badda Bling who kept the crowd alive with his on the spot freestyling, actively engaging the audience. Standing by his side as co-host was the ever eloquent, Jade.

As the sounds took to the stage and the first round of ‘musical warfare’ ensued with a 15-minute set mixing, Presto Mix gave the crowd old school flavours and stylings of Reggae and Dancehall. DJ Naz followed, bringing womanpower and leaving the crowd riled up and energetic with a spectacular line up of hit songs. It was clear that her performance and dynamic blend of sounds set her apart from the other competitors. Attempting to maintain the same energy in the crowd was DynamQ who unleashed a slew of dubs and Reggae classics from veterans such as Richie Spice and Freddie McGregor. Last but not least was Digital Wave Sound who clashed hard but was unfortunately disqualified.

Keeping the energy flowing between sets was 2018 GSOG winner, Game Changaz, who returned to the stage as the resident DJ for the 2019 staging. The crowd was amped up as Dancehall artiste Teejay blazed the stage and left the ladies in a frenzy with his popular hit “Uptop Boss” and “Braff” to chart- toppers like “Owna Lane” and “Shub Out”.

After battling it out, Dub fi Dub and Tune fi Tune, DJ Naz was declared the “Champion Sound” as she shattered expectations in a landslide win against DynamQ. Following her win, she donned her signature black cape and shared that she almost didn’t enter the competition. “It was nearly a missed opportunity as I met in a car accident two days before. Having experienced several stumbles along the way, I felt defeated and had opted out of the competition,” explained Naz. “Luckily my amazing friends convinced me otherwise, which gave me the confidence to rise up against my opponents.”

Nathan Nelms, Brand Manager of Stouts and Malta at Red Stripe said he was pleased with the start of the competition. “Tonight was incredible, we not only created an atmosphere that took people back to old school Dancehall but we allowed for patrons to create some lasting moments,” he said. “Guinness has been synonymous with Dancehall since inception and what we witnessed here was nothing short of the ultimate sound clash experience. DJ Naz brought an authentic presence to the stage as she embodied what it means to be Made of More.”

Bucket deals and the Champion title weren’t the only things up for grabs on the night. Guinness, in all its greatness, gave away a brand new Samsung 55” HD TV to Sophia Sharp who held the winning ticket with the lucky number “13198”.

From all indications, the night ended on a high note and left patrons anticipating more. Guinness Sound of Greatness continues next Friday in the Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth and will feature Shadrock Sound, Black City Sound, King Tafari Sound and Twin Tower Sound as well as a special performance by Jah Vinci. The finale is set for 214 Spanish Town Road on Friday, June 28. Each clash will be aired on TVJ on the Saturday of the following week at 9:30 pm.