Meaning
An exclusive, custom recording made for one sound system, in which an artist re-sings a hit with the sound's name worked into the lyrics. Dubplates are a sound's secret weapons in a clash — the rarer and bigger the artist, the more they impress the crowd.
Examples
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Di sound have a dubplate from di biggest artist.
The sound system has an exclusive recording from the biggest artist.
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Dat dub special mad di crowd.
That exclusive cut drove the crowd wild.
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Dem fly go a foreign fi voice dubplate.
They flew abroad to record dubplates.
Origin
From 'dub' (an acetate test-pressing) plus 'plate' (a record), originally a one-off acetate disc cut for a single sound system.
How it’s used
Central to clash culture. Often shortened to 'dub' or called a 'special'.