Meaning
The bitter rivalry and open conflict between a man's main woman (wife or steady partner) and his 'matey' (mistress/side woman) — or between two mateys competing over the same man. A staple theme of dancehall lyrics, the matey war plays out in songs, social media 'clashes', and real-life feuds over who has the man's love, loyalty, and money.
Examples
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Di whole road know bout di matey war ova him.
The whole street knows about the mistress-feud over him.
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She an di matey inna one big matey war.
She and the mistress are in a big feud.
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Nuff dancehall tune deal wid matey war.
Plenty of dancehall songs deal with the mistress-rivalry.
Origin
From [[matey]] (a mistress/side woman) + 'war'; the wife-vs-mistress feud, big in dancehall. See [[matey]], [[wifey]].
How it’s used
The feud between a man's main woman and his mistress ('matey'); a dancehall staple. See [[matey]], [[wifey]], [[cut-and-clear]].