Meaning
A head-to-head competition between rival sound systems, each trying to outdo the other and win the crowd. Selectors battle with the biggest tunes, exclusive 'dubplate' specials cut just for them, and sharp mic talk, until the audience's reaction crowns a winner. A cornerstone of Jamaican sound-system culture and the ancestor of the modern rap battle.
Examples
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Di two sound lock horn inna a big soundclash.
The two sound systems went head-to-head in a big soundclash.
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Him pull out a dubplate an mash up di clash.
He pulled out a dubplate special and won the clash.
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Di crowd decide who tek di soundclash.
The crowd decides who wins the soundclash.
Origin
From 'sound' (sound system) + 'clash' (contest); central to Jamaican dancehall competition. See [[selecta]], [[dubplate]], [[sound-system]].
How it’s used
A sound-system-vs-sound-system contest won on crowd response; dubplates are the ammunition. See [[selecta]], [[dubplate]], [[sound-system]].