New York – Voting for the wildly popular World Clash Dubplate Awards is underway on IrishandChin.com. And based on the influx of votes from fans and enthusiasm from artistes and sounds alike, it’s clear that excitement has been brewing since last year for the virtual awards, which celebrates artistes for their yearly dubplate contributions (January 2018 – December 2018) to sound system culture.
Dubplate Award Categories
The World Clash Dubplate Awards, the brainchild of Irish and Chin’s Garfield “Chin” Bourne, is now in its third year and features eight award categories including:
- Male Dubplate Vocalist of the Year
- International Dubplate Artiste of the Year
- Female Dubplate Artiste of the Year
- Dubplate Single of the Year
- Veteran Dubplate Deejay of the Year
- Dubplate Artiste of the Year
- Veteran Dubplate Vocalist of the Year
- Best 90s Dubplate Artiste of the Year
Click here for full nominee listings.
Although seasoned acts like Damian “Jr Gong” Marley, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Masicka, Aidonia, Mavado, Busy Signal and a host of music fraternity members grace the categories, 2018 sees a notable rise of fresh faces like Rygin King, Tee Jay, Govana, Shane O, Koffee, Shenseea, Dovey Magnum and Ishawna, among others, who absolutely carved their mark on the dubplate landscape.
As stars have taken to their social media accounts in the past to share their award photos, the World Clash Dubplate Awards has enjoyed quite the increased buzz since it’s 2016 launch.
In addition to celebrating yearlong dubplate activity, the prospering awards highlight the historical legacy between artists and sound systems/selectors, uniting the artists who made the recordings and the selectors/sound systems who helped make these recordings popular.
The World Clash Dubplate Awards is the ideal vehicle for music lovers and most importantly, the selectors and sound systems to have a voice in saluting contributing artists. In turn, the artists feel rewarded and a greater demand is placed on their product.
The World Clash Dubplate Awards may be virtual presently, but Bourne intends to transition it to an annual awards ceremony, possibly held in conjunction with the famed World Clash, the industry’s renowned and longest running sound clash.
“The dubplate culture is a vital part of Jamaica’s indigenous sound system culture. I strive to continue to bridge the gap between artists and sounds, while preserving this highly important sector of our musical heritage,” says Bourne.
