SIX-MONTH-OLD Game Changaz lived up to their name and took top honours in the opening round of the 2018 Guinness Sound of Greatness sound system clash held at the waterfront in downtown Kingston last Saturday.

They secured the win in a keenly contested match-up against crowd favourites Notorious International. Platinum Vibes, Nexxt Level, Wallstreet and Shadrock International were also part of the contest.

“This is an overwhelming feeling, I can’t even explain. Just imagine your first clash, your first victory at six months old and you’re playing against some sounds that have been in the business a long time and playing songs that you don’t even have,” selector Stainy of Game Changaztold the Jamaica Observer, shortly after being named winner. Stainy shared the spotlight with his hypeman, Chattis.

The two had earned their stripes as part of the Fire Links crew before recently striking out on their own. Their youthfulness played to their favour in the final round, the Dub Fi Dub section, and created a unanimous decision with judges Beenie Man, Notnice and Richie Feelings.

“When it boiled down to the Dub Fi Dub round now, Game Changaz the younger sound, Notorious was the more experienced sound with the bigger songs, but the crowd is a younger crowd, so it’s like Likkle Shabba (of Notorious International) have the bigger songs, but they didn’t play into the hands of the crowd,” Richie Feelings, Guinness Sounds of Greatness judge, told Observer.

Despite the loss, it was all Notorious International throughout the competition’s first two rounds. With the selectors dressed in ninja attire the sound easily cut through the competition, gaining crowd support each time they graced the stage. They were matched by Shadrock International, setting up a much-anticipated face-off, only to have it dissolve when Shadrock ran afoul of the no profanity rule and was eliminated. This moved Game Changaz into the spot for the eventual upset. Not armed with the dub plates that Notorious was able to play at will, they used hotter fresher tunes to gain more ‘forwards’ which the venue responded to.

“I could not have asked for a better start to Guinness Sounds of Greatness 2018 — the sounds came to win it. The judges came to provide their best feedback and coaching, Bounty Killer brought down the house with his hosting skills and his performances, and then the crowd. It was an explosive atmosphere here, lots of vibes, loved it,” said Nathan Nelms, junior brand manager for Diageo portfolio at Heineken.

The competition continues at Alexandria Market in St Ann on Saturday. The sound systems slated to compete are Fire Biggs, Black Blunt, DJ Naz Gurl Power, Waffle, Mental di Boss, and Road Karma.