AFTER etching their names as the World Sound Clash Champions for 2022, Code Red celebrated with high-profile celebrities, dancehall fans and supporters at a victory party held at Black State on Churchill Avenue in St Andrew on May 11.

The celebratory event – sponsored by Guinness – saw some of the biggest DJs and celebrities in dancehall coming together to celebrate this massive win for Jamaica. Guests included Usain Bolt, DJ Nova, and Yaksta, and in true dancehall fashion, Code Red showcased their skills on the turntables. Additionally, with high-energy sets by popular DJs such as DJ Spectre and Shukkle Bus, the event had patrons in a festive mood.

Code Red had reigned supreme as an indomitable force after defeating sound systems across various continents and was crowned the greatest sound system in the world. The two-member team consisting of Chris Dymond and DJ Lank, credited hard work, dedication, and sacrifice for their success.

“This is [like] the Grammys for us and we’re extremely grateful to have been recognised for our efforts. We invested a lot of time and prepared through vigorous hard work with many sleepless nights. We put our all into the preparations and worked overtime to get the dubplates we need, which were very challenging. Playing music is our equivalent of a nine to five. Without sponsorship, the money we earned went back into getting all the necessary dubplates done. We go hungry nuff time, but the hard work paid off,” said Chris Dymond.

Guinness’ Junior Brand Manager Ben Sinclair expressed how happy he was that the brand was on board to support this significant accomplishment for Code Red. “Guinness is all about representing Jamaican dancehall culture and supporting local sound systems. With platforms such as Guinness Sounds of Greatness that bring a world-class set of musical clashes to the local dancehall scene, seeing a Jamaican sound system gain this international achievement is a win not just for Code Red but for the dancehall culture and Jamaica,” he said.

Winning the World Sound Clash Championship, Dymond said, “This is the biggest pinnacle for a sound man. The world clash brought together the best of the best to compete for one of the most coveted titles. Code Red has won that and brought the trophy back to Jamaica. It really gets no bigger than this for a soundman.”

The five-round clash competition featured eight other sound systems, Mystic (World Champion), Observer Supa Power (winner of UK Rumble 2019), Klymaxx (winner of Canada Rumble 2019), Stereo 5 (winner of USA Rumble 2019), Rodem Cyclone (winner of Japan Rumble 2019), Empire Sound (UK Wild Card), Dynamiq (Africa), and Warrior Sound (Europe Wild Card). Code Red went hard to take home the title to the sound system mecca, Jamaica.

“Big up DJ Rush and Master Lee, who were our mentors and assisted from behind the scenes. On the night, DJ Lank and I really worked hand in hand to make this dream a reality. Even on the stage in Birmingham, I could not have done it without him being back there on the turntables, so it was really teamwork. Seeing the support here to celebrate with us is what it is all about. They’re the reason we can get to live out our passion. Without a crowd of fans, who would be played to?” Dymond added.