Iwaata and Stefflon Don bring heat to Culture Clash

Dancehall superstar Iwaata is still revelling in his recent Red Bull Culture Clash appearance, as the artiste said it allowed him to show off his versatility, lyrical prowess and flow in a "dubplate style".

The Clip Tall artiste told THE STAR that in addition to that experience, sharing the stage with London-based, dancehall artiste Stefflon Don was the icing on the cake.

"It was a wonderful feeling gracing the Red Bull Culture Clash stage for the second time and we're looking forward to working with Red Bull and even Stefflon Don in the future," said Iwaata, who worked with fellow artistes Aidonia and Govana at the event's inaugural staging in 2019. While at this year's show, Iwaata, who was a guest artiste on the Lon Don Crew's team, was introduced on stage by Stefflon Don, who gyrated and vibed to his performance of his hit single, Tun Di Ada Way. He said sharing this moment with the Hurtin' Me artiste was an 'overwhelming and joyous' feeling.

The 2024 Red Bull Culture Clash, which took place on Saturday at the National Arena, featured creative juggling sessions from four teams - Lon Don Crew, MadHouse Experience, Big Bad Soca and Jamaica Wi Seh. The night culminated with the Cham-led team, MadHouse Experience, walking away as champions after five competitive rounds of impactful musical selections, special guest artistes' surprises, creative dubs, and a strong command of the crowd's responses - all of which played a vital role in their victory.

With the show spawning over decades of diverse generations of music, the young dancehall artiste shared his appreciation for the foundation music which was very prevalent in setting the standards for the clash.

"The older music set the standard in terms of values [even] with your everyday life. [That type of] music tends to educate you more and keep you in tuned with yuh culture and as a result, I think it's very beneficial for young artistes to listen and partake in the [foundation music] because it will help you to put out positive music," said Iwaata.

"These cultural events are very good and [I] love to partake in these because we're doing it for our culture [and] preserving the culture. This means a lot to us as artistes, and, as such, we'll do whatever it takes so that my offspring can come and benefit from a stress-free, organic type of culture," he reasoned.

However, he was quick to note that he does not believe the sound clash culture is dying in Jamaica.

"The issue we're having now is that the authorities fail to mandate entertainment - dancehall/reggae as a [huge] part of tourism or a part of our everyday lifestyle. And [because] we're not getting permits to host events for [long hours], suh wi can't really keep much events because wi need more clashes. But wi just need for the Government to understand that we need permission [and more time] within our events to get this done," the artiste pleaded.

Iwaata said following his performance at the clash event, he, alongside his management team, hosted a party in Clarendon on Saturday, titled 'Likkle London,' which he said was a "huge" success, as he was left in "awe" of the massive support he received from the Thompson Town residents. The event, which he headlined with dancehall hitmaker Top Banks, was a night of "relaxing, clean fun with fans excited to see [the artistes]". Iwaata said he plans to make this an annual event with the hope to also get corporate Jamaica on board.

The artiste is set to leave for his upcoming 'Likkle London' Canada tour, with the first show in Brantford on Friday.