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September 11, 2007
Antigua’s WarDadli SoulJahs takes home “Philly Link Up Sound Clash” Trophy
Antigua’s sound system giants, WarDadli SoulJahs were featured for the first time ever in the USA on August 30, 2007, as they rocked the Fluid Night Club in Philadelphia during the “Philly Link Up Sound Clash.” Known for always representing Antigua, as champion jugglers as well as for clashing, WarDadli SoulJahs took the trophy home to Antigua following their crowning by the Philly crowds’ popular vote.
It was a “one on one” sound clash against Brooklyn New York’s very own, Generations Sound, and the first leg of their 2 city tour. Held at home to most of the reggae sound clashes in that state, the clash was attended by over a hundred patrons who voted in WarDadli in 2 out of 3 rounds and 4 to 3 in the “tune fi tune” round.
A fresh variety of tunes rang out from both sides, but the older and vintage reggae songs were the order of the night. Artists like the great Junior Reid, Bunny Wailer, Shabba Ranks, and Johnny Osbourne were what WarDadli focused on most; and they came out on top. Notable tunes played by WarDadli were an ARP special, a Silvertones special, the late great Joseph Hill of the group Culture, and the living legend David Hinds of Steel Pulse.
WarDadli showed their creativity, intelligence and talent as emcee Dangerous, and Selecta G, worked in near flawless chemistry; captivating the Philadelphia crowd - displaying what the Antiguan sound is made of. In thanking the patrons, particularly those from the Caribbean region who attended, Wardadli made it clear that, “We may come from a little dot on the world map, but we make our voices loud and our presence known.”
Then it was on to the after party at Club William Pehn, where, Wardadli juggled tunes to the delight of particularly the many female patrons there. Amazed to see an Antiguan sound in full party mode with plenty of hype and vigor, straight after being victorious in a dub plate battle, the crowd fell right in and grooved to their vibe.
The rest of the tour involved performing in South Bronx, at the Entertainers Night Club. Dubbed "Reprezent," the party there was hosted by a famous Bronx\Antiguan DJ - Skerrit Bwoy.
Many sound systems from around the globe were billed on the card that night, including a Japanese Sound called King Jam and a Jamaican sound called Gary Chucks. WarDadli put on a full hundred performance that night. They did so well that the owners of Entertainers Night Club and Skerrit Bwoy himself invited the SoulJahs again to perform the following night; at their weekly Sunday night dance called “Bad Gyal Sundays”.
Holding down a solid vibe for hours, in the club that was full of patrons, thrust Wardadli in superstar mode again as the selectors were seen outside the venue, meeting and taking photos with the public…mainly the ladies, afterwards.