Ricky Trooper trying to rally the support of the 'troops'. - Winston Sill photos

Today we take you through the finals, round by round.

Juggling

Bass Odyssey steps up to cheers. Damian is on the microphone, Mark and Keithy around the turntables. Damian speaks about Squingy right away, saying that Trooper is going to come up and say the deceased selector should have been there. "Me a do dis fe Fada Keith an Squingy an all a de young selector dem," Damian says.

Odyssey starts out with a dub plate aimed at Trooper, then goes for Many Rivers to Cross, Rise To The Occasion earning the first forward. It is not the best of juggling rounds, though, one of the better cuts being Buju rasping about "the big Bass Odyssey from outta St Ann."

However, it is inconsistent, from the chirpy vibe to Mavado's Mockingbird to Merital Family's My Money (Ha Ha) on dub which did not have the audience feeling merry. They switched to rockers coming up to the end, playing Natural Mystic and One Dance before going back to dubs, closing with "one fe me general" on a decent note.

Ricky Trooper of Sound Trooper comes out in a camouflage and is bouncing, the audience cheering. "Likkle while Bass Odyssey play half hour me a drop asleep," he says, to laughter. He opens with a high impact Lukie D dub plate take-off of You Raise Me Up and there is the first real belly roar of the night. "Bass Odyssey I going to teach you how to play music tonight. I not even going to cuss you. I'm just going to teach you," Trooper says and drops Ghetto People Song on dub.

The crowd hollers again, but the momentum slows with a Utan Green dub. Then Trooper makes the grave misstep, paying respects to Squingy but adding, "yu neva badda dan me." The boos are instantaneous but Trooper persists, playing a dub plate that says "Bass Odyssey soun' gonna die/dem lie dung wid Squingy tonight."

The boos are even louder and, to make it worse, Trooper plays out a Fantan Mojah dub which does not sit well with the audience and again the boos boom out. He eventually works up back to a little head of steam, with Pon Yu Head (by Chino) and Kip Rich chirping, "yu no fraid a no man."

Trooper reminds all that "a me used to play Kilamanjaro" and, when King Addies came to Jamaica and killed Bass Odyssey in 1995, it was he who 'tek shame outta Jamaica eye' and beat Addies afterwards. Still, the damage has been done and Sound Trooper's round never hits a real peak.

Tune for tune

Bass Odyssey wins the toss and sends in Trooper. Trooper plays Junior Murvin advising "son don't put your hat where you can't reach it", but Odyssey responds with 'their' deejay, Bounty Killer. At "Bounty Killer pon de borderline" there is pandemonium. Trooper draws Robert French Dem No Rough Like We, which falls flat.

Odyssey is back with Bounty's intent to "sen dem go hell" and again Mas Camp quakes. Trooper tries to pull a Bounty Killer ("bway ago dead, no badda gimme no argument") but Odyssey tops it with Bounty's "action speak louder than words."

It is just the start of Trooper's troubles. He plays Ninja Man with his "permit to bury and licence to kill" and is booed. Odyssey rocks the house mightily, Damian demanding "as a elder selector an we as young selector a gwaan good gimme me ratings!", then Buju growls "a we a guard oonu life an oonu no know."

Beenie Man declares "man a bad man wicked man" for Trooper and there is a mixture of cheers and jeers; the forward is undiluted as Odyssey drops Tiger's Yuh Dead Now.

Trooper's 'Rudie Don't Fear' is rejected emphatically, 'Conqueror' does not fare much better, he at least avoids the booing with Nitty Gritty's False Alarm. On the other hand, Tosh's Burial and Bounty stating "bway yu dead dis time" strike the target for Bass Odyssey.

After Trooper plays Supercat's Don Dada to an unresponsive audience, Damian says "Ricky Trooper, yu inna problem." He says that when Squingy was playing Bass Odyssey he played for everyone and shared with the other selectors, unlike how Trooper treats his crew.

Then they play Tiger's No Wanga Gut for Trooper and the crowd howls. There are more worries for Trooper to the end of the round, Odyssey declaring that although Trooper is from Kingston and they are from St Ann, the venue is their 'Territory'.

Dub for dub

Sound Trooper wins the toss and send up Bass Odyssey. There is a glimmer of hope for Trooper, as his Kartel response to Odyssey's first dub goes over very well. But when Bass Odyssey takes the house down with a dub of Good Girl Gone Bad, then Trooper's Beenie Man/Kartel combination falls flat, it is once again down a slippery slope, with no brakes, for Sound Trooper.

Among the Odyssey dubs that struck especially hard are Assassin's reworking of Hand To Mouth to advise Trooper "Shut Yu Mout" and Queen Ifrica singing "a bway draw Trooper roun' de corner."

When Trooper plays a dub that says "Mark a fight fe de ting inna Lisa Hype mout," the sound system is booed massively. The crowd is unfair at one point, though, as a good Bushman counteraction by Sound Trooper to a Bushman song by Bass Odyssey does not get the respect it deserves.

The lid is closed on the coffin as Odyssey plays Trooper dead easy, easy, easy. Trooper says "Bass Odyssey, everything good," and plays a dub that is not even given the acknowledgement of a boo.

Odyssey lowers the coffin with Busy Signal reworking One More Night to "Trooper dead tonight." And it is true.

Damion (left) and Mark of Bass Odyssey gets into the vibe.

SOURCE: jamaica-star.com