Red Bull Culture Clash 2025: An Amazing Experience (Event Review)

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Red Bull Culture Clash marked 15 years since its foundation by returning to London for the first time in 9 years at Drumsheds. Having seen clips of the iconic clash of 2014 where Rebel Sound fought off BBK, Mixpak, and A$AP Mob, I knew if this event ever happened again I had to be there. As such there was a lot of hype for this clash, and boy did it deliver.

The clash featured Voice For The Streets led by Kenny Allstar who were bringing U.K. rap to the table. Also present was Jyoty’s Homegrown, who showed the best in rave music, with the Spice Army coming from the home of clashing, Jamaica. Finally, Native Soundsystem, led by Teezee, brought Afrobeats to the arena for the first time.

However, before the clash, there was time to sample some delicious Jerk Chicken and Plantain fries (although the Coleslaw was a bit wet). No Signal Radio put on a pre-show DJ set with a mixture of grime and dancehall to get the crowd ready. I also loved the little exhibition on clashing culture and previous events put in place by DaMetalMessiah. Drumsheds is a great venue and was perfect for this type of event. There was plenty of effort put in and it showed.

Round 1

We then got underway for the night, with Dotty and Yinka Bokinni hosting the evening. They are both good presenters in their own right, but had great chemistry and knew the assignment. Both had the right energy and were excellent choices.

The first round saw each group introduce their sounds. Spice Army came out donned in armour like they were ready for war in Ancient Greece. A ‘Welcome To Jamrock‘ dub to kicked things off, and they had the crowd singing along to every dubplate. They had everyone from Sting to WSTRN, giving special war dubs. Sounds Of The Streets came in with AM & Skengdo’s ‘Mad About Bars‘ before playing plenty of U.K. rap hits. They also started off with a hilarious ‘Barty Crease’ skit courtesy of Munya Chawawa.

Homegrown showcased some heat and dubs early. Flowdan got the crowd hyped by bringing the ‘Rumble‘, alongside dubs of Redlight’s ‘Zum Zum‘ and Zed Bias’ ‘Neighbourhood‘. Native Soundsystem captured the attention with NSG performing their biggest track ‘Options‘, alongside a Giggs ‘Talkin Da Hardest‘ dub. They also brought ‘Man’s Not Hot‘ a few years too late.

Round 2

The next round is where it really mattered as the teams competed for the first point of the night. Native Soundsystem brought the saxophone out, but not much heat for the other teams. However, Homegrown understood the assignment bringing out the likes of Kyla, Malika, Kele Le Roc, and others to bring some fine funky-house/UKG disses. It didn’t stop there though as AJ Tracey ended in style with ‘Ladbroke Grove‘.

Voice of the Streets started strong with Ghetts performing ‘Artillery‘ and ‘Laps‘ alongside Moonchild Sanelly. Finishing off with ‘One Take‘, Ghetto certainly had the crowd hyped. There were also appearances from ArrDee, and even Jess Glynne dissing Spice over ‘Rather Be. However, she had the last laugh, starting with a message from Vybz Kartel. She then had words for Mavado, and had the crowd locked in throughout including an appearance from Sister Nancy and a shelling from Stylo G. It was no surprise to see them take the first point.

Round 3

Here is where the teams took each other’s sounds in an attempt to get a point on the board. Homegrown kicked off with some Afrobeats and dancehall dubs of their own, including Sean a Paul. Meanwhile, Frisco and Novelist brought the wheel-ups. The Elijah yellow boards with quotes were also a nice touch. We then got another Giggs dub from the Spice Army and a sprinkling of the ‘Migraine Skank‘. She had a message from Bushkin’s baby mother and had violence for the cardboard cutouts. To cap off an awesome round, they gave us D Double E, Chip, and Skrapz B2B, in what were glorious scenes.

Native then brought out Unknown T, and some U.K. funky icons in Raw Vybes and K.I.G, showing they had something in the tank. Voice Of The Streets concluded the round with ‘Bricks Don’t Roll‘ and jungle dubs. The mixture of jungle and the Big Narstie disses towards Spice must have done the job as they won the round. It meant it was all to play for going into the final round.

Round 4

For the final round, the teams needed to go in hard. Voice Of The Streets started the finale off with a Nines dub to counter-attack the Skrapz appearance. They also took it Stateside with dubs from Eve and Bobby Shmurda. This was alongside the U.K.’s biggest right now, Central Cee and Ed Sheeran. Native played their best round with Pa Salieu’s ‘My Family‘ going off. The cherry on top was the Tinie Tempah ‘Pass Out‘ dub, but they never quite matched their opponents. In contrast, Spice Army came out strong! With a ‘Wonderwall‘ dub, another Sting dub, and the icon that is Shaggy, they played the round perfectly.

Homegrown did conclude the round in style with A$AP Ferg, ‘Baddadan‘, and Mavado. They almost took it at the last, but Spice Army did just enough to win the round and the clash. It was a deserved win and concluded a fantastic evening. The event certainly lived up to the billing and I can’t wait for the next one. Truly a legendary experience that will live long in the memory!

Rating: 5/5

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