In grime, you should never bring your weakest bars to a clash.

Clashing and war dubs are central to grime’s essence. From Dizzee’s infamous bout with Crazy Titch to Yungen and Chip sparring on YouTube, if you want to claim the genre, eventually you have to answer the clash’s call. Last week, Stormzy – after years of criticism for not clashing, despite calling himself the ‘king of grime’ – did just that, exchanging bars with Wiley in the most high profile lyrical battle grime has seen in a decade.

However, the history of the war dub goes back far beyond grime to sound clashes between reggae and dancehall artists. That boastful, competitive energy gave birth to garage and eventually grime – and it’s that spirit that Stormzy and Wiley have both channelled with their 2020 spat. Whose bars are better? Whose crew is better? Who can bring the most energy? These are the questions every good grime war aims to settle.

Throughout sound system culture’s history in the UK, platforms such as Deja Vu FM, Rhythm Division, Myspace, Rinse FM, The War Report, Choice FM, SoundCloud, YouTube, and more recently Spotify and Apple Music, have all been pivotal, but what they collectively represent is the evolving way in which clashes have been presented to audiences over the years.

Few things in the history of sound system culture are constant, yet war dubs and clashes have consistently incorporated new technology and reshaped how audiences interact and engage with the MCs and DJs involved. Here, we break down some of the most pivotal moments in the history of the war dub.