ENTITY · CLASH
David Rodigan vs Killamanjaro (London 1997)
Community recollection
David Rodigan met Killamanjaro (with Ricky Trooper) in London on 12 December 1997, a rematch following a controversial New York encounter earlier that year; considered a landmark UK clash, with the winner still debated.
At a glance
- Type
- Clash →
- Confidence
- Community recollection
- Sources
- soundtape.com tape archive; clash archive YouTube uploads.
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Debate & reception
What people argued about this record — two documented positions each time, kept apart from verified fact. Browse every argument in the archive →
The outsider ambassador: should a British selector be reggae's best-known radio voice abroad?
One side
Decades of earned respect and genuine advocacy
The other
Unease about a non-Jamaican holding an outsized gatekeeping role
David Rodigan, an Englishman, has become arguably the most internationally recognised reggae and dancehall selector on radio, honoured with both an MBE in Britain and Jamaica's Order of Distinction. Supporters point to more than four decades of scholarly, sound-clash-tested advocacy as having won him the culture's genuine respect and expanded its global reach; others have questioned whether a non-Jamaican should hold such an outsized gatekeeping role in introducing the genre to new audiences abroad. Neutral framing; no verdict.
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Compiled and researched by The Jamaica Music Atlas music desk. The sources that informed it are credited above.
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