Neither Skillibeng nor Squash has to step on a stage for this one. Their catalogues will do the talking, with two representatives going song for song over 20 rounds in a “20 for 20 Hit Songs Clash” streaming live on State of the Dancehall TV’s YouTube channel.
The showdown is set for Friday, October 9 at 6 PM. State of Dancehall TV is backing Skillibeng, while a figure going by Gaza Uncle is carrying the flag for Squash.
That pairing of representatives tells you plenty about the energy going in. The Gaza name carries weight in dancehall because of its ties to Vybz Kartel’s camp, and Squash has long been linked to that circle as the leader of the 6ix crew. Having someone called Gaza Uncle in his corner leans right into that lineage.
Skillibeng comes into the matchup with a different kind of resume. His breakout “Crocodile Teeth” grew into a crossover moment when Nicki Minaj jumped on the remix in 2021, and “Whap Whap” with Fivio Foreign and French Montana pushed his gritty, bass heavy style even further into hip hop spaces.
That contrast is what makes the format interesting. Twenty rounds is a long stretch, and a clash like this tends to reward depth over a couple of viral moments. Fans will be watching to see which catalogue still has bullets left once the obvious hits are gone.
The organizers are clearly counting on the fan bases to fuel the night. The announcement calls on Skillibeng supporters to “sound off” and Squash supporters to “make some noise,” asking people to drop their picks in the comments and tag someone who belongs in the conversation.
The catalogue clash idea has deep roots in Jamaican sound system culture, and it got a fresh global spotlight in 2020 when Verzuz staged its Beenie Man vs Bounty Killer battle. That night pulled in a massive online audience and showed how much appetite there is for dancehall history being argued out one tune at a time.
What’s different here is the scale and the setup. This is a community driven YouTube event built around the fan debate itself, with the comment section doing as much work as the selectors.
The hashtags attached to the announcement, from #DancehallClash to #FIWIReggaeDancehallTV, point to a push for this to travel well beyond one stream. There’s no word yet on judges, a scoring system, or how a winner will be decided.
For now, the comment threads are already filling up with predictions. With a week to go, the real fight might be over which 20 songs each side decides to leave out.
