Ninja Man

Over its 25-year history, Sting, the Greatest One Night Show on Earth, has seen many a clash.

Supreme Promotions' Isaiah Laing reminded The STAR of some of the more memorable ones in an interview series earlier this year. And if Vybz Kartel and Mavado's fans have their way, Sting's 25th anniversary staging this year could see a battle for the ages.

Early clashes: 1985, Papa San vs Tonto Irie, Cinema 2, New Kingston.

Papa San takes it over the man with the "laba laba" style. 1987, Cinema 1, New Kingston, Papa San, Lt Stitchie, Admiral Bailey, the Admiral takes it with "jump up jump up".

1988, National Stadium, 25,000 people, Ninja Man, Red Dragon, Flourgon, Junior Demus, the microphone is plugged out during the clash as Laing says "their thing was going a little bit too deep against each other, so we stopped it, the indecent language and so on".

On the same Sting, there was a singers clash with Sanchez, Pinchers, Courtney Melody and Conroy Smith, which Pinchers won. Sanchez, the man known for cover versions, cried as Pinchers' line "all pirate draw down your antenna" from Return of the Don hit home. Laing says: "When the man seh dat, stadium tun upside dung. Stadium no good!"

1. Ninja Man vs Shabba Ranks, National Stadium, 1990. Ninja Man, the 'original front teeth, gold teeth Don Gorgon', was the street hero, Shabba Ranks had gone 'outernational' with the Sony contract which would eventually land him back-to-back Grammy awards.

At Sting, though, contracts did not matter ("CBS, video me gun!" Ninja said on being told that a CBS crew was filming Shabba's stint). It was lyrics and showmanship, and Ninja Man slaughtered Shabba Ranks. The biggest dismissal of the night came when Ninja Man looked at Shabba's stylish, long-crotched pants and said "dodo pants, dodo pants". Laing recalls that Shabba cried.

2. Ninja Man vs Supercat, National Stadium, 1991. The Don Dada, Supercat, was a totally different proposition from Shabba Ranks and Ninja Man had to dig deep. The clash, though, is famous not so much for the result but the bottle that was flung on stage and Supercat hurled back into the crowd, which has become part of dancehall legendry ("Ah woulda return one back like Supercat," poet DYCR said in his commentary on Sting's 20th anniversary show).

Laing says "and I want to tell you is one of Cat's fans threw the bottle because Cat was losing the battle. And him just take it and fling it back out in the crowd. That was the end of that story". Supercat also hurled a threat, that he had his gun on him. But Laing says "he never had any gun on him. Him jus' a talk".

3. Bounty Killer vs Beenie Man, Jam World, 1993. New venue, new dancehall stars staking their claim to greatness, Beenie and Bounty, the nice and not so nice public personae respectively. Laing says it was not billed as a clash, but after the two squared off at Stone Love's anniversary show that's what the crowd of 26,000 people came to see.

According to Laing: "When Beenie Man started performing, they started calling for Bounty. So, knowing the Sting fans, I know they will fling up there if they don't get what they want. So I give Bounty a microphone and said 'Bounty, go up deh'. Bounty run up there and said 'People deeeeeeaaadddd'".

That clash ended with bottles being flung on the stage. Laing says many fans believe Bounty won the clash, but he scores it a draw, and "if anything, I would give Beenie the edge because he was out there for like 10 minutes before Bounty went up there. So, he had to draw some of his material before".

4. Merciless vs Ninja Man, Bounty and Beenie Man, Jam World, 2000. The man from Clarendon found a gear and pulled off an upset (although he kept interrupting the other deejays' lyrics). His big lines were when he dismissed Ninja Man as a 'junkie' and demanded "sen up Bounty".

When Bounty Killer asked the crowd if they remembered when his soundalike Merciless had called Bounty his father, they said "no!". In a 2001 rematch, Merciless did not have a prayer and does not fall into the ranks of the great Sting gladiators.

5. Sting's 20th anniversary, Kartel vs Ninja Man, Jam World. It was the old generation vs the new in Kartel's home town. The clash did not really materialise, as Kartel's crew physically assaulted Ninja Man. Laing lamented: "2003 was our 20th anniversary now and here comes the passa passa with Vybz Kartel bruck fight with Ninja Man. Mash up me life, worst I have ever felt."

Merciless - File

Super Cat

Mavado at Champions in Action - file photos