Rude boy

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Rude boy

Rude boy, Rudie, Rudi or Rudy is a subculture that in the early 1960s in Jamaica in the ghettos of Kingston developed. The term rude (actually rough, rowdy) comes from the Jamaican slang word for cool or hip , as the rude boys always dressed according to the latest fashion trends , despite or because of their often low social status, not only in the dance halls but also in everyday life . The term rude boy may also come from the fact that a rum- based drink was served at so-called sound system parties (discos) , which was called “rude to your parents” . The Rude Boys wore black suits and pork pie hats .

At that time, both political parties in Jamaica , the PNP and the JLP , were trying to fight a power struggle on the streets of Jamaica and provided youth gangs with heavy weapons for this purpose. Some gangs were Rudy gangs .

By the late 1960s, many children of black immigrants from Jamaica and other parts of the West Indies in England adopted the style of the rude boys, as did white English working-class children (the mods ). The skinhead movement was initially heavily influenced by the Rude Boys. In addition to the bootboys (prototype of the hooligan ) and the hard mods , the skinhead cult also developed from the black rude boys.

The so-called rude boys also contributed to the ska movement, and their myth in this context has an afterlife to this day. Even today, some ska fans refer to themselves as rude boys.

In the meantime, the term is used, particularly in the slang of English-speaking pop , hip-hop and dancehall culture, regardless of its original meaning, as a form of address among young adults, corresponding to the term gangsta .

Artistic reception

  • A Message to You Rudy was a hit single in 1979 by the English ska band The Specials , who covered this track by Dandy Livingstone .
  • Rude Boy is also the name of an English film from 1980 with the punk band The Clash .
  • The British punk / rock reggae band The Ruts had a single success in 1980 with Staring at the Rude Boys .
  • Probably the most famous reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers called themselves after their founding The Wailing Rudeboys for a short time .
  • A 2010 Rihanna song was titled Rude Boy .