A few years ago I took a history course at university on twentieth-century Britain. Among all that we studied one particular tidbit of knowledge was especially valuable. I learned what a Rude Boy (abbreviated Rudie) is.
I've sung or hummed along countless times to the Clash's "Rudie Can't Fail", the Specials' "A Message to You Rudie", and Lionrock's "Rude Boy Rock", yet I never had a clue what they were talking about. Well, as it turns out, Rudie is a Jamaican term for "a sharp dressed gangster in a stingy-brimmed pork pie hat without any obvious means to affording such fancy dress." There you have it.
Comments
Alan - January 19, 2004 9:52 pm
Stems from 1966-67 era rocksteady gangs at around the time of Jamaican independence. On Trojan Records <i>Rocksteady Box Set</i> I have Joe White's 1966 recording of "Rudies All Around" (W.I.R.L. Records) <a href=" http://www.thisisska.com.ar/letras/joewhite.htm">The lyrics</a> are clearly about criminal activity in the ska and rocksteady years:<blockquote class="smalltext">Throughout the 1960's the ghetto areas of Jamaica were filling up with youths looking for work that did not exist. These youths felt excluded and did not share the optimism of early Ska roots. These youths drew group identity as "Rude Boys". Being Rude was a means of being somebody when society was telling you were nobody. The way the Rude Boys danced the ska was different as well: slower with a menacing posture. The rude boys connected with the scofflaws and the underworld, those who lived outside the laws, and this was reflected in the lyric of the music. Ska music once again changed to reflect the mood of the rude with more tension in the bass as opposed to the previous free-walking bass style.</blockquote>Soon the beat was complexificated and it was all Reggae by '68.
Scott - January 20, 2004 12:03 pm
And don't forget the propaghandi (a great band ane if you ask me) song "ska sucks"
message to you Rudy
fuck you Rudy
there are ska bands in winnipeg still making up songs like "Chris (singers name) Sucks"
propaghandi sucks - June 13, 2004 11:31 pm
propaghandi is fucking gay, i would like to see them play " ska sucks " to an audience of skinheads and see the reaction
andy - January 9, 2005 12:41 pm
i think propaghandi were speaking in reference to new ska bands, late 90s onwards, much of which, such as less than jake, is utter crap. i think they say something like "the bands are only in it for the bucks"
i don't believe they held anything against bands before this time jamacian/british or otherwise.
might be wrong, maybe they hate all of it
smarter than you - February 12, 2005 7:41 pm
actually, ska sucks was a joke. and hey asshole (not you andy), they did sing it to an audience of skinheads. try using facts instead of the first thing that pops into your head.
Thegoodthebadandtheleftovercrack - June 5, 2005 3:19 am
Haha, ska sucks is a fuckin ska song!
Rudies All Around - August 29, 2005 11:15 pm
It's irony at its best. I love ska. I'm a rude at heart but I still sing along to that song every now and again. I mean, dont get me wrong, I sing along to A Whole Lotta Milka's song against Chris. Calm down and just enjoy the music.