![]() ![]() Second wave immigrants gave way to a development in the style of Black youth culture the woven ‘tam’ hat was favoured over the pork pie, tonic and terylene replaced by cotton and denim and the cropped, Rude Boy haircut was grown out to locks and knots. “Thus, the Rude Boy hero immortalised in ska and rocksteady – the lone delinquent pitched hopelessly against an implacable authority – was supplanted as the central focus of identity by the Rastafarian who broke the law in more profound and subtle ways.” ![]() The initial skinheads were avid listeners of ska, rocksteady and early reggae before reggae became heavily focused upon Rastafari culture.) As noted by Dick Hebdige in Subculture: The Meaning of Style: ![]() Taking 1960s mod styles and Rude Boy music and fashion, the original skinhead came into being. The differentiation between Rude Boys and Mods gradually blurred as the two interacted in Britain’s working-class neighbourhoods. Singers and producers became aware of the clout of the Rude Boy and capitalised on this fledging trend, be it from an angle of reverence (see ‘Rudies are the Greatest’ by the Pioneers) or concern (‘Don’t be a Rude Boy’ by The Rulers.)Īs is the case with most youth movements, the Rude Boy and Rude Girl subculture was quick to develop and fracture a progression which was accelerated by mass emigration from the West Indies to the UK. Emulating the bad boys of cinema, the Rude Boy would often be equipped with a ratchet knife or handgun, as well as a thin tie and sunglasses.ĭiscontent and rowdy, the Rude Boy would occasionally find momentary employment from sound system operators to intimidate and disturb dances (catalysing the term ‘dance hall crasher.’) At the time, sound systems blared ska music (a genre which matched the jubilant hope of Jamaican independence), yet it wasn’t long until the Rude Boy was integrated into the music itself. Both their dress and behaviour were inspired by the fashion of American jazz musicians and Hollywood portrayals of western outlaws and gangsters. Usurping these sartorial signifiers of class granted the Rude Boy an appearance of ambition and elevation in Jamaica’s ghetto gangs. Just as Mods and Teds in the UK contrarily adopted upper class clothing, Rude Boys donned a uniform of trilby and pork pie hats, sharp tonic suits, double breasted blazers and patent brogues. An embodiment of their nation’s independence, the original Rude Boy was self-assured and street-wise. Survival involved cunning and underground activities: The Rude Boy was forged in the shanty town gangs of the West Indies. ![]() Kingston was overpopulated masses of young men had moved to the city seeking work and instead found cramped living conditions and strains on basic necessities. Jamaica’s first youth culture movement the Rude Boy was borne from dissatisfaction, poverty and rising unemployment following Jamaica’s independence in 1962. The Rude Boy has been amalgamated, appropriated and assembled in numerous subcultural strains in order to disentangle the (mohair) thread of the Rude Boy, one must begin in post-war Jamaica. ‘Rudy got soul’, ‘Rudie Gets Plenty’, ‘Beware of the Rude Boys’, ‘Rude Girl’, ‘Rudie’s all Round’, ‘Rudie Bam Bam, ‘Rudy, a Message to You’ (originally by Dandy Livingstone, later revived by The Specials) the list goes on. Listen to any ska, skinhead, reggae, rocksteady or 2-Tone compilation worth its salt and there he, or she, is. Underground Soundwave – Never Known Live Music.Underground Soundwave – Video Interviews.Belts / Wristbands / Neckbands & Chokers. ![]()
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