Rude Boy - United Kingdom

United Kingdom

As the Jamaican diaspora grew in the United Kingdom during the 1960s, rude boy music and fashion, as well as the gang mentality, became a strong influence on the skinhead subculture. In the late 1970s, the image of the rude boy became more popular thanks in part to the 2 Tone band The Specials and the record label 2 Tone Records.

In more recent times 'rudeboy' is a term that has come to be synonymous with street or 'urban' culture in the UK. For today's youth, the term bears none of its older connotations of ska and skinheads, instead harking back to something more akin to its original Jamaican meaning. In modern multicultural Britain, it is not a term limited by race: black, white and Asian young people alike have been known to adopt this identity. The term rudeboy is notorious for its connotations of criminality, gangs, and drugs, yet it is an identity that has always boasted a rich musical affiliation too, ranging from jungle and drum & bass, to garage, grime and dubstep.