ENTITY · CONCEPT / TERM
Rude-boy record cycle
Well supported
The mid-1960s wave of ska and rocksteady records that responded to Kingston's rude-boy phenomenon, some glamorising the sharp, defiant rudie and others counselling calm or staging courtroom judgements, producing a call-and-answer cycle across the studios.
At a glance
- Type
- Concept / term →
- Confidence
- Well supported
- Sources
- Jamaica Gleaner archive; Lloyd Bradley, Bass Culture; David Katz, Solid Foundation.
Coverage areas
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Connections
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Articles & sources
Debate & reception
What people argued about this record — two documented positions each time, kept apart from verified fact. Browse every argument in the archive →
The rude boy in song: glorifying violence or voicing reality?
One side
Records glamorising rudie violence
The other
Voicing the frustrations of unemployed ghetto youth
Two documented positions on mid-1960s rude-boy records: critics held that songs glamorising the defiant rudie encouraged youth violence, while defenders argued the music voiced the real frustrations of unemployed ghetto youth. Neutral framing; no verdict.
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