Almost every era has seen the emergence of youth sub-cultures specific to that time and place, socio-economic factors, geographical location and ideologies. Youth sub-culture could be said to be part of the way many young people connect to and take part in society.
Most youth sub-cultures share common features such as distinctive dress styles, behaviours, music, appearance as well as shared interests and beliefs but the specifics of each youth sub-culture is unique to that group of individuals, for example the difference between Punks and New Romantics.
Poverty in 1960’s Kingston, Jamaica saw the emergence of the youth street culture, “Rude Boys”. The name derives from a slang word for ‘wicked’ in Jamaica, used to describe the anti-social behaviour of the individual who identified with the sub-culture.
The sub-culture was often associated with violence and delinquency that was present in the aftermath of independence and lack of employment opportunities for young people. Building discontent and bitterness led to hostility and fighting as a way of expression for the rude boys. Many youth sub-cultures according to Cohen (1955), “arise when people with similar problems get together to look for solutions” (Gallacher & Kehily 2013).
Within the sub-culture much of the music either promoted or rejected rude boy violence and so further sub-cultures became apparent. On the one hand some recording artists tried to persuade young people to be less aggressive, such as Stranger Cole’s 1962 “Ruff and Tough” where he sings “Don’t bite the hand that feed you……” versus the 1967 recording “Tougher than Tough” by the Heptones which declared “rudies don’t fear, tougher than tough, rougher than rough, strong like lion, we are iron”. Lyrically the songs reflected the social conscious of the times and motivated people to take action.
The Essay on Tough Times Don't Last Tough People Do
Tough times don’t last, tough people do; Ask the soldier in the line of fire, the smoke in his eyes, the dirt on his face yet he holds his ground and fends of the attack, a hero for his people, a gladiator of valor. Tough times don’t last tough people do. Ask the doctor spending his hours in the operation theater, the patient on the operating table and his beating heart making the difference ...
Rude boys have distinctive stylised features such as their appearance, indicative of the significance of fashion. Suits, thin ties and hats (taken from the movie gangster image of the time) often based on a black and white two tone design, as shown in the illustration below. The style was seen as edgy with an emphasis on masculinity – appearance was important.
The predominant musical influences of the sub-culture were a mix of big band and Mento, which was a fusion of African style music played in the West Indies. This gave way later to Ska and Rocksteady, which was based on a blended form of reggae, jazz and blues. A very rhythmic music with a steady “off” beat, the characteristic dance is one of stepping whilst keeping a straight back, rocking/punching arms side to side, the origins of which come from “Rudes” stabbing a rival. This way of dancing is referred to as “skanking”an immediately identifiable part of the sub-culture.
“Rude” influenced British youth culture through immigration and in terms of music and fashion, but not so much the violence associated with its early origins. Young people adopted the music and fashion style of “Rude” boys and 1970’s Britain saw a “Rude” boy’s revival with the creation of bands such as “the specials” and “the beat”. The music and fashion became the primary focus for young people belonging to this exciting, upbeat sub culture. This youth sub-culture became known as “two-tone”, named after the integrated bi-racial youth that created it.
The original “rudes” youth sub-culture was symbolic of the tormented, unemployed young population of Jamaica and its emergence in multicultural Britain as a dangerous and edgy, anti-mainstream movement made it extremely exciting to young people. As Wayne Hemmingway says in the Don Letts subculture series of documentaries, it was “everything British youth culture wanted to be” (Skinhead and Rude-boy Culture, 2012).
The Research paper on Hip Hop Culture Black Music Media
Assignment for Media with Cultural Studies Level Two Youth Cultures, Subcultures and Industry Hip-Hop Culture This essay aims to examine the importance of the Hip-Hop culture in 21 st century society. It will begin with consideration of the history of Hip-Hop, discussing its stylistic adaptations, cultural preferences and concerns, referring to the studies of black culture by Ellis Cash more and ...
The Rude boy culture has contributed significantly overall to popular music culture and its historical impact been celebrated as such by the media. However, back in the 1960’s the media berated the youth culture because of its association with violence and anti-social behaviour. Realisation that ska music with its fast tempo and powerful lyrics had a part to play in the aggressive identity that “Rudies” adopted, so responsibility fell on the artists to influence a more peaceful approach to the culture and with a slower tempo and more anti-violent lyrics. Nicholas Stambuli 2011, points out “As much as ska had influenced these cultures, it also had the ability to change them”.
The Rude boy culture was a community based on a common interest and a source of inspiration for the oppressed – this symbolism and historical meaning has been lost in subsequent years and whilst the culture does not exist in the format I have outlined above, the music, dancing, fashion of that culture is still relevant today.
