Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (orig. W.I.) ‘a young, Black Jamaican male who is an aggressive social drop-out; he may be a ghetto type, a gang type or one who adopts some Rastafarian cultist habits’ (Allsopp, Dict. Caribbean English Usage, 1996); also a term of address.

1967		Carib. Q. Sept. 39: Rude bwoy is that person, native, who is totally disenchanted with the ruling system; who generally is descended from the ‘African’ elements in the lower class [...] Rude bwoys are largely centred in those urban areas that suffer from chronic depression [OED].
1968		L. Barrett Rastafarians (1977) 194: It was one of these ‘rudies’ whom we know as ‘Toots Hibbert’ who wrote ‘Do the Reggae’ about 1968.
1976		R. Price Blood Brothers 115: They got these dudes, Rudies they call them: bad-ass lots, farm boys that came to the big city, got stiffed and just hang around rippin’ everybody off.
1980		M. Thelwell Harder They Come 247: Ganja traders dealt with everyone — rude-boys, gunmen, Rastas, pimps, everybody. [Ibid.] 326: Rhygin de rudie . . . Rhygin de face man, de dancer man who no woman could refuse.
1992		V. Headley Yardie 9: The only respect D. ever showed was reserved for the few ‘rudies’ who had [...] risked their lives for him.
1993		Snoop Doggy Dogg ‘Pump Pump’ 🎵 Cuz I’m one rude bwoy, comin with the wickedness.
1994		(ref. to 1940s) C. Cooper Female Sexuality in Lyrics of Bob Marley and Shabba Ranks 3: Like the revolutionary lyrics of the 1940’s original rude boy, Rhygin Ivan, of the movie The Harder They Come.
1997		C. Newland Scholar 182: Raa, Sean, wha’ you sayin’ rudey!
1999		Guardian Rev. 2 July 5: Tommy is doing deals with terrifying rude boys from Kingston.
2001		(con. 1981) A. Wheatle East of Acre Lane 19: Pure rude bwai you ah deal qwid. [Ibid.] 91: I’m just a rudie who came an’ den went.
2003		Dizzee Rascal in Vice Mag. at Hyperdub.com 🌐 I know that man! I’m double protective now rudeboy! I swear to you.
2010		K. Richards Life 357: And they mocked her - ‘rude girl, rude girl’.
2015		T. Pluck ‘Mannish Water’ in Life During Wartime (2018) 142: I ‘was a rude boy [...] but now I have this. Honest work’.
2017		theculturetrip.com ‘Guide to London Slang 10 Jan. 🌐 Rude boy (or rudeboiiiii) – a badman, hardened by London’s tough streets.
2020		G. Krauze What They Was 66: Oi come ere rudeboy.

2. a young person, of any race, who likes W.I. music, typically blue-beat, rock-steady and ska; the term was revived in the early 1980s for fans of ‘two-tone’ music (itself reviving the old blue-beat etc); usu. attrib.

1985		‘Jennifer Blowdryer’ Modern English 39: rudeboy (n): A Rudeboy is not rude at all, he is a cute little thing with a porkpie hat, who likes Ska music, rude girls and racial integration.
1986		(ref. to 1970s) R. Hewitt White Talk Black Talk 100: In the 1970s the prevailing Jamaican ‘rude boy’ culture gave way to Rasta influence and to the ‘stylers.’.
1998		Source Nov. 25: Mad props for a rude boy style.
2000		Indep. on Sun. Culture 5 Mar. 4: The film portrayed the booming reggae industry, cannabis trade and ‘rude boy’ culture.
2000		Hip-Hop Connection Jan. 74: For that special easy skankin’, rudebwoy new year party, get some reggae, soul and funk.
2006		G. Malkani Londonstani (2007) 5: His perfectly timed and perfectly authentic rudeboy front.