Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(W.I./Rasta) of a situation or individual, serious, important, amazing, whether positively or negatively.

1975		L.K. Johnson ‘Dread Beat an Blood’ in Dread Beat and Blood 55: Brothers and sisters rocking, / a dread beat pulsing fire, burning.
1980		(con. 1950s) M. Thelwell Harder They Come 205: Most of the youth coming up were growing their locks and taking African names [...] everything was ‘dread’. [Ibid.] 249: Good beat. lively tune, dread, dread reggae, sah, a hit.
1992		in R. Graef Living Dangerously 166: You’re on your own. It’s dread (scary).
2001		A. Wheatle East of Acre Lane 1: It had been a dread rave. Plenty girls to dance with, strong lagers freeflowing [etc.].
2005		Jade LB Keisha the Sket (2021) 21: ‘Ahh, ya dred gyal!’.
2017		theculturetrip.com ‘Guide to London Slang 10 Jan. 🌐 Dred – dreadful, terrible, bad, cruel.