Meaning
Violent, aggressive, or criminal behaviour — thuggery, roughness, and trouble-making. To 'gwaan wid badness' is to act violently or stir up serious trouble, and a 'badness man' lives by force, threat, and intimidation. The word names the whole hard, dangerous conduct of the gunman and the tough, sometimes feared, sometimes glorified in dancehall, and to 'ramp wid badness' is to play at or provoke violence. It belongs to the vocabulary of the streets and the badman, condemning and, at times, half-celebrating the life lived by aggression and the gun.
Examples
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Nuh bring no badness come yah.
Don't bring any violence here.
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Him gwaan wid too much badness.
He carries on with too much thuggery.
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Badness nah pay inna di end.
Violence doesn't pay in the end.
Origin
From English 'badness', but narrowed in Jamaican to mean specifically violent or criminal conduct rather than general wrongdoing.
How it’s used
Distinct from ordinary 'badness' in English. A recurring subject in dancehall, sometimes glorified, often warned against.