Meaning
A tough, streetwise gangster or ruffian — a rough, hardened man of the streets who commands a certain fear and respect. Used in dancehall to name the archetypal badman or gangster, 'gangalee' is spoken sometimes in warning and sometimes admiringly, as a badge of nerve and hard reputation. It belongs to the music's fascination with the dangerous, defiant figure of the streets, the man not to be crossed, and it sits with 'shotta', 'badman', and 'gangsta' in the vocabulary of the tough and the feared.
Examples
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Him a real gangalee from di corner.
He's a real tough gangster from the corner.
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Di gangalee dem run di block.
The gangsters run the block.
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Nuh act like nuh gangalee wid mi.
Don't act like a tough guy with me.
Origin
Of uncertain, likely African-influenced or 'gang'-derived origin; a dancehall word for a gangster/tough.
How it’s used
A tough/gangster figure; can be admiring or wary. Compare 'shotta', 'ruff-neck', 'area-don'.