Meaning
A rough, streetwise ghetto youth — a rude bwoy from the poor inner city, and, worn as a badge of grassroots pride, a tough survivor of the hard life. Shortened to 'ragga', it also names the raw, rugged, stripped-down dancehall style of the late 1980s, all hard riddims and street lyrics. The word turns the English 'ragamuffin' (a ragged urchin) into a defiant self-image of the ghetto, claiming the roughness the wider world scorns as a mark of authenticity and nerve.
Examples
-
Him a ragamuffin from di ghetto.
He's a rough youth from the ghetto.
-
Ragga music tek ova di dancehall.
Ragga music took over the dancehall.
-
Raggamuffin style hard an rugged.
Raggamuffin style is hard and rugged.
Origin
From English 'ragamuffin' (a ragged, scruffy person), reclaimed in Jamaica as a proud name for the ghetto youth and the music of the streets.
How it’s used
Both an identity (the grassroots rude bwoy) and a music style ('ragga'). Worn with pride rather than shame.