Meaning
Hard, difficult, or unyielding — 'life tuff' means times are hard, and 'di work tuff' means the work is demanding and heavy. But in dancehall the word also swings to the admiring: something 'tuff' is impressively strong, solid, and hard-hitting, so a 'tuff' riddim or a 'tuff' tune is a powerful, banging one. So 'tuff' runs from the weary sense of hardship and struggle to the praise of something formidable and forceful, both sharing the core idea of hardness, whether of a life's difficulty or a track's raw power.
Examples
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Times tuff right now, money short.
Times are hard right now, money is short.
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Di exam did tuff.
The exam was difficult.
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Dat riddim tuff!
That rhythm is seriously hard-hitting!
Origin
The Patois pronunciation of 'tough'; carries both the 'hard/difficult' sense and an admiring dancehall sense of 'powerful/solid'.
How it’s used
Two flavours: 'hard/difficult' (life tuff) and, admiringly, 'strong/impressive' (tuff riddim). Compare 'bad like yaz'.