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Crowds at stadiums tend to do Mexican waves. This was invented in the 1986 football World Cup in Mexico.
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No matter how strong the rudeboys become, the police alway escalated and became even stronger. After Jamaica won its independence in 1962, people were hoping for change from the colonial system. But change was slow and by 1965 civil unrest led to the ruling party bolstering the police force — leading to even more repression.
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What is this?
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A classic reggae song released in 1966 as a single and then part of Desmond Dekker And The Aces LP., it is known as one of the most popular reggae songs, with rapping in the bridge.
“007 (Shanty Town)” was a number one song in Jamaica and reached number twelve in the U.K. charts in July 1967 prompting a tour of England to support the song. The song also appeared in the highly influential soundtrack to Jimmy Cliff’s The Harder They Come and is an influence for The Clash’s “Rudie Can’t Fail.”
In Dekker’s own words:
I write this song because of what was happening at the time. The students had a demonstration and it went all the way around to Four Shore Road and down to Shanty Town. You got wild life and hting like that because it down near to the beach and the higher ones wanted to bulldoze the whole thing down and do their own thing and the students said no way. And it just get out of control. And whasoever you hear on the records, that is what was going down. Man take a stone and throw it through the window, lick after somebody, and you read it as somebody just knock it and gone. Is just a typical riot ‘cause I say – Them a loot, them a shoot, them a wail.
It was wild, wild. … “Shanty Town” was the one that gave me international recognition.
Source: Reggae Routes: The Story of Jamaican Music by Kevin O' Brien Chang and Wayne Chen (1998)
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The Rude Boy youth rebellion originated in the 60’s among the youth of the Kingston, Jamaica slums. It reflected the black radical consciousness movements in America and while sharing some goals with Rastafarians it did not shun violence. The ruling Jamaican Labor Party responded to the movement with oppressive measures throwing many young men in jail.
A Rude Boy typically dressed sharp, was assumed to be carrying a gun – in this song, he is basically a gangster who caused trouble ranging from petty crime to murder. A “wail” is a joyous celebration that is ensuing now that they have been released from jail.
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Sway’s brain is concentrating fast and hard, making it race much like Mo Farah. Also like Mo Farah, Sway has got an eye on only gold at the olympics.
Maybe he is talking about Roger Bannister. The first who broke the 4 minutes barrier for 1 mile.