Rihanna is from Barbados, but she borrows from Jamaica on this one. "Rude" is Jamaican slang for "cool, hip," and the phrase "rude boy" was used there in the 1960s to describe a snappily dressed ska fan. According to The Cassel Dictionary of Slang, the term came to be applied to any "young, Black Jamaican male who is an aggressive social dropout." In this song, the rude boy is Rihanna's love interest, and she's looking forward to their rendezvous.
Rihanna told Q magazine January 2010 this song is "about the kind of street, bad boy that girls sometimes like. There's a danger and a swagger there."
Ester Dean wrote this song along with Rihanna, Rob Swire, Makeba Riddick, and the production team The Neptunes. Dean at the time was in the Hot 100 with her own song, "Drop It Low," which features Rihanna's former boyfriend, Chris Brown. "Rude Boy" was one of three songs she and The Neptunes worked on that went to #1 in 2010; the others are Rihanna's "What's My Name?" and Katy Perry's "Firework." Rob Swire is the frontman of the Australian drum and bass outfit Pendulum. They've done very well not only in their homeland but also in the UK, where their 2010 set Immersion topped the albums chart. Makeba Riddick, who was also Rihanna's vocal producer, co-wrote Rihanna's "If It's Lovin' That You Want" and Beyoncé's "Deja Vu."
See your Spotify stats (with number of plays and minutes listened) and discover new music.
Music data, artist images, album covers, and song previews are provided by Spotify. Spotify is a trademark of Spotify AB.