… Read Full Bio ↴Hepcat are a third wave ska band formed in southern California in 1989.
Their soulful harmonies and mellow rhythms were unlike those of contemporaries and more akin to musicians from the heyday of 1960s Jamaican ska, also referred to as the first wave.
Hepcat's debut album, "Out of Nowhere" was released in 1994 on New York-based ska label Moon Records. Two years later, they followed it up with "Scientific" on BYO Records. In 1998, after signing with Epitaph Records subsidiary HellCat Records, they released "Right on Time," scoring a modest hit with the swinging "No Worries" and scored a spot on the Vans Warped Tour. 2000 saw the release of "Push n' Shove," their first album without founding members Raul Talavera and Alex Désert, although the latter appears as a guest vocalist on two tracks.
The band went on indefinite hiatus after 2000, and no new material has surfaced since. Trumpeter Kincaid Smith formed Soul Traffic, a five-piece funk band. Drummer Scott Abels has played with the Rancid side project Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards and the southern California reggae act The Aggrolites. Vocalist Alex Desert has had a successful career in film and television, appearing in the movies PCU, Swingers, and High Fidelity; and the television show Becker.
In early 2004, a remastered version of Out of Nowhere was released with two additional bonus tracks, an early version of "Nigel" and "Club Meditation," both of which appeared on their first single. Occasionally, Hepcat reconvenes to play a few shows a year in the California area. Often, this lineup is that which performed on "Scientific."
They take their name from a term for a 1940s-50s jazz musician.
Rudies All Around
Hepcat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rudies don't fear
Rudies all around
Rudies don't care
From Kingston to Montego Bay
Rudies everywhere
From Kingston to Montego Bay
From Negril to Point Royal
Rudies everywhere
Cops shot rudies, rudies shot cops, too
Rudies don't fear
Cops shot at rudies, rudies shot at cops, too
Rudies don't care
Rudies all around
Rudies don't fear
Rudies all around
Rudies don't care
From Kingston to Montego Bay
Rudies everywhere
From Negril to Point Royal
Rudies everywhere
From Kingston to Montego Bay
Rudies everywhere
Cops shot rudies, rudies shot cops, too
Rudies don't fear
Cops bam rudies, rudies bam cops, too
Rudies don't care
The Hepcat song "Rudies All Around" is a celebration of the Jamaican subculture known as "rudies," a term that refers to young men who dress in sharp suits and listen to ska music. The song paints a picture of a society in which rudies are ubiquitous and fearless, from the cities of Kingston and Montego Bay to the beach towns of Negril and Point Royal.
The first verse of the song establishes the pervasive presence of rudies, while the second brings in a more ominous note, mentioning the violence that sometimes erupts between rudies and the police. However, the chorus assures us that no matter who is shooting at who, the rudies remain unafraid and unbothered: "Rudies all around / Rudies don't fear / Rudies all around / Rudies don't care."
It's worth noting that the song's repeated use of the phrase "rudies everywhere" is a nod to the Jamaican folk song "Chi Chi Bud," which similarly lists the many places where a particular character is encountered. In this way, Hepcat is situating the rudies within a wider cultural tradition, even as they are celebrated for their distinctiveness and defiance.
Line by Line Meaning
Rudies all around
There are a lot of Rudies present
Rudies don't fear
Rudies are not intimidated
Rudies all around
There are still a lot of Rudies present
Rudies don't care
Rudies are indifferent
From Kingston to Montego Bay
Rudies are present all over Jamaica
Rudies everywhere
There is an abundance of Rudies
From Kingston to Montego Bay
Jamaica is full of Rudies
Rudies everywhere
Rudies are all over the place
From Negril to Point Royal
Rudies can be found in different parts of Jamaica
Cops shot rudies, rudies shot cops, too
There is ongoing violence between the police and Rudies
Rudies don't fear
Rudies are not afraid of the police
Cops shot at rudies, rudies shot at cops, too
There is a tit-for-tat exchange of gunfire between the police and Rudies
Rudies don't care
Rudies are not concerned about the police or the violence
Rudies all around
Despite the violence, Rudies are still present in large numbers
Rudies don't fear
The Rudies remain fearless despite the ongoing violence
Rudies all around
There are still a lot of Rudies around
Rudies don't care
The Rudies remain indifferent despite the ongoing violence
From Kingston to Montego Bay
Rudies are all over Jamaica despite the violence
From Negril to Point Royal
Rudies are present in different parts of Jamaica despite the violence
From Kingston to Montego Bay
Jamaica is still heavily populated by Rudies despite the violence
Rudies everywhere
There are still an abundance of Rudies despite the violence
Cops bam rudies, rudies bam cops, too
The violence between the police and Rudies is escalating
Rudies don't care
The Rudies continue to be indifferent even as the violence escalates
Contributed by Micah G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@AJtheRastaman
One of my faves from them
@ChachiTelevision1979
I was obsessed with this song in middle school.
@Army4Runner
I used to jam to this all the time back in the 90s and early 2000s…memories. Good stuff.
@davidoguonoarjona9713
Rudies from vallekas .. a tope con hepcat
@nattykaris7220
Rudies in kenia
@lawrencegeorge3036
Kenya
@alhollywood6486
From Negril to Port Royal
@danielmenjivar793
Thanks hahaha