Sheldon Shepherd Channels the Spirit of Legendary Jamaican Rude Boy on ‘Bad Boy Ratty’
Off the back of the premier of his Sky TV series ‘Possession’, Award-winning Jamaican actor and dub poet Sheldon Shepherd shares his brand new
single ‘Bad Boy Ratty’ today on Jamaican Independence Day. The single is taken from his first solo album entitled ‘Give Thanks’ which drops September 18th, on his own Nomaddic Movement label (distributed by Tuff Gong International).
In channeling the spirit of legendary outlaw and folk hero Rhyging, ‘Bad Boy Ratty’ questions the idea of war and a society that still thinks it’s necessary. Daring to make the bold and poetic statement that “Bad Boy and Police is the same thing”, Shepherd juxtaposes the so called criminal with the so called law man, making the distinction that corruption is the defining factor in both, pointing out that “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter” and “one woman’s bad boy is another woman’s lover”.
Bolstering the single’s message is the cover art which depicts Sheldon in the iconic silhouette of the late, great Jimmy Cliff, in the Jamaican cult classic film ‘Harder They Come’, who played the love-able bad boy Rhyging, often regarded as the ‘original rude boy’.
Known for his role in Storm Saulter’s ‘Better Mus’ Come’, for which he won Best Actor at the American Black Film Festival in 2012, Sheldon Shepherd has gone on to star in Idris Elba’s directorial debut, Yardie, and played the role of Neville Garrick in the Bob Marley biopic directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green. His most recent work is for the Sky UK TV series ‘Possession’, which premiered on 6th August and in which he plays a leading role.
Aside from his illustrious acting career, Sheldon is a published dub poet, committed to continuing the lineage of iconic dub poets such as Benjamin Zephaniah, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Jean Breeze, Louise Bennett, Oku Onoura and Mutabaruka. He also writes and directs for stage, is the founding member and lead vocalist of the dub poetry band The NoMaddz. ‘Bad Boy Ratty’ continues to showcase Sheldon Shepheard’s versatility ahead of his long awaited debut album.
