The Totally Unofficial Rap Dictionary (Part 1 of 2)
Niels Janssen
Posted-By: auto-faq 3.2.1.3
Archive-name: music/hip-hop/dictionary/part1
Posting-Frequency: Bi-weekly, posted on the 3rd and 18th of each month
I N T E R N E T ' S T O T A L L Y U N O F F I C I A L
R A P D I C T I O N A R Y
Hi,
This is the first part of the bi-weekly posting of the Totally Unofficial
Rap Dictionary to alt.rap. It is extracted from the WWW version accessible
at:
http://www.sci.kun.nl/thalia/rapdict/
This Rap Dictionary is not intended to show the only correct spelling
of words; slang is mostly a spoken language an noone exactly knows how to
spell things. A word might mean something other to you than displayed
here; that is because all words and corresponding meanings have been
put in the list on a "goes until challenged by someone" basis.
I have followed the English rules, writing out words fully. Most verbs
are usually written differently, though. Take for example "cruising",
which will usually be spelled like "cruisin'", or "brother" which is
often seen as "brotha". Some starting with an "f" are often written
with "ph", like "phat" or "phunky". And what to think of a thing like
"Doowutchalike"?
Where possible I have added a source in the form
"<line>" -- <artist> (<song> [year])
to show in what context the word can be used. Note the _a_, I don't
mean _the_ source, since that would take ages of debating. ;-)
Note that in slang or dialects the grammar is not strongly typed, so
nouns can be verbs etcetera. Slang for gun and penis is almost always
interchangable.
Wherever you encounter "(?)" I am not sure about whatever I am saying there.
"???" means that I don't have that particular piece of information. If you
know more than I, please let me know.
Please help making this list more complete. If it wasn't for the help of
the UseNet alt.rap community, this list wouldn't be one percent of its
current size. Feel free to use or to contribute to this list. I don't
want anyone (including myself) to use this list for financial gain, though.
Also I would like to thank Patrick 'Tricky' Atoon for starting this
dictionary. He has collected most of the words in this Totally Unofficial
Rap Dictionary!
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-- 0-9 --
_1 and 2_
Turntables. _"DJ behind the 1 and 2"_.
_1-2 checker_
1) Checking the MIC.
2) Checking the scene.
_10_
A gun. _"Had my ten in my hand"_ -- Coolio (Gangsta's paradise
[1995]).
_10%_
See 5%. _"Ten percent took a loss"_ -- Boots of The Coup.
_107.5_
(n) A NYC radio station that helped bring hip-hop to the radio.
_1200_
1) (n) The Technics SL 1200 is regarded as the best turntable
for DJ'ing. The reason for this is its very, very high torque.
If you hit the start/stop button, the platter will reach top
speed within a 1/4th revolution. Not many turntables can match
that. _"My DJ you know 1200's he's using, I don't!"_ --
Schoolly D. (I don't like rock 'n roll [??])
2) (n) SP-1200 sampler, a top of the line product.
_1555_
(n) The year the first slaveships arrived in America. _"Sayin'
1555 how I'm livin'"_ -- Public Enemy (Can't truss it [??]).
_186_
(n) Police term for a murder or homicide. To be on the lookout
for someone who is trying to kill you.
_187_
(n) Californian penal code number for homicide. The police in
California uses the penal code numbers as shorthand on the
radio. Eg. in Oregon the code for homicide is _"163.005"_,
different from California. _"Try to set me up for a 211, fuck
around and get caught up in a 187"_ -- Dr. Dre (Let me ride
[1992]).
_2 to 4_
(n) The duration of a imprisonement sentence, two to four years
in jail. _"Hit with a 2 to 4 is difficult"_ -- Mobb Deep
(Survival of the fittest [1995]).
_20_
(n) See twenty sack. _"I'm an addict for sneakers, 20's of
buddah and bitches with beepers"_ -- NAS (New York state of
mind [1994]).
_21 Cerritos_
(n) Long Beach crip set. The Dogg Pound and Warren G have
rumored association with them. _"But you don't really know
about, you know, the Cerritos silly ho"_ -- Daz (Who gotz some
gangsta shit [1994]).
_211_
(n) Police code for armed robbery. _"Try to set me up for a
211, fuck around and get caught up in a 187"_ -- Dr. Dre (Let
me ride [1992]).
_212_
(n) A New York area code.
_213_
(n) The name of a group with Snoop, Nate Dogg and Warren G.
This group was separated when they all got big. _"Way back then
213 was the clique"_ -- Warren G (Do you see [1994]).
(n) Los Angeles area code.
_22_
(n) 22 caliber gun. _"Twentytwo automatic on my person"_ --
Beastie Boys (Rhymin' & stealin' [1986])
_24/7, 24/7/365_
(n) All the time, from 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days
a year.
_25 with an izl_
(n) 25 years to life sentence. _"25 with an izL"_ -- Snoop
Doggy Dog (Murder was the case [1993]).
_30_
(n) A firearm.
_310_
(n) The area code for Long Beach.
_357_
(n) A .357 Magnum pistol. _".357 break it on down"_ -- LL Cool
J. (.357 Break it on down [1987]).
_36 chambers_
1) (n) The 36 chambers a warrior has to go through to become a
Shaolin. Every chambers has a special task the warrior has to
complete in order to be able to continue to the next chamber.
The RZA said in an interview with Billboard Magazine that there
are nine members in the Clan, and each member has four chambers
in his heart, which makes 9x4 = 36 chambers.
2) (n) There are 36 'death-points' on the body, each seperated
from the other at 10 degree intervals, where the trained Wu
expert can cause death at a single blow.
_38_
1) (n) 38 caliber pistol.
2) (n) _"38 hot"_ means very angry.
_380_
(n) A handgun. _"Unpacked and I grabbed my three eighty cause
where we stayin', niggaz look shady"_ -- Ice Cube (Summer
Vacation [1991]).
_4 pound_
(n) 45 caliber (1 caliber = 1/100th inch) gun.
_40_
(n) A 40-ounce bottle of malt liquor. _"Use to drink every day,
straight 40's to the head"_ -- Ice-T. (Ed [1991]).
_411_
(n) Information, from the US phone number for information.
_4-9-3-11_
(n) The numbers represent letters of the alphabet; 4 is D, 9 is
I, and so on. These numbers spell _"dick"_. _I be comin'
through like the 4-9-3-11 tearing up the power-U"_ -- Method
Man (Meth vs Chef [1994]).
_5% Nation_
5% Nation -- A group which started as an offshoot of the NoI.
They teach that any large group of people, and more
specifically, the African American nation, can be divided into
three groups, the 85% = basically the ignorant masses which
need to be led, the 5% = the people with true knowledge of self
whose job it is to lead the masses and fight against the 10%,
the 10% = people who have partial knowledge of self and use it
to gain power and wealth by exploiting the 85, also referred to
as "bloodsuckers of the poor". The chosen percentages are what
they feel that the percentages are within the black community.
These numbers are neither universal (all though these groups do
exist within any large group) nor unchangeable. _"That'll be
the day the five percent eat swine"_ -- Dred Scott (Breakin'
combs [1994]).
_5 on it_
Five dollars on a sac of marihuana. _"I got five on it"_ -- The
Luniz (I got five on it [1995]).
_5-plated_
(adj) Nickel plated.
_5 0_
1) (n) A police officer, from the series Hawaii Five-O. The
word is used mainly in East LA. _"Five-O said 'freeze', and I
got numb"_ -- Public Enemy (Bring the Noise).
2) (n) A 5.0 liter Ford Mustang, which is used as a police
vehicle in some areas.
_5000_
(interj) A farewell bidding, from _"I'm outta here"_, which
evolved to _"I'm Audi"_, and to _5000"_ after the Audi 5000
car, which got recalled and is a rare sight nowadays. _"Yo, we
outta here, 5000, G!"_ -- Ice Cube and Flavor Flav (I'm only
out for one thang [1990]).
_502_
(n) 25 years ago, California had a vehicle code 502 for drunk
driving. The current code is 23152(a) vc. _"Fuck the police and
a 502"_ -- N.W.A. (8-ball [??]).
_5150_
(n) Code of the California Legal Codes that stands for a
mentally unstable person. Also the name of an old Van Halen
album. It is also a track on Da Luniz' album _"Operation
Stackola"_.
_64_
1) (n) A 64-ounce bottle of malt liquor. _"40's are no more
because now I'm drinkin' 64s"_ -- Grand Puba (Three Men at
Chung King)
2) (n) A 1964 Chevrolet Impala. _"Jumped in the 64 with the
diamond in the back, sunroof top"_ -- N.W.A. (Gangsta, gangsta
[1988]).
_7-11_
1) (n) All-night convenience store, which was originally open
from 7am to 11pm when other stores were closed. _"He always has
me open like a 7-11"_ -- Salt 'n Pepa (What a man [??]).
2) (n) From the dice game called craps, rolling a 7 and then 11
wins. _"Shake em up, shake em, rollin with a couple of homies
and watch me break em with a seven, seven-eleven"_ -- Ice Cube
(Today was a good day [1993]).
_8-ball_
1) (n) Old English 800, a popular beer in the hood.
2) (n) An eightball is literally, in drug terms, an eight of an
ounce. There are twenty-eight grams in an ounce, and hence,
three and one half grams in an eightball. In places where an
eightball is less than three and a half grams, the laws of
supply and demand have constricted the quantity in favor of a
popular price.
3) (n) On to it. Ie: _"on the 8-ball"_, up with the play.
4) (n) The 8-ball is the last ball to pot in the billiards game
of pool. If you accidentally pot it before the end of the game,
you lose. So, the 8-ball also represents chance.
_808_
1) (n) The bassdrum from a Roland TR-808 drum machine, which is
now a popular sample.
2) (n) The penal code for disturbing the peace. Refers to the
sound of bass from stereos.
_85%_
See 5%. _"Why? That's most asked by 85"_ -- Ladybug of Digable
Planets (???).
_86_
(v) To kill a plan or action. In the restaurant lingo it means
that you want to cancel an order already placed with the
kitchen or on the bill. _"86 that spinach salad!"_.
_9, 9mm_
(n) 9 mm gun. _"My nine is easy to load"_ -- L.L. Cool J. (Mama
said knock you out [1990])
_9 to 5_
(n) A job where you work from 9:00 am till 5:00 pm. _"While
your were at your job working nine to five, the Beastie Boys
were at the garden cold kickin' it live!"_ -- Beastie Boys (No
sleep till Brooklyn [1986]).
_911_
(n) The US phone number for emergencies. _"Now I dialed 911 a
long time ago"_ -- Public Enemy (911 is a joke).
_917_
(n) New York City area code where all the cellular phones and
pagers are on.
_950_
(n) The Akai S-950, a widely used rackmount sampler. A nice
piece of equipment that allowed the producer to _"stretch"_ the
sound wave so that the sample could be sped up or slowed down
without changing the pitch. It was made popular by the Bomb
Squad who used them to stack samples thus giving their tracks
the dope sound. From the Alkaholiks (The next level [1994]).
_98 Oldsmobile_
(n) A make of Oldsmobile, usually considered to be their best
make of car, year after year. A real status symbol. _"My 98 is
tough to chase"_ -- Public Enemy (You gonna get yours [1987]).
_97.1_
(n) HOT 97, A CHR-turned-hip hop station in New York.
_98.7_
(n) WRKS KISS FM, a NYC radio station that helped bring hip-hop
to the radio.
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-- A --
_a_
(v) Going to. _"I'm a do it like this"_
_Ac_
The Acura Legend, a brand car. _"With the Mac in the Ac door
panelin'"_ -- Notorious BIG (Unbelievable [1994]).
_afro_
1) (n) Hairstyle like the Jackson Five had, much hair and round
like a ball.
2) (n) Person with an afro. _"Don't laugh hoes, I'm down with
The Afro's"_ -- Ice Cube (I gotta say what up!!! [1990]) (note
that Cube refers to a rap group).
_AK/AK-47_
(n) Assault rifle of Russian origin, nowadays produced in
China. The letters stand for Alexander Kalashnikov, who
invented the gun in World War II. _"My AK-47 is the tool"_ --
Da Lench Mob (Freedom got an AK [1993]) (originally from NWA
(Straight out of Compton)).
_Alizé_
(n) French beverage made from passion fruit and cognac.
_all that_
(adj) in possession of all good qualities.
_Alpine_
(n) Car stereo set. From the name of the manufacturers of the
top in-car speaker systems. _"Sit back and let the Alpine
blast"_ -- Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (Summertime [1991]).
_am_
(n) The morning, as in A.M. _"Steppin' to the am"_ -- 3rd Bass
(The cactus album [1989]).
_Amarredos_
Italian bit-size cookies that often come with meals. _"eatin'
better amerados"_ -- Raekwon (Investigative Reports [??]).
_A&R_
(n) Refers to Artist and Repetoir execs in record companies
they are hooked up with an artist to help put out an image and
distribute the artists albums. _"First of all, who's your A &
R, a mountain climber who plays an electric guitar?"_ -- Wu
Tang Clan (Protect ya neck [1994]).
_around the way_
(n) From the neighbourhood. _"From around the way"_ -- Beastie
Boys (No sleep till Brooklyn [1986]).
_axe_
(v) Ask. _"Gave her ten dollars, then she axed me for some
more"_ -- Schoolly D. (P.S.K. (what does it mean?) [??]).
_ay yo trip_
(interj) Phrase to seek attention, compare _"Check this out"_.
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-- B --
_bag up_
1) (v) To laugh real hard at something.
2) (v) To be caught or arrested by the police.
3) (v) To have sexual intercourse with. _"Bag up bitches from
John Jay"_ -- Nas (One Love [1994]).
_bail out_
(v) Run away for someone.
_bamma'_
1) (n) Person who cannot dress, a loser. _"Me and the rest of
the bammers"_ -- Question Mark Asylum (Deriving from teh D.C.
area [??]).
2) Shake, a type of marijuana from the leaves rather than the
buds of the hemp plant.
_bang_
1) (v) To fight to kill
_banger_
1) (n) Banger: someone associated with gangs and murder.
2) (n) Rocker, from headbanging.
_bank_
(n) Money. _"That's cool cause I whipped out bank"_ -- Sir
Mix-a-lot (I got game [??]).
_battle_
(v) To compete, usually freestyle rapping, sometimes
breakdancing. _"You want to rap and you got no battle, it's
like havin' a boat and you got no paddle"_ -- Public Enemy (???
[1987]).
_bawla_
(n) Someone who has established himself in the hood, who is
making much money (beit illegitimate or not), and who is good
with the ladies; it is a Blood term. The Crip version of this
word is _"highroller"_.
_b-boy_
(n) From _"break boy"_; one who breakdances. _B-boys in the
front, back, side and middle, check out my b-boy rhyme and
riddle"_ -- Schoolly D. (B-boy rhyme [??]).
_beam me up, Scotty_
(interj) Give me crack.
_beamer_
(n) Expensive European car: BMW, status symbol. Used by Tribe
Called Quest on Low End Theory.
_bean_
(n) Also called a head.
_beef_
(n) And argument or discrepancy with another individual or
group of individuals. The following citation is from the book
Juba to Jive: the dictionary of African-American slang, by
Clarence Major. Beef n. (1930s-1940s; 1960s-1970s) an _"old"_
word dating back to general criminal use in the thirties. For
young black in the sixties and later it meant roughly the same
as it had earlier: a complaint or argument; a disagreement in
progress.
_bend_
(n) A prostitute. _"She was more than just a bend"_ -- Grand
Puba
_Benz_
1) (n) Expensive European car: Mercedes Benz, status symbol.
_"I used to get no play, now she stays behind me, 'cause I said
I had a Benz 190"_ -- N.W.A. (I ain't the one [1988]).
2) (interj) Used to acknowledge _"Audi"_, meaning goodbye.
_Benzi-box_
1) (n) A pull out radio. _"Here come the cops... put the
Benzi-box under the seat"_ -- Naughty by Nature (Strike a nerve
[1991]).
2) (n) A box full of Mercedes Benz emblems that were stolen off
the cars.
_being [down] with something_
(v) Favouring something, thinking the same way. _"Howie Tee,
are you with me?"_ -- The Real Roxanne and Howie Tee ((Bang
zoom) let's gogo).
_berry_
(n) A crack fiend that will perform sexual favors for crack or
loot. _"Didn't even see a berry flashing those high beams"_ --
Ice Cube (Today was a good day [1993]). Cube is talking about
not even having seen a woman exposing her breasts to him.
_BG_
1) (n) Baby gangster, as opposed to OG. An OG has shot
somebody, a BG has not shot anyone yet. _"I quit school cuz of
recess, you fuckin BG"_ -- Snoop Doggy Dogg (Pump Pump [1993]).
2) (n) Black gangster.
_bill_
(n) A one hundred dollar banknote.
_bima_
(n) See beamer. _"Lex, coupe, bimaz, benz"_ -- Lost Boyz (???
[??]).
_bird_
(n) Kilo. _"A bird in the hand"_ -- Ice Cube (A bird in the
hand [1991]).
_bitch_
1) (n) Prostitute; girls call each other _"What's up, bitch?"_
Doesn't necessarily have to be negative. Doesn't have to mean
females either. _"Cause some of y'all niggas is bitches too"_
-- Ice T (Bitches 2 [1991]).
2) (v) To curse or nag about something.
_bite_
1) (v) To copy lyrics from other people. _"I know you down
south are biting my lines, and if I catch you boy, your ass is
mine"_ -- Schoolly D. (Gucci time)
2) (v) To steal
_bizzo_
1) (n) A girl. _"My seven bizzos"_ -- 2 Live crew (My seven
bizzos [1989]).
2) (n) Someone who is bizarre.
_black book_
1) A small book carried by graffiti artists for others to do
work in.
2) A book to carry phone numbers in.
3) The Bible.
_Black Panther movement_
(n) This movement was founded in Oakland, California by Huey P.
Newton, H.R. Brown and Bobby Seale. Fought for the rights of
black to bear arms like white people in the late 1960's and the
early 1970's.
_blast_
(v) To smoke crack.
_blend_
(n) See marihuana.
_blindside_
(v) To creep up on someone.
_blood_
1) (n) Blood brother
2) (n) Member of the Bloods gang.
_blunt_
(n) See marihuana. Marijuana cigarette, herb stuffed cigar,
generally phillies.
_blunted_
(v) Under influence of a blunt. _"Made a little record for the
blunted to chill with"_ -- Cypress Hill (Hand on the pump
[1993])
_boat_
(n) Marijuana laced with embalming fluid.
_bomb_
1) (n) Marijuana laced with heroin.
2) (adj) Very good. _"Dre be playing them bomb beats"_ -- ???
(??? [??]).
_bone_
1) (v) To have sexual intercourse. _"Your aim is to bone"_ --
Tribe Called Quest (Classic example of a date rape).
2) (n) Penis. _"You can act like a doggy, and play with my
bone"_ -- Schoolly D. (Another poem [??]). 3) (n) One dollar.
4) (n) Core, soul. _"I'm a rock hard trooper to the bone"_ --
Public Enemy (Louder Than A Bomb)
5) (v) To bone out, as in leaving. They all got in the car and
boned out" -- Smokey (Friday [1995]).
6) (n) A joint. _"Smokin' bones in the staircase"_ -- Wu-Tang
Clan (C.R.E.A.M. [??]).
_bones_
(n) Dominos.
_boneyard_
1) (n) Graveyard.
2) (n) Domino pile to draw from.
_bong_
(n) A waterpipe for smoking marijuana. The marijuana is
filtered through the water. When you suck it decreases the
pressure in the chamber so the smoke get pulled through the
water so it looks like it boiling. It is good because it
filters out some of the bad stuff like tar. It also cools the
smoke to make it less harsh.
_boo_
(n) A term of endearment, like baby. _"I'll be in here, boo"_
-- Method Man (You're all I need [1994]).
_boo boo head_
(n) Whore, deceitful woman. Used mostly around the Bay Area,
especially East Bay (check the whole song dedicated to this
word by Del on his No Need For Alarm album).
_booster_
(n) A shoplifter.
_booty_
1) (adj) Not good, lacking. _"And them rhymes you were kickin
were quite bootylicious"_ -- Snoop Doggy Dogg (Dre Day [??]).
2) (n) Bottom, ass. Or getting a piece of ass.
3) (n) Biblical, as in pirates booty or treasure. Since booty
is stolen treasure, it could be good or bad. Often used in the
negative today.
_boo-yaa_
1) (n) Totally dope, incredibly fine. Probably orignated from
the _"Boo-yaa Tribe"_. _That shit was straight-up boo-yaa"_ --
??.
2) (n) Impression of the sound of a shotgun. _"shotgun goes
boo-ya"_ -- Cypress Hill (Hand on the pump [1993]).
3) (n) Marijuana, probably derived from Buddha. 4) (n) Crack,
probably related from the fact that smoking crack is sort of
equivalent to putting a shotgun to your head and pulling the
trigger.
_bounce_
1) (v) To leave, to get up, to break. _"You mean bounce... I'm
with you, bounce right outta NYC"_ -- Raekwon (??? [??]).
2) (n) Form of music from New Orleans. Check Mystikal's album
for a song called _"Neva gonna bounce"_.
3) (n) A reference to the Banhead Bounce, a dance made famous
in Atlanta rap music.
_bout it_
(n) Real, not fake, true to the game. _"I'm bout it, bout it"_
-- Master P (Bout it, bout it [1995]).
_boy_
(n) Friend, possibly short for homeboy. _"That's my boy"_.
_boys in blue_
(n) Police. _"As I ran there were the boys in blue, pointing
their guns at my four man crew"_ -- Boogie Down Productions
(Love's gonna getcha [1990]).
_bozack, 'zack_
(n) Scrotum.
_Brass Monkey_
1) (n) an alcoholic concoction available in liquor stores.
_"Drinking Brass Monkey"_ -- Beastie Boys (Brass Monkey
[1986]).
_break to_
1) Comes from the Biblical term _"selah"_. Comes from music,
_"on the break"_, but for hip-hop refers to the break in the
record that is created by the DJ. _"Beats and breaks"_.
2) (v) transport onesself to, often quickly.
_break off_
(v) Marijuana is sometimes sold as little blocks. So, breaking
off some means to share the good stuff with others. _"Break ya
off something"_ -- Cypress Hill (Insane in the brain [1993]).
_bremelo_
(n) Derogative term for fat ugly women from Bremerton, WA, a
working-class town with a Naval Base. The joke is that these
women hang around and _"chasin' fellas in the Navy"_.
_brick_
1) (adj) Very cold.
2) (v) To punch.
_broady_
(v) To take or steal something.
_broccoli_
(n) See marihuana. _"With a handful of broccoli"_ -- Spice 1
(??? [??]).
_brother_
(n) Man of the same group; friend. In the Bible you will read
_"brethern"_, which is used in the same meaning.
_doing a buck 50_
(v) To speed or get out of a bad situation. Derived from a
_"buck"_, or dollar. A buck fifty would then be 1.50, referring
to doing 150 miles per hour.
_bucket_
(n) Old car in bad shape. _"So I moved on an old car, it was a
bucket, but fuck it, it had to do"_ -- Ice-T. (Midnight
[1991]).
_buckwilding_
(v) To get buckwild means to have sex, see also wilding. A
_"buck"_ is a young, unbroken horse that cowboys try to master
at a rodeo. _"Get buckwild with the white freaks, show 'em how
to really work the white sheets"_ -- Body Count (KKK Bitch
[1992]).
_buddah_
(n) See marihuana. _"I'm an addict for sneakers, 20's of buddah
and bitches with beepers"_ -- NAS (New York state of mind
[1994]).
_buddy_
1) (n) At the start of De La soul's _"Buddy"_ video, Prince
Paul makes a statement to the effect that _"Buddy means body."_
2) (n) Sexual partner. A bit more than a friend.
3) (adj) Something that appears okay at first, but is actually
a cheap imitation; a knockoff, ripoff or fake. Said to be from
_"Buddies"_ which are shoes that look cool but fall apart real
quickly. _"Get that buddy shit out of here"_ -- (???).
_bug_
(v) To act strange, crazy, weird. See ill. _"You don't have to
take us seriously, we're only buggin'"_ -- Whistle (Only
buggin' [1984]).
_bumrush_
1) (n) Crash the gates of a show with a pack of people, in the
hope to get in without having to pay. _"Yo!Bum rush the show"_
-- Public Enemy. (Yo!Bum rush the show) [1987].
2) (v) To get beaten up by a large, angry group of people.
_bunk_
1) (adj) Unpleasant, bad.
2) (n) A load of bunk: a lot of nonsense.
_burner_
1) (n) A large piece of graffiti usually involving many colors.
2) (n) A gun.
_bust a nut_
(v) To ejaculate.
_bust this_
(interj) Pay attention. _"But bust this!"_ -- Ice-T (Bitches 2
[1991]).
_bust slugs_
(v) To fire bullets. _"And bust some slugs for South Africa"_
-- Heather B. with BDP (Seven MC's)
_busta_
1) (n) Fake person, weak individual. _"Busta ass nigga talkin'
bullshit"_ -- Dr. Dre (Rat-a-tat-tat [1992]).
2) (n) A snitch, a person who tattle-tales.
_butt_
1) (n) Bottom.
2) (adj) Not good, lacking. _"Get yourself some toilet paper
'cause your lyrics is butt"_ -- Tribe Called Quest (Low End
Theory).
_butter_
(adj) Well liked, smoothed out. _"Phife Dog is on the mic and
I'm smooth like butter. It's like butter, not no Parkay, not no
margerine, strictly butter, baby"_ -- A Tribe Called Quest
(Butter [??]).
_buyaka_
(n) Jamaican, resembles the sound of gunshots.
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-- C --
_cap_
1) (n) Bullet. _"I'm a pop a cap in him"_ -- Jules in the movie
_"Pulp Fiction"_
2) (n) Cranium, top of the skull. _"Blood's on my gear, from
caps I've peeled"_ -- Ice-T. (Mic contract [1991]).
3) (n) Crack.
_cat_
1) (n) Vagina. _"Sprung on the Cat"_ -- Sir Mixalot (Sprung on
the cat [1992]). 2) (n) Person. Used in the 70s. _"You cant
take the jungle out of the cat"_ -- Jeru Tha Damaja (Frustrated
Nigger [1995]).
3) (adv) When someone is being a pussy about something. _"Why
don't you ask the girl out and stop being so cat?"_
_cateye_
1) To stare at a woman/man with sexual intentions.
2) A stud with many women.
_cave bitch_
(n) Female version of _"cave boy"_. Ice Cube (Cave bitch
[1993]).
_cave boy_
(n) A white person. Derived from the theory that early white
man lived in caves.
_C.B._
1) (n) See cock block.
2) (n) Cell block.
3) (n) Trucker radio.
_-cha_
You. _"I'm comin' to getcha"_ -- Ice Cube (I'm gonna wetcha
[1993])
_in check_
(n) Under control by someone else. Probably from a game of
chess.
_cheeba_
1) (n) See marihuana. Company inscriptions on pharmaceutical
drugs read "ciba", pronounced "cheeba".
2) (n) Black, sticky, gooey Brazilian marijuana often sold in
pounds. _"Some call it cheeba, some call it weed"_ -- Schoolly
D. (Saturday night [??]).
_cheese_
(n) money; material wealth (from Bone: Thugs & Harmony).
_chickenhead_
1) (n) Any dumb person (usually refers to women unfortunately)
who clucks (speaks) alot, and walks around aimlessly or without
purpose (like a chicken with its head cut off). _"Give me all
the chickenheads from Pasadena to Medina, let B.I.G. get in
between ya"_ - Total featuring the B.I.G. (Can't you see
[1995]).
2) Crack addict. Repeatedly referred to in _"Do or die"_, a
book about the conflict between the Crips and the Bloods in
South Central.
3) (n) A derrogatory term used when referring to females who
perform oral sex on males. _"With the chickenheads cluckin' in
the bathroom"_ -- ??? (?? [??]).
_chill_
1) (n) Relax. _"Why don't you just chill"_ -- L.L. Cool J. (Eat
em up L chill [1990]).
2) (adj) Mellow.
_cholo_
(n) The word in Spanish directly translates to "pimp". In Spain
the word means _"cool"_. It is synonymous with _bad ass"_ or
_"bad guy"_. _Vatos, chulos, call us what you will"_ -- Kid
Frost (La Raza [1990]).
_chrome_
(n) Gun. _"Now I gotta follow him home with the chrome"_ -- Ice
Cube (Robbin' hood [1994]).
_chronic_
(n) See marihuana. Incredibly potent marihuana, it started out
as weed laced with coke. _"The Chronic"_ -- Dr. Dre (The
Chronic [1992]).
_chronic flakes_
(n) Ashes from a marihuana cigarette. _"What up Ren? Still
droppin' chronic plates on yo ass, bitch"_ -- Snoop Doggy Dog
(The Chronic [1992]).
_chubby_
(n) Erection.
_cipher_
1) (n) A circle of brothers dropping science, showing and
proving.
2) (n) A graffitti writer.
_claim_
1) (v) To say one allies oneself with a gang or set.
2) (v) To claim membership in a gang.
3) (v) To say something that is not necessarily true.
_Clarks_
Clarks are an excellent English shoe brand.
_clip_
(n) Gun or holder of bullets to load a gun with. _"My AK-47
holdin' 50 clips"_ -- Da Lench Mob (Freedom got an AK [1992]).
_clique_
(n) the West Coast equivalent of _"crew"_.
_C-low_
(n) A dice game. _"Like shootin' C-low, and always hittin' head
cracks"_ -- A Tribe Called Quest (Low end theory [??]).
_clock_
1) (v) To stay aware of what happens around you. _"You're the
one that I'm clocking"_ -- Ol' Dirty Bastard (Raw hide [1994])
2) (v) To earn. _"I clock ducats"_ -- Public Enemy (??? [??]).
3) (v) To always watch, always have or to always be into
something. _"clockin' a grip"_ -- Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg
(Ain't nothing but a G-thang [1992]).
_clocking_
(adj) Disturbed.
_cluck (head)_
(n) Crack user.
_cock_
1) (n) Penis.
2) (n) Vagina. _"She was giving up the cock"_ -- Ice Cube
(Gangsta's Fairytale [1991])
3) (v) To pull the hammer of a gun. _"Cock the hammer, it's
time for action"_ -- Cypress Hill (Cock the hammer [1993])
_cock block_
(v) To prevent someone from getting sexual intercourse.
_cock diesel_
(adj) Very muscular.
_coconut_
(n) A hispanic person trying to be white. Compare with oreo.
_cold_
1) (adj) Intensely. _"Stone cold rhymin'"_ -- Young MC (Stone
cold rhymin').
2) (adj) Mean, not nice.
_come correct_
(v) To represent the real, to do something the way it should be
done. _"When I'm on the mic, I come correct"_ -- Beastie Boys
(Sure shot [1994])
_coochie_
(n) Vagina.
_cool_
(adj) Okay.
_coqui 900_
1) (n) A type of malt liquor. _"Coqui 900"_ -- Schoolly D.
(Coqui 900 [??]).
2) (n) A kind of frog native to Puerto Rico.
_county blues_
(n) Prison-issue clothes.
_CPT_
1) (n) Compton in the phonebook. Call it CPT for ease of use.
_"Claimin' they are from the CPT"_ -- N.W.A. (Compton's in the
house [1990])
2) (n) Short for _"Colored People Time"_; being late.
_crab_
(n) Derogatory name for a member of the Crips, an L.A. gang,
used by members of the Bloods, another L.A. gang. On the album
_"Damu ridas"_ there is a song called _"Fucc Crabz"_.
_cream_
Money. From: Cash Rules Everything Around Me, by the Wu-Tang
Clan.
_crib_
(n) Home. _"Black Ceasar at the crib"_ -- Public Enemy (Burn
Hollywood Burn [1990])
_crack a brew_
(v) Open a beer. _"Crack another 40, smoke some kill"_ --
Schoolly D. (Smoke some kill)
_cracker_
(n) Originally a term from Reconstruction time (1870) to mean
southern men. Now it means white bigot, from whip-cracker or
slavedriver. _"Got a little problem with the redneck cracker"_
-- Ice Cube (The Predator).
_crazy_
(adj) Besides meaning insane or extremely daring, it is kind of
synonymous with mad.
(adj) Extremely or very. _"Crazy fly bitches"_ -- Ice-T (???).
_C.R.E.A.M._
(n) Money. Acronym for Cash Rules Everything Around Me. From
the Wu-Tang Clan (36 chambers [??]).
_Cronkite_
(n) News, after the newsreader Walter Cronkite. _"Grand Puba
and Studd Doogie droppin' Cronkite"_ -- Grand Puba (A little of
this).
_cross fader_
(n) Fading switch to select the left or right turntable.
Without it, scratching wouldn't sound too good.
_cruise_
(v) Driving around, preferably showing off your car.
_crump_
(adj) Hype, phat.
_crunk_
(adj) Hype, phat. _"Tonight is going to be crunk"_ -- ??.
_creep_
1) (v) To sneak up on someone.
2) (v) To be unfaithful in a relationship.
_crew_
(n) Group, band.
_crip_
(n) Member of the Crips gang.
_cut_
1) (n) A record, the latest hit
2) (n) A recently received haircut.
3) (v) Cutting wax: scratching a record. _"Rip the cut!"_ --
Just Ice (Back to the old school) [198?]
4) (n) Behind, or out of the way. _"I glance in the cut and I
see my homey Nate"_ -- Warren G (Regulate [1994]).
_cut up_
(n) Vagina. _"I gots to get me some cut up!"_ -- Kriss Kross
(??? [??]).
_cuz_
1) (n) homeboy or homegirl.
2) (n) Cousin, apparently a Crip term.
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-- D --
_D's, Dayton's_
(n) An expensive brand of tire rims. _"Rollin' in my fo' on
D's, hittin' the switches"_ Dr. Dre (Let me ride [1992]).
_dank_
(n) See marihuana. _"Go on and hit the dank"_ -- Too Short.
_dap_
1) (n) Sort of high-five type of handshake. _"Gimme a dap, I'll
give you one back"_ -- Ice T. (Ziplock [1991])
2) (n) Dignity and Pride, old slang (think 70's here).
_dead presidents_
(n) Money. Most American dollarbills have a former president of
the United States on them. _"I'm all for dead presidents to
represent me"_ -- NAS (The world is yours [1994]).
_deal with_
(v) To take care of business.
_deep_
1) (n) A unit of measure. _"It was a crew four deep"_ -- D-Nice
(??).
2) (n) A hip hop clothing manufacturer (X-Large).
3) Heavy in the hippy sense of the word.
_def_
1) (adj) Okay. The word has been officially buried by BET.
_"But you still think our music is def, right?"_ -- De La Soul
(Brain washed follower [??]).
2) (adj) the standard of excellence.
3) Some more info on def: comes from the expression _"Death
O.J."_ but I think first used on record in "Rapper's Delight".
As Nelson George defines it:"In "Rapper's Delight" the term
"Death OJ" is used. In current slang "death" means something
good, while "OJ" is a reference to a big car: Erstwhile
football star and all-around adman O.J. Simpson does Hertz
commercials featuring Ford and Lincoln Mercury cars. If we add
"death" to Ford and Lincoln Mercury cars (leaving out any
disrespectful reference to Pintos), we come up with the
"Rapper's Delight" character driving off in a Lincoln
Continental." From _Buppies, B-Boys, Baps & Bohos: Notes on
Post-Soul Black Culture_ by Nelson George.
_Def Jam_
1) (n) A great record.
2) (n) One of the first big labels for rap artists, founded by
Rick Rubin, led by Russels Simmons.
_delf_
(n) "Delf" was quoted for the first time by Parrish Smith when
EPMD's last album was released in 1992. It was in a Source
interview and it's about the same as "self" like going for delf
(self). _"Release yo delf"_ -- Da Method Man (Release yo delf
[1994]).
_deuce_
1) (n) Two. _"About to get loose with the deuce deuce"_ -- Ice
Cube (Gangsta fairytale II [1993]). 2) (n) 20 ounce of liquor.
_devil_
(n) an enemy, usually white people. _"The devil made me do it"_
-- Paris (the devil made me do it) [??].
_dick_
(n) penis. _"Mister Big Dick, who do you think you are?"_ --
Schoolly D. (Mr. Big Dick).
_dig out_
(v) To have sexual intercourse. _"By 2 am. I was diggin' her
out"_ -- Ice Cube (Ghetto bird [1993]).
_Dillon_
(n) Pistol. _"Made a move for my Dillon; and all I remember the
Gangsta Lean was killin'"_ -- ?? (??? [??]).
_dime_
1) (n) Ten dolar bag of marihuana. Due to price variations the
price may actually be higher for the same bag.
2) (n) "To drop a dime", to fink. The term has probably
descended from the time when phone calls were 10 cents, and is
related to the notion of moving gossip quickly, as one would
drop a dime into the phone to make a call.
3) (n) Ten as in a rating on a woman's beauty. _"Slaying dime
honeys"_.
_dip_
1) (v) Dipping is what a car with a hydraulic suspension does.
_"Set trippin', fo' dippin'"_ -- Ice Cube (Friday [1995]). 2)
(v) To pay more attention to other people's business than to
one's own.
3) (v) To leave, _"Yo, let's dip to the mall"_.
4) (adj) Dressed in the latest fashion, _"looking fresh
dipped"_.
_dis_
(v) Insult or thwart in a social manner, short for disrespect.
_"Challenge BDP, you'll get dissed, expect it"_ -- Boogie Down
Productions (Part time sucker [1988]).
_DJ_
(n) Disc Jockey, means MC in Jamaica. _"My DJ Derek B is best"_
-- Derek B. (Get down [??]).
_DL_
See down low.
_do_
1) (n) Hairdo.
2) (v) Having sex.
3) (v) Killing someone.
_dog_
1) (v) To tear something up like a dog would do.
2) (v) To insult someone in front of his friends.
3) (v) To have sex the doggy way. _"You don't love me, you just
love my doggy style"_ -- Snoop Doggy Dog (What's My Name [??]).
4) (p) a form of addressing: _"Whatup dog?"_, not meant to be
offensive
5) (n) a friend, _"That's my Dog"_. Road ~: West Coast gangsta
for friend.
_dolo_
(n) Like delf/self, dolo/solo. _I go for dolo_ -- ??? (??
[??]).
_dome_
(n) A person's big head, skull, gun against your head.
_dope_
1) (n) Narcotics.
2) (adj) Great, addictive.
_dopeman_
(n) Seller of narcotics. _"If you see somebody getting pussy
for crack, he's the dopeman, dopeman"_ -- N.W.A. (Tha Dopeman
[1988])
_double deuce juice_
1) (n) 22 oz of cold 45 ml beer.
2) (n) Colt 45 (the Billy D. juice).
_dough_
(n) Money. _"Don't you know when the dough get low, the juice
go"_ -- Mobb Deep (Survival of the fittest [??]).
_down low_
(n) Covert, secret, _"hush hush"_, derived from _low profile"_.
_down with_
(adv) To be down with: to be sympathetic to something, or to be
friends with someone.
_DPG_
(n) Dogg pound gangsta.
_drawin'_
(adj) Sometimes pronounced _"drawlin'"_, Philly slang meaning
that one is acting in such a way as to draw attention to
oneself in public, usually in an embarrassing manner.
_drawers_
(n) Pants, underpants.
_drive-by_
(n) A gang form of execution; armed with guns they drive by
their victims, take a shot at them, and drive off. _"With your
drive-by's it took time to getcha, but now I'm gonna wetcha"_
-- Ice Cube (I'm gonna wetcha [1993])
_drop science, drop knowledge_
(v) To demonstrate wisdom or skill. _"I'm droppin' science"_ --
7a3 (Coolin' in Cali) [1988]
_Dropping a Dime_
(v) Informing.
_DSL_
(n) Dick sucking lips; oral sex.
_dukey rope_
(n) Fat gold chain.
_dumm_
(v) To act stupid. _"Ya dummin'"_ -- Funkdoobiest (You're
dummin').
_dusting_
(v) To snort cocaine. _"Like the Hudson on PCP, when I'm
dustin'"_ -- Wu-Tang Clan (Proteck ya neck [??]).
_Dutch Master_
(n) Dutch Master is a brand of cigars. Sometimes when rolling a
serious blunt, the tobacco is removed from a cigar and replaced
with marihuana. _"Slit a nigga back like a Dutchmasta killa"_
-- Wu-Tang Clan (???).
_duckets_
(n) Money, from _"ducats"_: coins. _He's gettin' juiced for his
duckets"_ -- N.W.A. (I ain't the one [1988]).
_dun_
(n) Used like the word son. _"What up, dun?"_ -- Nas (Represent
[1994]).
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-- E --
_El_
Short for El Producto cigars. _"I contact eleven El's and macs
in heaven"_ -- Nas (One time 4 your mind [1994]).
_elbow_
(n) A pound of marijuana.
_Elijah Muhammad_
(n) Elijah Poole, a Georgia-born ex-factory worker who founded
the black muslim movement Nation of Islam in Detroit in 1930,
also known as Honorable Elijah Muhammad. _"Read the book how to
eat to live, from Elijah Muhammad, it's a brown paperback"_ --
Boogie Down Productions (Beef [1990])
_ese_
(n) Spanish word for homeboy.
_E.Z. Wides_
Blunt withdrawal. _"Don't hide the crop cause I got the E.Z.
Wides"_
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-- F --
_fade_
1) (n) The hairdo (see high top fade).
2) (v) Means to not listen to, erase, or get rid of (kill). Has
mutated into various other meanings as well as has most other
hiphop lingo. It (the phrase) started from actually pulling
down the fader on a mixer, which of course, results in not
listening to whomever was on at the time. So Ice Cube wants you
to listen to him always and not fade him or turn him off...
_"You can't fade me"_ -- Ice Cube (You can't fade me).
3) (n) Term from from the dice-game craps, related to losing.
_fag_
(n) Homosexual man, short for faggot. _"...and I thought it was
a gag, when I thought it was a girl, it was nothing but a fag"_
-- Schoolly D. (Saturday night).
_fake jacks_
(v) To front, to fake moves. _"Cuz the brothers that fake jacks
get laid on they backs"_ -- Mobb Deep (??? [??]).
_fat_
(adj) Rich like butter, really good, extremely well put
together. _"ATCQ be putting together some fat beats"_ -- ???
(???)
_federal_
1) (adj) Refering to the federal government. _"The reasons are
several, most of the federal"_ -- Public Enemy (Black steel in
the hour of chaos [1988]).
2) (adj) Something of exceptional quality or of an extreme
nature. Used throughout E-40 tapes, probably Bay Area in
origin.
3) (adj) Going federal: rising up in the game.
_fiend_
1) (v) To be hostile to. 2) (v) To need something badly, most
often drugs.
_figga
(n) Figure.
finger on the trigger
(n) Someone with the ~: someone prepared to shoot if necessary.
"I got my hand in my pocket and my finger's on the trigger" --
Beastie Boys (Posse in effect [1986]).
fix
(n) Heroine.
flamboasting
(v) To show off in a manner of actually flashing material items
in the faces of other individuals.
flava
1) (n) Flavour
2) (n) Flavor Flav, Chuck D's right hand man in Public Enemy.
Flavavision
(n) The glasses of PE's Flavor. "Don't worry, Flavavision ain't
blurry" -- Public Enemy (Don't believe the hype).
flay
(v) "Flay on the mix", serious old school mixing and
scratching.
flex
1) (v) To show one's mettle, flexing one's muscles, showing
one's arsenal and readiness to put it to use, letting one's
pugilistic prowess be known. To strike someone, or to get up in
someones face for intimidation. "I use my nine when suckas
start to flex" -- Ice Cube (Man's best friend [1991]).
2) (v) Scratching, from flexing of the wrist. Rakim used to
talk about Eric B being on the flex.
floss
1) (v) Move in and out of something. "Floss the NSX" -- DJ
Quick (Dollars and sense).
2) (v) To show off.
flow
1) (n) Money.
2) (v) To rhyme continuously in the same rhyme scheme without
stopping.
fly
(adj) Attractive, beautiful. "Put on the Bally shoes and the
fly green socks" -- Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh (Ladidadi).
four
(n) See '64.
forty dog
(n) 40 ounce bottle of Olde English 800 malt liquor. "Forty
dog, one love" -- Nas (One love [1994]).
freak
1) (v) Dance in a provocative way.
2) (v) Have sex.
3) (n) Person who practices the above things; sexually
aggressive female (never missing a beat).
free world
(n) Free from incarceration; the world outside of prison. "I
really miss my free world" -- Convicts (??? [1991]).
freestyle
(v) Freestyling is when an MC flows with lyrics right of the
top of his or her head. It is inpromptu and spontaneous and
only the most creative rhymers can do it well. It is also a
kind of competition between MC's because you have to be good to
bust a good freestyle. It helps to keep MCs on their toes too,
because its is like practice. "We gonna do a little freestyle
for y'all, and it go like this" -- Schoolly D. (Cuttin' and
scratchin' [??]).
fresh
1) (adj) New
2) (adj) Okay
front
(v) Pretend to be that which you are not; act tough. "You can't
front on that" -- Beastie Boys (So what'cha want [1992]).
fuck
(n,v) This is the most powerful word in the American English
language. It can be the very best or the very worst. You might
enjoy getting your brains fucked out, but then again you might
not.
funk
1) (adj) Malodorous.
2) (n) The essence of being, as in faking the funk.
funky drummer
(n) Famous drumtrack by Clyde Stubblefield, James Brown's
drummer. Often used in hiphop.
furilla
(adj) Contraction of the phrase "for real"; something known to
be true. "On the furilla, my nigga, just call me Scarface" --
Geto Boys (Scarface [1989]).
fu-shnicken
(n) A variety of fried chicken often cooked op in and around
the area of Jackson Mississippi. Also known as "Rico".
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-- G --
G
1) (n) Anything that starts with a G. E.g. God, Gangsta,
Girl, Guy. As in "Whatup, G?".
2) (v) To have sexual intercourse. E.g. Sir Mix-a-Lot's
self titled EP has a song called "Let's G".
3) (n) Money, from Grands or thousands. "I clock G's
while you clock Z's" - EPMD (???).
G'd up
(adv) Dressed to kill, like a bawla.
gaffle
(n) To harass. Especially being "gaffled" by the police.
gaffled
(adj) Past tense of "to gaffle". The state of being
messed up; a misfortunate condition.
game
1) (v) Wooing. "Cause I'm gamin' on a female that's
gamin' on me" -- N.W.A. (I ain't the one [1988]).
2) (v) In the game, whatever the game might be. A game is
some way to make money or advance oneself, or just a
game.
3) (adv) To be game, do be down with.
gang
(n) Group of organised criminals. The main gangs in
Northern California are:
1. Bloods
2. Norte
3. Surenos
4. Crips
gangbang
1) (v) To commit crimes in a gang.
2) (v) To to have sex in groups.
gangsta
1) (n) A gangster or criminal.
2) (adj) In the way of a gangster.
3) (adj) A style of rap that evolved in South Central,
Los Angeles.
gangsta lean
1) (n) The way a person drives where they lean over to
the passenger seat and get really low. "Digging the scene
with a gangsta lean" -- N.W.A. (Gangsta, gangsta [1988]).
2) (n) The heaven where gangsters end up, when a homie
dies, you pour out a little liquor or lean the bottle
over to spill liquor. "This is for my homies kickin' it
in the Gangsta Lean" -- DRS (Gangsta Lean [1992]).
ganja
(n) See marihuana. "Ganja business controls America" --
Boogie Down Productions (Illegal Business [??]).
gank
(v) Same as skank, ie. to hurt, steal from, or diss in
some way. "I guess that's what I get, for trying to gank
the little homies for their grip" -- Dr. Dre (Lil' ghetto
boy [1992]).
gasface
1) To show someone a sign of disrespect.
2) Make stupid face towards someone you don't like. "The
same people that got gasfaced last year" -- 3rd Bass (No
master plan, no master race [1991])
gat
1) (n) A very small, easily concealed gun used by
government spies and, of course, gangsters. It originates
from Gatling, the name of the man who invented the
machine gun (the Gatling gun). 2) (n) Hip-Hop Clothing
Co.
gauge
(n) A shotgun. "Hopped in his caddy, loaded his 12 gauge"
-- Schoolly D (Signifying rapper [??]).
get burned
(v) To catch a sexually transmitted disease. "Stay in the
microwave too long you'll get burned" -- Kool Moe Dee (Go
see the doctor [??]).
get busy
1) (v) Have sex.
2) (v) eat "Ya mama is so big and fat that she can get
busy with 22 burritoes, but times are rough, I seen her
in the back'a taco bell with handcuffs" -- Pharcyde (Ya
Mama)
get/give head/skull
(v) Receive/give fellatio.
get/give props
(v) See props.
G-funk
(n) Gangsta funk. Examples: Snoop Doggy Dogg, Warren G &
Nate Dog.
ghetto bird
(n) Helicopter. "Motherfuck you and your punk ass ghetto
bird." -- Ice Cube (Ghetto Bird) [1993].
ghetto sled
(n) car, usually American made, that generally sports a
rusted body covered with house paint and brand new custom
rims. Synonym of hooptie.
ghost
(n) Out of here: "I'm ghost".
Glock
(n) Manufacturer of guns. People usually mean the 9mm
glock, which can hold up to 20 rounds, plus one in the
chamber. With an extended clip they can hold up to 33
rounds. Most of the Glock is made of steel, but it is
wrapped in a plastic cover, giving the gun a futuristic
feel to it.
Gore-tex
(n) Material made into jackets and other clothing. Also
made into high durability boots. "Bow to the group in the
boots" -- Sir Mix-a-lot (Gortex [1989]).
government cheese
(n) On welfare.
grill
1) "Guard your grill": protect yourself, grill" stands
for your teeth, protect your face from getting punched.
"I got the skill, I'll bust ya in the grill" -- House of
Pain (Shamrocks and Shenanigans [??]).
2) Front of a car.
grip
1) (n) Ability on the microphone.
2) (n) Money. "Where's my grip nigga?" -- ??
3) (n) Gun. "I guess that's what I get, for trying to
gank the little homies for their grip" -- Dr. Dre (Lil'
ghetto boy [??]).
GT
(n) Ferrari GT model, one of the rarest and therefore
most expensive Ferrari's around.
GTA
(n) Grand theft auto, legalese for stealing a car. "It's
all about makin' that GTA" -- Eazy-E (Boyz in the hood
[1989]).
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-- H --
hard
1) (adv) Tough. "Cause I'm too hard to lift" -- Dr. Dre
(Let me ride [??]).
2) (adv) Erected. "Ya dicks on hard" -- Dr. Dre (In your
own dogs [??]).
hardcore
(adj) True to what you claim.
hawk
1) (v) To look at something.
2) (v) To stare down someone.
3) (n) The wind, especially when it is blowing hard.
head
1) Someone who earned respect.
hella
(adv) A hell of a lot. "I got hella scrilla" -- ??? (???
[??]).
Hennessey
(n) Brand of Cognac. "Take this Hennessey!" NAS -- (The
Genesis [1994]).
herbalz
1) (n) Marijuana, comes from herbs. "Herbalz in my mouth"
-- 3rd Bass (Herbalz in my mouth [1991]).
2) (n) Semen (mentioned in an interview once by 3rd
Bass).
[to be] high
To be intoxicated by a drug of somekind. Reported other
terms for it are: blazed, blunted, bombed, charged,
juiced, skunked, stressed, toked. "I want to get high, so
high" -- Cypress Hill (I want to get high [1993]).
high-five
(n) Greeting where you slap hands together in the air, as
opposed to low-five, where you slap hands at waist
height.
highside
(v) To ignore or disrespect someone by not acknowledging
their presence. "Bitches get mad cause we highside" --
Big Mike (Smoke 'em and & choke 'em [??]).
high top fade
(n) Haircut high on the top, fading down to close cut on
the sides "Livin' in fear of my shade or my high top
fade" -- Public Enemy (??? [??]).
hip-hop
(n) In Jamaican ska era, 60's, a DJ would spin and cut
the wax and a MC would sing or shout or dub poetry over
it. That's the roots of hiphop which were brought to New
York City by Kool DJ Herc, but hip-hop or rap was created
in New York City.
ho
1) (n) Hooker, prostitute, from whore. "She ain't nothing
but another ho, according to the system" -- KRS-One
(Exhibit D. [1990]).
2) (v) To sell out.
ho cake
(n) Vagina.
hold the fort down
(v) To represent where you are from. "If so hold the fort
down and represent to the fullest" -- Nas (One Love
[1994]).
hole
1) (n) Vagina.
2) (n) Gun chamber. "16 in the clip and one in the hole"
-- Nate Dogg (Regulate [??]).
holly
(n) See ho.
homeboy
(n) Close friend.
homegirl
(n) Female equivalent of homeboy. "Homegirls, see a guy
you like? Just grab him in the biscuits... and
doowutchalike" -- Digital Underground (Doowutchalike
[??]).
homeskillet
(n) A close relative or friend. "My homeskillet gets me
the goods whenever I want" -- ?? (?? [??]).
homey
(n) See homeboy. "But I wish he could have said it to my
dead homey" -- Ice Cube (Dead Homiez [1990]).
honey
(n) Person, generally attractive.
Honey Dip
(n) pretty young ladies with golden brown complexions.
hood
(n) The neighbourhood, usually a poor community.
hoodie
(n) T-shirt or sweatshirt with hood attached to it.
hoodlum
(n) A criminal; drugdealer, car thief, stick up kid.
"Hoodlums and hustlers and bangers with Jheri-curls" --
Ice T. (Lifestyles of the rich and infamous [1991])
hoodrat
(n) female, generally sexually promiscuous, and not
upwardly mobile "Homies in the hood labeled her as a
hoodrat" -- Domino (Ghetto jam [1993])
hook
(n) A hook, used in load of songs, is an aspect of
popular or commercial music that "grabs" people and makes
it easy to like like or remember the song. For example,
the riff from "Son of a Preacher Man" used in Cypress
Hill's "Hits from the Bong" [1993] is an example of a
hook. "Check out the hook while I drop crazy rhymes" --
??? (???).
[cold] hoopin' it
(v) Playing a game of basketball.
hooptie
(n) Old car in bad shape.
hoota
(n) Blunt. "It's a hoota of the Buddah blessed"
hop on the side
(v) To get on the passenger side of a car.
hops
(n) Vertical jump, usually related to basketball. "He's
got mad hops" -- ??? (??? [??]).
hottie
(n) A very attractive female. "This hottie got a body and
I wanna get naughty" -- Sir Mixalot (Sprung on the Cat
[1992]).
housenigger
(n) Person who blindly follows simple-minded people. In
slavery days, you had house slaves and field slaves. The
house slaves were "well behaved" and were "rewarded" by
being allowed to work in the "big house" close to the
master. The field slaves were "rough" and only suited for
field work. Thus the people were divided and pitted
against themselves, instead of the common enemy.
Huey P. Newton
(n) Founder of the Black Panther movement along with H.
R. Brown and Bobby Seale. Mentioned in a few PE songs.
humming
(v) Coming at someone.
hydro
Hydroponic marihuana. "Hydro, me just can't let me, high
go " - Bone Thugs 'n Harmony (Buddah lovas [1995]).
hype
1) (n) Statements made about something before that thing
comes out, especially wild statements guessing about the
things nature (whether positive or negative). For
example, record companies will often put many
advertisements out before a record comes out. Before
Public Enemy's album came out there was much negative
hype in the media. "Yo Harry! You're a writer; are we
that type? Don't believe the hype..." -- Public Enemy
(Don't believe the hype).
2) (adj) Cool. "Too damn hype" -- Jazzy Jeff and the
Fresh Prince (??? [1988]).
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-- I --
IBWC
The Intelligent Black Womens Coalition, a group that
Yo-Yo is the founder(?) of.
ice
1) (n) Diamonds or jewelry with diamonds in it. "Hands
smothered in ice." -- Ice-T (Bitches 2 [1991]).
2) (n) On ice - at the morgue.
3) (n) Ice or ice cream: drugs, or cocaine in particular.
ill
1) (v) To be obnoxious, or to act weird, as in eating
dogfood. "You be illin'" -- RUN-DMC (You be illin'
[1986]).
2) (adj) Negative.
3) (adj) Positive. "Most illinest b-boys" -- Beastie Boys
(Rhymin' and stealing [??]).
Impala
(n) Type of popular low-cost car made by Chevrolet in the
seventies. The car is popular with low riders, especially
the 1964 model. '63, '62 and '65 models are also
sometimes used. Ice Cube's car in "Boyz 'n the hood" was
an Impala. "Knew her from the back of my homeys Impala"
-- Ice Cube (You can't fade me [1990]).
in check
Under control, due to skills. "I got you all in check" --
Busta Rhymes (Woo Hah! [1996]).
in [full] effect
Present and taking place.
in foe deep
A term used to refer to a car that contains four people
at once. "In foe deep we creep" -- RBL Posse (Don't give
me no bammer [??]).
in the house
Present, here. "Compton's in tha house" -- N.W.A.
(Compton's in tha house [1990])
Indo
(n) Marijuana from Indonesia. "Indo smoke up in your
lungs like that" -- Dr. Dre (Rat-tat-tat-tat [1992]).
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-- J --
jack
1) (v) To rob someone face to face. "Lets see who the
fuck I'ma jack today" -- Ice Cube (Robin hood [??]).
2) (n) Nothing, "I ain't got jack to give you".
jacker
(n) Short for carjacker.
jack roll
(v) To rob the helpless.
jailbait
(n) Anybody who is at least five years younger than you
are. The word is from old taxi drivers who date young
high school girls and when high school guys go out with
junior high school students.
jam
1) (n) song, cut, track. "This is the dope Jam!" --
Public Enemy (Night the living baseheads [1989]).
2) (n) The sweet stuff - like honey.
3) (n) Slam dunk in basketball.
jammy
1) (n) Penis. "All the fly ladies are on my jammy" --
Beastie Boys (The new style [1986]).
2) (n) Gun. "Pulled out the jammy aimed it at the sky" --
Beastie Boys (Paul Revere [1986]).
James Brown
(n) the funkiest and most sampled man alive.
janky
1) (adj) Bad, flawed (northern California)
2) (adj) Good, smooth (souther California). "Dub C,
nigga, still janky as fuck!" -- W.C. and the Maad Circle
(Intro [1995]).
jawn
1) (n) Another word for joint, a marihuana cigarette.
"Back in Philly, they call me da jawn" -- Bahamadia
(Total Wreck [??]).
2) (n) Any type of thing, as in "Yo, check this jawn
out".
jenny
(n) Vagina.
jet
(v) Leave.
Jheri-curls
(n) Wetlook, curly hairstyle. "Hoodlums and hustlers and
bangers with Jheri-curls" -- Ice T. (Lifestyles of the
rich and infamous [1991])
jiggy
(n) To have a lot of money or riches. "DKNY, oh my I'm
jiggy" -- Junior M.A.F.I.A. (Player's Anthem [1995]).
jimbrowsky
(n) See Jimmy.
Jimmy
(n) Penis. "Never sleep alone because Jimmy is a magnet"
-- Beastie Boys (3 Minute rule [1989]).
Jimmy hat/cap
(n) Condom.
jock
1) (n) Crotch. Being on someone's jock means trying to
get involved with someone for his money or his status
etc. The best definition can be found on Ice Cube's "Kill
at will" in the full version of the song "Get off my dick
and tell yo bitch to come here".
2) (v) To sweat someone.
jone
(v) To taunt or to make fun, see snap.
Jones
(n) A craving for something. It is said to come from
Jones Alley in Manhattan where junkies used to live.
E.g.: "Baseball Jones": needing baseball, "love Jones": a
dire craving for someone, "Jonesing for some MJ": wanting
some marihuana. I got a love Jones for your body and skin
tone" -- Method Man & Mary J. Blidge (You are all I need
[1994]).
JPT
(n) Japanese People Time; being early or on time.
juice
1) (n) Having hydraulics.
2) (v) To squeeze the juice out of something. "You can't
juice Ice Cube, girl" -- N.W.A. (I ain't the one [1988]).
3) (n) "To have juice means you kiss and lick a lot of
booty" -- KRS-One (Blackman in effect [1990]).
4) (n) Respect.
5) (n) Alcohol, as in "being juiced up" or get juice for
the party".
6) (n) Willpower.
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-- K --
kani
(n) Oversized hip-hop clothing.
kangol
(n) A brand of hat. LL Cool J used to wear this along
with other east coast rappers. It has a kangaroo on the
side, but brothers wore them with the 'roo in front.
"Went back in, I forgot my Kangol" -- Slick Rick and Doug
E. Fresh (Ladidadi).
KDAY
(n) Radio station that broadcasted from Crenshaw in South
Central LA, and was devoted to local underground Hip Hop.
The musical director of KDAY was Greg Mack, and he single
handedly turned NWA from an unknown group to superstars.
It signed Dr. Dre and DJ Yella in 1983 to broadcast their
own Mix Show, as the Wreckin' Crew. "It (KDAY) was
percieved as a Rap station cause we played rap no one
else would" (Greg Mack, as interviewed by Brian Cross in
the book "It's not about a salarie"). KDAY was sold in
1990, and was turned into a business network. The defunct
radio station symbolizes to a lot of rappers coming out
of LA area the shutting down of black voice in America.
"This is K-Eazy E, wassup y'all this is Greg Mack, Mack
Attack" -- Eazy-E (Radio [1988]).
key
(n) Kilo, often used in conjuction with cocaine. "Dope,
like a pound or a key" -- N.W.A. (Tell 'em what your name
is [1988]).
khakis
(n) Hip-hop clothing, brown/tan colored pants. "Wearin
ghackis, mob while ya ryhme, little fag tried to sag" --
Eazy-E (Real Motherphuckkin' G's [1993]).
kicks
(n) See sneakers.
kill
1) (n) See marihuana. "Crack another 40, smoke some kill"
-- Schoolly D. (Smoke some kill).
2) To be dope on the microphone.
[kitty] cat
(n) Vagina.
knocka
(n) A pest. "Leave Flavor Flav alone, knocka" -- Public
Enemy (Cold lampin' with Flavor [1988]).
knocking boots
(v) To have sexual intercourse. When two people are in a
horizontal position their feet will bang together. "Bring
your friend, I likes you two's I'll knock the boots, the
sneakers and the house shoes." -- Digital Underground
(Flowing on the D-line).
knuckle up
(v) Prepare to fight.
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-- L --
'lac
(n) Short for Cadillac. "Macks drive 'lacs" -- Big Mello
[1993].
lamp
1) (v) To hang out next to a streetlamp. "I'm on the
street, cold lampin'" -- Public Enemy (Cold lampin' with
Flavor).
2) (v) To relax while others panic.
lay pipe
(v) Having sexual intercourse. "Cause a nigga like me'll
lay plenty of pipe" -- Ice Cube (I'm only out for one
thang).
leather Tuscadero
(n) Female equivalent of The Fonz that appeared on Happy
Days. "Now he's zipped up like leather Tuscadero" -- Ice
Cube (We had to tear this motherfucker up [1992]).
leg pull
(n) From: to pull someones leg, to make a joke. No leg
pulls means no jokes; speak the truth. "No leg pulls
kid".
Lexus
(n) Japanese luxury car. "Drivin' a Lexus with a death
wish" -- Nas (Watch them niggas [1996]).
lime
1) (v) Hanging around with friends of family.
2) (n) A casual gathering of friends and family. "This
lime has no juice", this gathering is dull.
lina
(n) A line of cocaine. From the spanish "una lina" which
translates to one line.
live
(adv) Great. "Is it live?" -- L.L. Cool J (Is it live?
[??]).
llello
(n) Cocaine, crack; it is a Spanish word, and the double
l's are pronounced as "y"'s. The bitch came back with a
bag of llello" -- Ice Cube (Once upon a time in the
projects [1991])
loc
1) (n) Term used for local person.
2) (n) Crazy one, from the Spanish "loco", often used for
friends or locals in a positive way. "Don't you know I'm
loco?" -- Cypress (Insane in the brain [1993]) Hill
(Insane in the brain [1993])
3) (n) Lock or locks, as in Jheri-curls, but always
pronounced with the long o as in "go".
4) (v) To "go loc" means to get ready for a drive-by or
to shoot someone. This means putting on dark glasses,
skullies, caps and generally getting hard to identify.
lock
(n) Short for dredlocks.
Long Beach
(n) City south of Compton. "Rollin' from the East Side
south of Compton, see a big ass, and I say 'word', took a
look at the face, and the bitch was to the curb!" --
N.W.A. (8 ball (remix) [1988])
lowriding
(v) Adjusting the suspension of a car to get it closer to
the ground. Since it is illegal to drive that way, people
have hydraulic systems to adjust the height of the car
while driving, making it bounce.
Louies
(n) Louis Vuitton gear.
LP
1) Long Play, a nine or ten song regular tape.
2) A vinyl record.
L-train
1) (n) The late train. "I'm on the L train going insane"
-- The Roots (Silent treatment).
2) (n) Elevated trains in Chicago or NYC.
lunch
(v) To act stupid or crazy.
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-- M --
Mac 10
(n) A submachine gun, manufactured by Ingram. "The Mac 10
is in the grass and I run like a cheetah with thoughts of
an assassin" -- Nas (??? [1994]).
mack
1) (n) Pimp.
2) (v) Being a pimp. "Mackin' is a game and everybody's
playing it" -- Ice Cube (Who's the mack [1991])
3) (n) The Mack, an early 70's Blacksploitation film shot
in Oakland, CA.
4) (n) Ladies Man "I love the ladies and they love me
right back, now who's the Mack" -- Ice T. (??? [??]).
5) (v) To steal.
6) (v) To have sex. "You know, I was all getting my macks
on with her"
mad
(adj) Extremely, very, a large quantity. "His jeep was
pumpin' mad bass" -- ??? (???).
madhatter
(n) Someone who sells drugs.
mag
1) (n) Short for magazine, as in clip or ammo insert.
2) (n) Short for Magnum.
mail
(n) Money. Mo' mail than the rest of the pushers -- E-40
(??? [??]).
making ends
(v) Dominoes term, you win when you make ends. "So make
all the ends you can make, cuz when you're broke you
break" -- Dr. Dre (Lil' ghetto boy [1992])
Malcolm [Malcolm X]
(n) Malcolm X, civil rights activist leader, gunned down
at the age of 35 at the Audubon Ballroom on the north
edge of Harlem in New York in 1965 as he spoke to
hundreds of followers. He represented the largely urban
North. Member of Nation of Islam until 1964. Wrote many
texts, interviews, notes and speeches from 1950-1963, of
which some can be considered racist. Renounced these
points of view in his last year.
marihuana
(n) Dried leaves and flowering tops of the pistillate
hemp plant that are smoked in cigarettes for their
intoxicating effect. Other reported words for it are:
bammer, bionic, blow, bomb, brown, bud, buddha, cannabis,
cheeba, chronic, dank, doubage, ganja, grass, green,
groove weed, hash, herb, home-grown, ill, Indo, iszm,
Lebanon, Mary Jane (mj), maui wowy, pot, sess, shake,
shit, skunk, stress, tabacci, Thai, wacky and weed.
marinate
(v) To chill, hang out.
mark
1) (n) A sucker, a target for gaffling and crime. "You
mark-ass busta, you betta raise up" -- Dr Dre (Dre [??].)
2) (n) Someone who is claiming a set (subset of a Crip or
Blood gang) to which he does not belong.
max
(v) To have great fun.
MC
(n) Probably Jamaican, in which case it comes from the TV
game shows, Master of Ceremonies (although the term
existed before TV). Could also stand for Microphone
Controller, Mic Checka. "The term, MC, stand for Master
of Ceremonies" --- A Tribe Called Quest (Midnight
Marauders [1993]).
medina
1) (n) Said to be an aphrodisiac. "Funky col' medina" --
Tone Loc (Funky cold medina [1989])
2) (n) Nickname for Brooklyn.
megablast
(n) Large breath of crack. "Oh please, oh please, oh
please, just gimme just one more blast" -- Public Enemy
(Megablast).
meth, method
(n) See marijuana.
MF
1) (n) Short for motherfucker.
2) (n) Short for Mark Ferhman; the police officer who
tried to set up O.J. Simpson by planting evidence on him.
MLK
(n) Martin Luther King, civil rights leader, shot april
4th, 1968. He represented the largely rural South.
money
(n) See brother, nigga.
Moschino
(n) Clothing label. "Moschino on my misstres" --
Notorious B.I.G. (??? [??]).
Mossberg
(n) Popular brand of twelge gauge shotgun, used by the
police. "And I grabbed my 12 gauge Mossberg pump" -- Bone
Thugs-n-Harmony (??? [??]).
motherfucker
1) (n) Respectless person with no attitude.
2) (n) Also used to express a form of respect for
someone. "My motherfuckin' nigga Afrika Islam" -- Ice-T
(??? [??]).
move on
(v) To mess with. "You move on the Ice and you're going
to sleep" -- Ice T (Ziplock).
MPC-60
(n) Akai MPC-60 turntable, Akai's answer to the SP-12,
popular especially in the early 90's.
MPV
(n) The Mazda Multi Purpose Vehicle, favored by groups
because of their large seating and cargo capacity.
"Dedicated to MPV's, phat" -- Wu-Tang Clan (Can it be all
so simple [??]).
MVP
(1) Most Valuable Poet (on the mic), compare Most
Valuable Player in team sports.
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-- N --
nappy dugout
(n) Vagina. The dugout is the dug-in bench at the side of
a baseball field where players wait until they are up to
play. Nappy comes from hair napping up, sort of the way
it it on the way to dreading. The nappy dugout would be
the dugout (small enclave a few steps off the main field)
that has nappy hair (pubic hair). "Giving up the nappy
dugout" -- Ice Cube (Giving up the nappy dugout [??]).
nappy head
(n) A person who is not yet fully awake. "Keep your heads
nappy" -- Fugees (Nappy Heads [1994]).
nathan
1) (adj) Nothing; nobody. "I ain't heard shit, I ain't
heard nathan" -- The Coup (Genocide & Juice [??]).
2) (n) "Nathan's" is a brand of hot dog.
3) (n) Natural born pimp.
Neighbourhood Family
(n) South Central Blood set associated with Cypress Hill.
newjack
(adj) New. When referring to an idividual, implies that
he hasn't proven himself. "He was a newjack hustler" --
Ice-T (Newjack hustler [??]).
nickel
(n) Five, as in 1995. "Everybody get in where ya fit in
for tha nine five, tha nine nickel" -- Method Man with
Capleton (Wings of the morning [??]).
nigga
(n) Curseword used originally by white people, taken over
by black people as a name to show their proudness, and
take off the edge; positive: "my nigga": my friend. I
don't want to be called yo nigga" -- Public Enemy (Yo
nigga [??]).
nina
1) (n) [neenyah] Spanish for girl of 5 years or less.
Chica is a teenage girl.
2) (n) [neenah] 9mm. Mixture of correct Spanish
pronounciation of the i and NYC or Southern dialect
ponounciation of the final -er as -ah of the word
"niner". Cuz if I got my nina then you know I'm straight
trippin'" -- Dr. Dre (The Chronic [1992]).
nino
(n) Spanish term for godfather, as in Nino Brown.From the
movie "The Godfather". Also Nino Brown in New Jack City.
no diggety
(interj) No doubt, no question.
NOI
(n) Nation Of Islam. "Elijah is alive, Louis Farrakhan,
NOI" -- Ice Cube (Enemy [1993]).
nucker
1) (n) A stupid person. Possible a combination of Numb
Skull/Fucker, or maybe derived from knuckle head.
2) Ones best friend. "You call your nigger 'nucker'" --
Digital Underground (if it wasn't for the rapping [??]).
nutt
Good sex. "Gimme that nutt" -- Eazy-E (It's on Dr. Dre
187 um killa [1993]).
nuttin'
(n) Nothing. "Nine times outta ten, she's givin' up
nuttin'" -- N.W.A. (I ain't tha one [1988])
Nyquil
(n) Cold medicine that basically puts you to sleep, so
you won't stay up all night coughing. "Knock ya out like
Nyquil" -- Ice Cube(?)
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-- O --
O
(n) An ounce of marijuana.
O-1-2
(n) The O stands for Oakland, the 1-2 for a left-right
combination punch. "Up in Oakland you might get the
O-1-2" -- Father Dom (??? [??]).
O.E.
(n) Short for Old English, a kind of malt liquor.
"Coolin' on the corner with a bottle of O.E." -- Beastie
Boys (Time to get ill [1986]).
O.G.
1) (n) Original gangster, which you become when you
'advertise' a gang. People should talk about you and link
your name with the things you done in the past. This
includes killings, driveby shootings, spending time in
jail, and living up to your name. "O.G. Original
Gangster" -- Ice T. (Original Gangster [1991]).
2) (adj) True; original.
3) (n) Someone who is true to the game, who never sold
out.
O.J.
1) (n) Reference to a big car: erstwhile football star
and all-around adman O.J. Simpson does Hertz commercials
featuring Ford and Lincoln Mercury cars. Used on
Sugarhill Gang's Rapper's Delight.
2) (n) To pull an O.J. on someone: to set someone up, to
plant evidence.
O'Malley
(n) An Irish name, pointing to the traditionally strong
represented Irish in the LAPD. "Gonna put a slug in
captain O'Malley" -- Cypress Hill (We ain't goin' out
like that [1993]).
one-time
(n) Police officer. "One-time tried to come in my
home..." -- Cypress Hill (How could I just kill a man
[1993]).
on swo
(adv) Increasing in size, often used in prisons to
describe a weight lifter. "My bank roll's on swo" --
Snoop Doggy Dogg (??? [??]).
oowop
(n) An uzi semi-automatic gun.
O.P.P.
1) (n) Other people's pussy.
2) (n) Other people's penis.
3) (n) Other people's property.
oreo
(n) Black person who wants to be white, or people of
mixed race. An oreo is a type of cookie black on the
outside with white cream filling inside. "A message to
the oreo cookie" -- Ice Cube (Turn off the radio [1990]).
other level
(n) A higher degree of consciousness satisfaction; beyond
the average. "Grip it on that other level" -- Geto Boys
(On that other level [1992]).
ox piece
(n) Home-made type of gun that people make in the
prisons. "I heared you blew a nigga with an ox for the
phone piece" -- Nas (One love)
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-- P --
P
1) (n) Partner, friend.
2) (n) Pussy. "The P is free" -- BDP (The P is free) 3)
(n) Posse.
pad
(n) House, home, place where you live. "It's like that
and its like this I took her to the pad and we started to
kiss..." -- Eazy-E (Gimme that nutt [??]).
paddle
(n) Gun. "Say why ya creep without a muthaphuckin paddle"
-- Lady or Rage (Lyrical Gangbang [1992]).
pancake
(v) Hydraulics maneuver where a car goes from all wheels
high to all wheels low. "Pancake, front-to-back,
side-to-side, and all that shit" -- Dr. Dre (Let me ride
[1992]).
papes/papers
(n) Money. "...and we're getting papers, three months
later we run our own caper" -- Boogie Down Productions
(Love's gonna getcha [1990]).
parlaying
(v) West coast slang for partying or having a good time.
Pat Duke
1) (n) Patty Duke, an old sitcom television show. "On the
stoop doing the Pat Duke" -- Ol' Dirty Bastard (Don't you
know [1994]).
2) (n) A popular dance style from the late 80's.
P-Dog
(n) Paris. "P-Dog comin' up, I'm staying low" -- Paris
(The devil made me do it).
P-funk
(n) Music of the George Clinton time period. Parliament
Funkadelic was a group in that era and it included such
artists as George Clinton and Bootsy Collins.
peace
1) (n) That's what rap is all about for all you mentally
challenged.
2) (interj) Farewell bidding.
P.E.
(n) Public Enemy.
peckerwood
(n) Derogatory term for a white person.
peeling
(n) What comes off when peeling a cap. "The bigger the
cap, the bigger the peelin'" -- Ice Cube (Steady mobbin'
[1991]) Note that Cube is paraphrasing a Parliament line,
where GC says "The bigger the headache, the bigger the
pill", but the way he says it, "pill" comes out sounding
like peel".
peeling caps
(v) Killing someone by shooting him, shots to the head
often disfigure it in such a way that the cranium is
"peeled back". "One wrong move and your cap's peeled" --
Ice T. (O.G. original gangster).
peep
(v) Check this out (as in peep this).
peeps
(n) People. "To all my peeps who didn't make it" -- Nas
(The world is yours [1994]).
pen
(n) Penitentiary, jail. "To all of my peoples in the
pens, keep ya head up" -- Lost Boyz (Lex Coupes, Beamaz
and Benz's [??]).
Penelope
(n) Police -- E-40 (???).
pep
(v) To beat someone up. "I'm ready to pep ya".
phat
1) (adj) Great, addictive.
2) (adj) If a girl was phat, she had Plenty o' Hips And
Thighs, in other words PHysically ATtractive; old slang.
Think 60's or early 70's here. A bit more modern: Pussy,
Hips And Tits.
phat pocket
(n) A person who has a lot of money
pie
(n) Vagina.
piece
1) (n) A firearm.
2) (n) A work of graffiti art (short for masterpiece).
3) (n) Sexual intercourse. "I'm gonna go get me a piece."
pig
(n) Police officer. "pig" as a synonym for policeman" has
been around for about two hundred years (according to
"Partridge's Concise Dictionary of Slang and
Unconventional English"). It did, however, disappear in
the late nineteenth century (or, as the dictionary says
"go underground" though I'm not sure what they mean by
that) and reappear in common usage around 1960. I know
that during Prohibition speakeasies who had bribed the
local police to not bother them were called "blind pigs"
(The Blind Pig bar here in Ann Arbor actually used to be
such a place). I suspect that the term has been used to
mean any kind of unpleasant person since humans started
domesticating the things....
pimp
1) (n) Boss of prostitutes.
2) (v) To be a ladies man.
PJ's
(n) The Projects.
plats
(n) Dreadlocks.
play
1) (v) To go along with. "I don't think so. Homey don't
play that" -- Homey the Clown in "In Living Colour".
2) (v) To fool. "You can't buy no relationship. You
played yourself." -- Ice-T (You played yourself [??]).
3) (n) Action.
play ball
(v) To play basketball. "Got a pair that I wear when I'm
playin' ball" -- RUN-DMC (My Adidas).
played out
Old.
player
1) (n) Someone who is "true to the game", ie. someone who
never sold out. "To Chuck, Flava and Griff... You're true
players" -- Ice-T (M.V.P.'s).
2) (n) A kind of playboy, so a player is good at picking
up honeys.
3) (n) "Players" is a black-oriented adult men's
magazine.
player hater
(n) One who despises or speaks ill of another because he
does not have any game of his own.
player's ball
(n) A party for players. Outkast mentions it.
play yourself
(v) To reveal a weakness, as in poker when you played
your cards too early. "No friends 'cause you dissed 'em
too, no money, no crew, you're through. You played
yourself" -- Ice T. (You played yourself)
PO
1) (n) Police officer, parole officer or probation
officer.
2) (adj) Piece out.
3) (v) Pissed off, angry.
P.O.D.
(n) Paid on delivery.
point blank
1) (adj) At close range.
2) (adj) Right now, right here, in your face. Used when
someone is trying to prove a point or something.
po-po
(n) The Police. "Oh no, I think I see the po-po, but pow,
I'm outie 5-thou with my coke and a smile." -- Dru Down
(Hoo Ride [??]).
pop
(v) To shoot someone. "I'm a pop a cap in him" -- Jules
in the movie "Pulp Fiction"
posse
(n) A group of followers or fans. This doesn't
necessarily mean a gang. "They got too, too, too much
posse" -- Public Enemy (Too much posse)
pot
(n) See marihuana. "Must have been drinking, 'cause this
ain't pot" -- Cypress Hill and Sonic Youth (Mary Jane
[1993]).
potna
(n) Term to address a person, compare partner. "What's
now up potna" -- Menace 2 Society.
power U
(n) Vagina. "On top of that you got the good power U" --
Method Man & Mary J. Blige (You're all I need [1994]).
primo
1) (n) A joint laced with crack, west coast term. The
east coast equivalent is "turbo". See also marihuana.
2) (n) Friend.
Private Stock
(n) A brand of malt liquor.
project gold
(n) Huge gold hoop earrings.
props
(n) An abbreviation of "propers" or proper respects. A
show sits on physical and non-physical props. At an award
ceremony the winner gives props: "And I would like to
thank...".
pruno
(n) Wine that inmates make in prison.
P.S.K.
(n) Park Side Killers, Philadelphia gang of which
Schoolly D. used to be a member. "P.S.K., we're makin'
that green" -- Schoolly D. (P.S.K. (what does it mean?)).
psych
1) (n) Dupe. Check out 70's basketball commentary. Dr. J
and especially Nate Archibald used to do dribbling moves
to psych out opponents. Psych as in psychological head
trips they threw.
2) (interj) I duped you.
puff lye
(v) To smoke a medicinal herb, i.e. marihuana. "Life's a
bitch and then you die, that's why we puff lye" -- NAS
(Life's a bitch and then you die [1994])
pump
(n) Pump of a pump-action shotgun "Sawed off shotgun,
hand on the pump" -- Cypress Hill (Hand on the pump
[1993])
punani
1) (n) Vagina.
2) (n) Sex, this is used more commonly.
3) (n) A Jamaican dance, the art of moving your stomach
and behind on the dancefloor.
punk
(n) A stupid, usually irritating person.
pussy
(n) Vagina.
puta/puto
1) (n) Prostitute.
2) (n) Asshole. "How you like me now, puto" -- Cypress
Hill (Locotes [??]).
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-- Q --
quarter-O
1) (n) Quarter ounce (= oz.) of weed.
2) (n) 40 oz. of beer.
Q Vo
(interj) Shout out, Chicano slang. The term comes from
old Mexican movies (musicales). "Q Vo, a qui'stoy MC Kid
Frost" -- Kid Frost (La Raza [1991]).
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-- R --
rab
(n) Short for rabbi. "Told a rab get off the rag" --
Public Enemy (Welcome to the Terrordome[1991])
rat pack
(n) A bum rush. "Like some pussy, or in fact, a bum rush,
but we call it rat pack, on a nigga for nothing at all"
-- N.W.A. (Gangsta, gangsta [1988]).
raw
(adj) Showing the pure essence of pure hip hop.
real McCoy
1) (n) The orignal, not a fake. One real McCoy was a late
19th century boxer who fought under the name Kid McCoy
and was so good that other fighters adopted the name,
whereupon he had to bill himself as "the real McCoy". Or,
it was Scotch whisky, made by A. & M. MacKay of Glasgow.
In the UK the saying is "the real MacKay". Another idea
is that the expression came from heroin originating from
Macao (Dictionary of Cliches, pg.215). Yet another
explanation is the American scientist Eligah McCoy, who
had several inventions well known throughout the African
American community in America. If you owned anything
during those days, you wanted it to be "the real McCoy".
2) A 1967 Jazz CD by McCoy Tyner, a pianist.
really doe
(interj) Wrong spelling of "Really though", used to
emphasize a point. Ice Cube (Really doe).
red rum
(n) Murder spelled backwards.
reefer
(n) See marihuana. (1920s-1960s) Marijuana wrapped in
cigarette paper, may be a variant of Mexican "grefa"
(Juba to Jive, pg. 380).
reel to reel
1) Really real.
2) Reality.
3) The big tape used for studio recording and the machine
that runs it.
Remy Martin
(n) A brand of cognac. "I've got to get the chronic, some
Remy Martin, and my soda pop" -- Dr. Dre (Let me ride
[1992]).
represent
(v) New big hip-hop word. Means just what you think it
means. "Represent!" -- NAS (Represent [1994])
ricket
(n) Derogatory term for a member of the Crips, an L.A.
gang.
ride
(n) A vehicle. "So we rode in his ride" -- Ice-T (Bitches
2 [??]).
rift
(v) See step to.
rip
(v) Old street slang - to steal, stolen, to take
agressively.
road dog
(n) A good friend, someone who you always hang out with.
"Yo dick on hard, for fuckin' your road doggs" -- Dr. Dre
(The Chronic [1992]).
rock
1) (n) Crack.
2) (v) To have sexual intercourse.
3) (n) Biblical. Alcatraz, Jamaica...
4) (v) To wear, "I was rocking my brand new Nikes".
rock star
(n) Crack addict
rocket
1) (n) A joint (see marihuana).
2) (v) To blast off into a high when smoking a joint.
Rodney King
1) (n) Rodney King was beaten up by police when he was
placed under arrest. The whole incident was videotaped,
leading to the infamous "Rodney King trials", where the
police officers were under trial for assault and
battering. The outcome of the trial was not satisfactory
to many people in LA, leading to the LA riots of 1992.
2) (n) To pull a Rodney King: To initiate police
brutality. "He'll probably pull me over and I laugh, pull
a Rodney King and I'll blast at his punk ass" -- Tupac
(Souljah's Revenge [1993]).
roll
1) (v) To hang with a given person or crowd. "I'm rollin'
with the new jack crew" -- Ice-T (Newjack hustler
[1991]).
2) (v) To roll someone means to beat someone up.
3) (v) To deal drugs.
4) (v) To drive one's car in the neighborhood.
roll up
1) (v) To gang up on a given person. 2) (v) arriving on a
scene.
rollie
(n) Rolling papers.
Rolling 60's
(n) Notorious South Central Crip set.
R.T.D.
Rough, tough and dangerous: a bus that travels in the
ghetto is called because people are getting robbed or
mugged on a regular basis. The former name for the Los
Angeles County Mass Transit (Bus) was Rapid Transit
District.
ruff neck
(n) A round the way guy that keeps it real and knows the
streets. "Gotta what yo gotta get a ruff neck" -- MC Lyte
(Ruff neck [??]).
rush
1) (v) Bogard, physically assault.
2) (v) After taking drugs , one often gets a rush
ruthless
1) (adj) Tough, hard, stopping at nothing. "Drop him in
his tracks so hip that I am ruthless" - Eazy-E (It's on
Dr. Dre 187 um killa [1993])
2) (n) Ruthless Records is Eazy-E's record company.
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-- S --
S1W
(n) The Security of the First World; the military dancers
on stage with Public Enemy at their concerts.
SA
(n) Wrong spelling of the Mexican word ese, which means
dude. "SA's cool, don't fuck with them boys" - Ice Cube
(Really Doe).
sack chaser
(n) Woman using a man for money.
sagging deuce
(n) A lowered Cadillac car.
scarface
(n) Incarcerated person. "Scarfaces" -- Genius/GZA
(Liquid swords [1995]).
scheme
(v) To plan to do something to get someones money, most
often by cheating. "And the girls that been scheming,
gonna get creamed when I" -- The Gravediggaz (Tonite is a
special nite [1995]).
school
(n) A specific era in hiphop history. There have been
many discussions about the difference between the "Old
School" and the New School". One accepted view was put to
words in alt.rap by Charles L. Isbell:
All of time can be divided pretty easily this way:
- Everything before "Run DMC" (Run DMC [1984])
- Everything before "It Takes A Nation of Millions To
Hold Us Back" (Public Enemy [1988])
It gets harder after that, but maybe you'd have to label
parallel movements with stuff like:
o Everything before "Straight Outta Compton" (NWA [1988])
and "Amerikkka's Most Wanted" (Ice Cube [1990]) for the
West Coast Gangsta Movement
o Everything before "3 Feet High And Rising" (De La Soul
[1989]) and "Low End Theory" (A Tribe Called Quest
[1991]) for the Jazz/Bohemian Movement
Others seem to think we're about to enter the Everything
before "93 'Til Infinity" (Souls of Mischief [1993]) era
for the Ascendency of Hieroglyphics, but I'll reserve
judgement on that.
There are also several dark moments: MC Hammer ushered in
the HipPop Era and Vanilla "No I really used to be rich;
May I take your order?" Ice ushered in something
unspeakable (Snow, if nothing else).
Hmmmmm, here's a way to pass the time: what are the key
moments/movements and what albums/artists best represent
them? How have they influenced the direction of rap?
Making no value judgements, I'd have to say that the four
most influential hiphop moments/movements are the ones I
listed above and for obvious reasons.
Scooby Doo
1) (n) The cartoon character.
2) (n) A blunt. "Scooby Doo, where the fuck are you?" --
Cypress Hill (??? [??]).
3) The B-side on Lick a Shot (US).
scope
1) (v) Look at something. "Scope that bitch"
2) (v) Stare down someone.
scrap a lick
(v) As in "can't scrap a lick", meaning, can't put up a
fight, has a poor fighting ability. From Dr. Dre (Fuck
wit Dre day).
scratch
(n) Money, loot. "Scrilla scratch paper" -- E-40 (One
love [??]).
screw
(v) To play a hip-hop record at a slower speed, said to
accentuate the bass and facilitate mixes with ballads.
Also screw mixes, get my screw on. Originated in the late
80's, when Fresh Records released 12" singles at 45 rpm.
Many DJ's missed the speed designation and mistakenly
played it at the slower 33 rpm speed. Many listeners
began to intentionally request those records (esp.
Mantronix's "Fresh is the Word") at the slow speed. Now
done with CD players with variable pitch (or vinyl).
scrilla
(n) Money, loot. "Scrilla scratch paper" -- E-40 (One
love [??]).
sell out
(n) Doing something purely for the financial gain,
Selling your soul. "Should Ice Cube sell out? You say
hell no!" -- Ice Cube (When will they shoot? [??]).
sense
(n) An abbreviation of the word "sinsemellia", which is a
form o marihuana that has no seeds, because it is
isolated from male pollen during te blooming process.
Instead of making seeds, the marihuana plant makes more
THC, hence this "sense" is more potent, and generally
better than standard ganja.
set
1) (n) A denomination of one of the larger gangs, a set
is not necessarily friendly with other sets in the same
gang. "Baby girl asked me what set am I claiming" - Sir
MixaLot (Rapper's Reputation)
2) (n) The group of songs in a concert by a specific
performer.
set tripping
(v) Killing someone in your own gang, but who is in a
different set. i.e. a different street but in the same
gang.
shackles
(n) Handcuffs.
shank
(n) A knife. "You better grab your shank, cuz ain't no
fistfight" -- Dr. Dre (Lil' ghetto boy [??]).
sherm stick
(n) Marijuana dipped in embalming fluid.
shife
(adj) See mark or newjack. A rookie or one who purports
to be more than he is. "And he knew he was shife, he knew
he was hype" -- Bust Down (Nasty bitch (intro) [1993]).
shimmy
(n) See booty. "Shimmy shimmy ya!" - Ol' Dirty Bastard
(Shimmy shimmy ya [1995]).
sholda than show
Surer than sure.
shookone
(n) Individual who acts like he is tough, but when things
get hectic or tense, he gets scared and acts like the
punk he really is. They have been shook up by the reality
and are labeled shookones.
short (, short)
(n) Vehicle.
shorty
1) (n) Little person.
2) (n) Female, like baby or honey. "I got myself a
shorty, I got myself a forty" -- Wu-Tang Clan (Method
Man).
3) (n) A seven ounce bottle of beer.
shotty
(n) Shotgun.
show and prove
(v) Demonstrate.
show case
(v) To carry out a fraud.
siamese
(n) A person who acts two-faced.
sike
See psych.
simp
1) (n) Derived from simpleton, used for rhyming with
pimp. "Short baby I ain't no simp, but the nigga in the
suit ain't nothin' but a pimp" -- Too $hort (Cocktales
[??]).
2) (v) To sing and pimp. From Boyz II Men (Simpin' ain't
easy).
sister
(n) Woman of the same group; friend.
skank
(n) A scandalous woman.
skirt
(n) A female.
skitzing
(v) Acting bizarre or crazy, from schizophrenic.
skunk
(n) See marihuana.
skeezer
(n) See freak. "If you wanna know what a skeezer is, it's
a girl who's on my jock cause I'm in showbiz" -- LL Cool
J. (??? [??]).
skill
(n) General ability; ability on the microphone.
skins
1) (n) The wall of the vagina. "She likes to bend over
and then she spreads the skins" -- Brand Nubian (Slow
down [1990]).
2) (n) Condom.
3) (n) Rolling papers.
slab
1) (n) The ground; to lower a car to the slab: to lower
down. "I'm breaking em down to the slab" -- Rage (The
chronic [1992]).
2) (n) Crack.
slamming
1) (adj) Dynamic.
2) (adj) Something really good/attractive. "And may I
say, may I say, that, that outfit you got on is slammin'"
-- L.L. Cool J (MrGoodbar).
slang
(v) The act of selling drugs.
slanted-back
(n) A Caddillac Seville, because of the slanted trunk of
the earlier models.
slap skins
1) (v) Slapping hands together.
2) (v) Having sex. Slapping skins, hitting skins, getting
skins, etc. Skins being the skin of the opposite sex.
sleep [on]
(v) Ignore.
slipping
1) (adj) On the downward trend, losing the edge. "Cause
you're slipping!" -- Boogie Down Productions (You're
slipping [1988]).
2) (v) Not paying attention "Yeah I caught that fool
slippin' and I smoked him" -- ?? (??? [??]).
slob
(n) Derogatory name for a member of the Bloods, an L.A.
gang, used by members of the Crips, another L.A. gang.
slow your roll
(interj) Slow down whatever you are doing. "Slow ya roll
like your leg was broken" -- Kurupt (For my niggaz and my
bitches [1993]).
smacked
(adj) Under the influence of drugs.
smashing
(v) See slapping skins.
smoke
(v) Killing someone. "Right then, I knew I had to smoke
his ass" -- N.W.A. (Gangsta gangsta [1988]).
snap
(n) a form of verbal jestering. Also French and English
speaking Africans especially in Dakar and Paris say 'oh
snap' in two contexts. 1) 'oh snap' if you get bagged on
(snapped on) and 2) meaning 'oh shit' as in 'I didn't
know' or 'I forgot something'.
snaps
(n) Money.
sneakers
(n) Sportswear shoes. "I wear my sneakers but I'm not a
sneak" -- RUN-DMC (My Adidas).
snow
(n) Cocaine.
soggy indo
(n) A joint (see marihuana) that has been dipped in PCP
or something.
soldier
(n) Non-OG gangbanger.
SP-12
(n) The E-MU SP-12 (or SP-1200), a high-end sampling drum
machine for rap music production. These pieces of
equipment came out around 1985 and 87 respectively. The
SP-12 did not have an internal disk drive, but EMU saw
the problems since it only worked with a Commodore
diskdrive. So they made the next model with an internal
drive. Incidentally Ced-Gee of Ultra-Magnetics was the
first person in hip-hop to use this machine which has
become one of the most sought after pieces of equipment
to date. So much that EMU has reissued the SP-1200. "Just
me, a mic, and an SP-12" -- Young MC (Album Filler).
spliff
(n) Jamaican marihuana cigarette, see marihuana.
spray
(v) Firing a round of bullets. "Pulled out the uzi,
cruised by and sprayed him" -- Ice Cube (Gangsta's
Fairytale).
sprung
1) (adj) Erected. "Sprung, niggaz call her lips 'n lungs"
-- Ice Cube (Check yo self [??]).
2) (adj) Obsessed with something.
3) (n) Released on bail by someone else.
squab
(n) Shortened form of "to squabble"; to fight,
physicallly confront. "Quick to squab, always down for
the job" -- E-40 featuring Suga T (Sprinkle me [??]).
squash
(v) To end, Squash that beef.
squeeze the trigger
(v) To shoot a gun. "Yo homeboy,squeeze the trigger!" --
Ice T. (squeeze the trigger) [198?]
stab out
(v) To leave.
stake
(v) Making money, often used in conjunction with paper,
i.e. "stakin' paper".
steel
(n) Pistol. "Finger on the trigger with my hand upon the
steel" --Cypress Hill (Hand on the pump [1993])
step off
(v) Back away from a confrontation.
step to
(v) Engage a confrontation. "So don't step to me 'cause
you boys 'll get wacked" -- Ice-T (Power).
step up
(v) See step to.
St. Ides
(n) Alcoholic beverage. "Gotta get tha S-T-I-D-E-S, first
of tha month" -- Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (??? [??]).
stilo
(n) Pronounced as "steelo", is a term that like a lot of
other hip-hop terms originated in New York City. It is
Spanish, and it means style.
stupid
1) (adj) Creative.
2) (adv) Very. "Evil's got the funky beat, a stupid dope
loop" -- Ice-T (Fried chicken [1991]).
straight
(n) Okay.
strap
(n) A gun.
strapped
1) (adj) Strapped in: armed.
2) (adj) Rich.
strawberry
Someone who willingly exchanges sexual services for
drugs. "Strawberry, Strawberry is the neighbourhood ho"
-- N.W.A. (Dopeman [1988]).
stroll
1) (v) To be out on parole. "27 years old, out on parole,
stroll." -- Dr. Dre (Lil' ghetto boy [??]).
2) To drive one's car.
stunt
1) (n) Sexual act.
2) (n) A person who performs stunts.
3) (n) To pull a stunt, to try something difficult.
sucka
(n) person easily duped.
SWASS
(n) Short for "Some wild-ass silly shit".
Swayze
(n) I'm out of here, I'm ghost. From the movie "Ghost"
which features the actor Patrick Swayze, used for example
in a cut by EPMD..
sweat
1) (vt) over-patronize.
2) (v) Worry, as in "don't sweat it".
3) (v) Harrass or scrutinize. "There's one or two narcs
in the area that's sweatin' me" -- Digital Underground
(Sex packets).
sweet
(adj) Cool, dope, fresh.
swerver
(n) Car.
swing
(n) To have sexual intercourse (Grand Puba).
swing low
(n) To have oral sex (Kool Moe Dee).
switch
(n) Your average toggle switch. Low-riding drivers use
them to control the hydrolics or any other electrical
device in their cars. "Rollin' in my fo' with sixteen
switches" Dr. Dre -- (Let Me Ride).
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-- T --
tag
1) (n) A persons graffiti nickname.
2) (v) The act of writing graffiti on an object (tagging
up).
Tanqueray
(n) A brand of distilled English Gin, used to make
cocktail drinks. It was recently popularized by several
rap and also by a very creative advertising campaign in
the US, featuring and elderly white man named Mr.
Jenkins: "Mr. Jenkins doesn't understand all the Hip-hop
lyrics at his friend's record release party, but he
understands gin and juice very clearly." is the line that
was used. "My homey Dr. Dre came through with a gang of
Tanqueray" -- Snoop Doggy Dogg (Gin and Juice [??]).
tastey
(n) A fly honey.
tax
1) (vt) Beat up or down physically. 2) (v) to take away
something after you kick a sucka's ass."and Ima tax that
ass like the government" -- BDK (Pimpin ain't easy).
3) (v) To dig into or estimate, I'm gonna tax that ass.
Tech 9
A gun. "Every kid's got a Tech 9 or a handgrenade" --
Ice-T (??? [??]).
thang
(n) Thing; "your own thang": your own way.
thai stick
(n) See marihuana.
three-wheel motion
(n) Ride upon three wheels with a low rider car. You can
see it in videos for "Ain't nuthin but a G thang" and
Today was a good day" [1993]. One of the back corners of
the car is really close to the ground and the opposite
corner is picked up off the road.
through
(n) Drunk or high to the point of almost being
unconscious.
throw-up
1) (n) A non-complex piece of graffiti usually involving
only two colors.
2) (n) To tag your graffiti on something ("Watch my back
as I throw up this tag").
thump
(v) To engage in a fistfight. "Remember they used to
thump, but now they blast, right?" -- Dr. Dre (Lil'
ghetto boy [??]).
tical
1) (n) Emphasis, like an exclamation point at the end of
a sentence. The Method Man used to be called `Method Man
the Methodtical', see the cover of his album. "Let's go
uptown and hit the spot kid, tical"
2) (n) See marihuana. "Smoke a bag of tical" -- Method
Man (???).
tight
1) (adj) A state of mind, feeling really good at the
moment. Straight, legitimate, all-good.
2) (adj) Cool, dope, fresh.
tip
1) (n) Penis (Get off my tip).
2) (n) Q-Tip from a Tribe Called Quest
3) (n) The end, the fullest. "To the tip!" -- Schoolly D.
(Mr. Big Dick).
Tipper Gore
Tipper has become a synonym for narrowmindedness. She had
to do with the committee that decides which CD's get the
"Parental advisory" stickers. "You gotta be high to
believe that you can change the world with a sticker on a
record sleeve" -- Bodycount (Freedom of speech [1991]).
Thompson
(n) Tommy gun.
toa
(n) Gang pride/love (Polynesian/Maori).
toy
1) (n) A poor or beginner graffiti artist.
2) (v) To purposefully write over another graffiti
artists work (toy someone out).
3) (n) A sucker.
4) (n) Short for Trouble On Your System.
Tragniew Park Crips
(n) Compton crip set, associated with MC Eiht. "Tragniew
Park you say..." -- DJ Quik (Dollaz & Sense [1994]).
trap
(v) to sell drugs.
tray eight
(n) See 38.
trick
(n) Short for trick bitch. Derives from the turning
tricks action of oral sex/doggy style of a prostitute.
Can be used to acknowledge any sort of woman. More than
often used as "slut", but a replacement for "bitch" will
work too.
trill
(adj) Rough, street-wise person; "Trill ass nigga" --
Underground Kingz (The Southern way [1992], also on Too
hard to swallow [1994]).
tripping
1) (v) Literally making a misstep, figuratively doing
something wrong.
2) (v) Responding to the effects of narcotics.
3) (v) Freak for any reason. "Don't start tripping, or
we'll go toe to toe" -- ??
truck jewelry
(n) big gold jewelry.
true that
(interj). See word is bond.
TTP
(n) Tree Top Piru, a notorious Compton Blood set,
associated with DJ Quik (addressed to MC Eiht) "Westside
Trees sprayin' all tha fleas" -- DJ Quik (Dollaz+Sense
[1995]).
turbo
(n) A joint laced with crack, east coast term. The west
coast equivalent is "primo". See also marihuana.
turn (it) out
1) (v) To make records.
2) (v) To have sexual intercourse with.
twenty sack
(n) One gram of marihuana, which costs $20. See
marihuana. From Nas (NY state of mind).
twisted
(n) Drunk.
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-- U --
uncle L.
(n) L.L. Cool J. "Like uncle L. said, I'm rippin' up
shows" -- Public Enemy (Shut 'em down).
uncle tom
1) (n) A black man who wants to be white. From the book
Uncle Tom's Cabin.
2) A tattle-taler; a person who befriends another only to
deceive him, usually in the workplace.
up north trip
Being sent to jail. "Up north trip" -- Mobb Deep (??
[??]).
USG
(n) United States Ghettos (Onyx).
uzi
(n) Israeli semi-automatic gun. "Hold it, rock! Miuzi
weighs a ton" -- Public Enemy (Miuzi weighs a ton).
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-- V --
vacuum lungs
(n) Taking a deep smoke. "Cause fools be havin' them
vacuum lungs" -- The Luniz (???).
vato
(n) East LA hispanic slang, meaning homeboy. "Vato,
cholo, call us what you will" -- Kid Frost (La Raza
[1990]).
Vegas
(n) High quality speaker units mabe by Cerwin-Vega, used
in car and hi-fi systems. "Going to school with the Vegas
on my earlobe" -- Da Luniz (I got 5 on it [1995]).
Versace
(n) Clothing label. "I stay laced cuz my body got Versace
taste" -- Monifa (I miss you (come back home) [1995]).
vexed
(v) Very angry.
vmb
(n) Video Music Box, a NYC hip-hop video music show.
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-- W --
wack
1) (adj) Negative: crazy or weird. Mostly this is meant
2) (adj) Positive: extremely good.
3) (v) To kill someone. "So don't step to me 'cause you
boys'll get wacked" -- Ice-T (Power).
watching Andy Griffith
(v) refers to masturbating. Martin Lawrence (You so
crazy).
wax
1) (n) Record album(s). "And we put it on wax, it's the
new style" -- Beastie Boys (The New Style [1986]).
2) (v) Synonym to tax as in "wax his ass" from the black
popular "mop up the floor with your ass".
3) (adj) Describing refinement as in 'waxed, buffed and
simonized' from the Mister Magic radio show.
WBLS
(n) One of the original hip-hop stations in New York
City. "BLS, 97, KISS, bounce to this" -- Craig Mack (???
[??]).
wet
1) (v) Kill someone. As in wet from blood when someone is
sprayed. "Now I gotta wetcha" -- Ice Cube (I'm gonna
wetcha)
2) (v) Excite a female.
WHBI-FM (105.9)
(n) The first radio station in New York that had a
hip-hop show (Mr. Magic, the Awesome Two, Afrika Izlam).
The station later changed its call letters to WNWK-FM.
wheels of steel
(n) Turntables. "My DJ Code Money on the wheels of steel"
-- Schoolly D. (Gucci time).
who ride
1) (v) To get buckwild. "The darkside where the real G's
who ride" -- Macadoshish from Thug Life (Don't get
twisted [1994])
2) (n) The who ride is the act of getting wild and crazy,
like a riot or an assassination, or any wild activity.
wigger
(n) A derogatory term for white people usually used by
white people.
wilding
(adj) Acting recklessly.
wild thing
(n) Sexual intercourse. "Hey you two, I was once like you
and I loved to do the wild thing" -- Tone Loc (Wild
thing).
willy
1) (n) Penis.
2) (n) Someone with money or status in the neighbourhood,
a player or bawler.
wood
(n) Erected penis. "Delivering the wood" stands for
having sexual intercourse.
word
(n) Biblical (John1:1). "logos": truth.
word is bond
(interj) Saying this means that what you are saying is
absolutely correct, and you do not have to put up money
to prove it, you just say it. "Cause I'm frontin' in my
ride, and my word is bond" -- LL Cool J (The boomin'
system [1990]).
wreck
1) (v) To accomplish something.
2) (v) To destroy or break up. "All they wanted to do is
wreck and flex" Public Enemy (Burn Hollywood, burn
[1990]).
3) (v) To show great freestyling skills.
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-- Y --
y'all
(n) Short for "you all". Also sometimes used for you",
singular.
yo
1) (n) You.
2) (pos) Your.
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-- Z --
zig zags
Rolling papers. "Send some gin and a pack of zig zags" --
Snoop Doggy Dogg (Pump pump)
zooted
(adj) Smoked out on weed. "I want to get zooted, nigga"
-- Total Devastation (??? [1993]).
zootie
(n) A joint laced with crack.
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(c) 1992-1996 Patrick Atoon and Niels Janssen
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