WingsOfAnAngel
Banned
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 3
A
a
(v) Going to. "I'm a do it like this"
A&R
Refers to Artist and Repetoir execs in record companies they are hooked up with an artist to help to find new artists and put out an image for them. 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]).
A-Town
Atlanta
Ac
The Acura Legend, a brand car. "With the Mac in the Ac door panelin'" -- Notorious BIG (Unbelievable [1994]).
afro
1) Hairstyle like the Jackson Five had, much hair and round like a ball.
2) 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
Assault rifle of Russian origin, nowadays produced in China. The letters stand for "avtomat Kalashnikova", an automatic assault rifle invented by Mikhail Kalashnikov, who invented the gun in 1947. "My AK-47 is the tool" -- Da Lench Mob (Freedom got an AK [1993]) (originally from NWA (Straight out of Compton)).
Al B Square Mall
Albee Square Mall in Brooklyn - Bizmarkie
Alizé
French beverage made from passion fruit and cognac.
all that
(adj) in possession of all good qualities.
Alpine
Make of car stereo from a Japanese-based company. 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
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 amarrettos" -- Raekwon (Investigative Reports [??]).
around the way
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".
B
b-boy
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 [??]).
B-Town
Berkeley, California.
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.
baller
1) Ballplayer, someone who is good at playing basketball, and has moved up to earning a lot of money and getting a lot of girls from that. "I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller" -- Skee Low (I wish [??]).
2) 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".
ballin'
(v) Having it all.
bama
1) Person who cannot dress, a loser. Short for Alabama, meaning a person from the country, backwards unsophisticated. "Me and the rest of the bama's" -- Question Mark Asylum (Deriving from the D.C. area [??]).
2) Shake, a type of marijuana from the leaves rather than the buds of the hemp plant.
bang
(v) To fight to kill
banger
1) someone associated with gangs and murder.
2) Rocker, from headbanging.
bank
Money. "That's cool cause I whipped out bank" -- Sir Mix-a-lot (I got game [??]).
Bankhead Hwy
Highway in Atlanta where all the players go.
battle
(v) To compete, usually freestyle rapping, sometimes breakdancing or graffiti. "You want to rap and you got no battle, it's like havin' a boat and you got no paddle" -- Public Enemy (??? [1987]).
Bay Plaza
Movie theatre in the Bronx - Nice and Smooth.
be geese
(interj) To leave. "Yo we be geese"
beam me up, Scotty
(interj) Give me crack.
beamer
Expensive European car: BMW, status symbol. Used by Tribe Called Quest on Low End Theory. References to 325i's are to BMW 3-series models with a 2.5 litre engine. References to 735i's, 740i's, 750i's are to models in the 7-series range of BMW models. The 750iL is the flagship model made by BMW. A reference to the a seven series model is found in Ice Cube's "Ghetto Bird". 850i's (mentioned in Wu-Tang's "Can It All Be...") is to the BMW 850i Coupé.
bean
Head or brain.
Bed Stuy
Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. Also called The Stuy. Radio Raheem wears a Bed Stuy T-shirt in the movie "Do the right thing" by Spike Lee.
beef
1) 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.
2) Sexual meat, like a penis. "No service of beef ... meaning to have sex" -- NWA (Parental Discretion Iz Advised [??])
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).
bend
A prostitute. "She was more than just a bend" -- Grand Puba
bent
1) (v) Drunk. "It doesn't matter if I'm dead sober or I'm bent" -- Heltah Skeltah (Therapy [??]).
2) (v) Sad. "You got me bent like elbows, amongst other things" -- Outkast (Aliens [???]).
Benz
1) Expensive brand of 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) A pull out radio. "Here come the cops... put the Benzi-box under the seat" -- Naughty by Nature (Strike a nerve [1991]).
2) A box full of Mercedes Benz emblems that were stolen off the cars.
berry
A police car. The red lights on old cop cars looked like a berry on top of an ice cream. "Berry flashing those high beams" refers to a cop behind your car signalling for you to pull over. "Didn't even see a berry flashing those high beams" -- Ice Cube (Today was a good day [1993]).
BG
1) 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) Black gangster.
bill
A one hundred dollar banknote.
bima
See beamer. "Lex, coupe, bimaz, benz" -- Lost Boyz (??? [1996]).
bird
Kilo. "A bird in the hand" -- Ice Cube (A bird in the hand [1991]).
biscuit
1) Gun.
2) Behinds. "Gals, if you see a man you like, just grab him in the biscuits... and doowutchalike" -- Digital Underground (Doowutchalike [????]).
bitch
1) Prostitute, literally meaning "female dog"; 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) A girl. "My seven bizzos" -- 2 Live crew (My seven bizzos [1989]).
2) 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
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
1) (v) To smoke crack.
2) (v) To play music loud.
blend
See marijuana.
blindside
(v) To creep up on someone.
blood
1) Blood brother
2) Member of the Bloods gang.
blunt
See marijuana. 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])
BM
See beamer. "Drop top BM's, I'm the man, girlfriend" -- Notorious BIG (Big Poppa [??]).
BMX
Refers to now-defunct Chicago radio station WBMX, which used to play hip-hop and house music mixes through the 1980s. "I tuned into BMX, and taped Farley on the Tonemaster." -- Common Sense ("This is Me" [????])
boat
Marijuana laced with embalming fluid.
bolos
South American throwing weapon, a number of balls on cords. "I'm throwin' bolos you'll find out who's the number one solo" -- Lady of Rage (?? [????]).
bomb
1) Marijuana laced with heroin.
2) (adj) Very good. "Gimme that bomb beat from Dre" -- Tupac (California love [1994]).
bone
1) (v) To have sexual intercourse. "Your aim is to bone" -- Tribe Called Quest (Classic example of a date rape).
2) Penis. "You can act like a doggy, and play with my bone" -- Schoolly D. (Another poem [??]). 3) One dollar.
3) Core, soul. "I'm a rock hard trooper to the bone" -- Public Enemy (Louder Than A Bomb)
4) (v) To bone out, as in leaving. "They all got in the car and boned out" -- Smokey (Friday [1995]).
5) A joint. "Smokin' bones in the staircase" -- Wu-Tang Clan (C.R.E.A.M. [1993]).
bones
Dominos.
boneyard
1) Graveyard.
2) Domino pile to draw from.
bong
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
A term of endearment, like baby. "I'll be in here, boo" -- Method Man (You're all I need [1994]).
boo boo head
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).
boo-yaa
1) Totally dope, incredibly fine. Probably orignated from the "Boo-yaa Tribe". That shit was straight-up boo-yaa" -- ??.
2) Impression of the sound of a shotgun, also "boo-yaaka". "Shotgun goes boo-ya" -- Cypress Hill (Hand on the pump [1993]).
3) Marijuana, probably derived from Buddha. 4) Crack, probably related from the fact that smoking crack is sort of equivalent to putting a shotgun to your head and pulling the trigger.
booster
A shoplifter.
booty
1) (adj) Not good, lacking. "And them rhymes you were kickin were quite bootylicious" -- Snoop Doggy Dogg (Dre Day [??]).
2) Bottom, ass. Or getting a piece of ass.
3) Biblical, as in pirates booty or treasure. Since booty is stolen treasure, it could be good or bad. Often used in the negative today.
bounce
1) (v) To leave, to get up, to break. "You mean bounce... I'm with you, bounce right outta NYC" -- Raekwon the Chef (??? [1995]).
2) Form of music from New Orleans. Check Mystikal's album for a song called "Neva gonna bounce".
3) A reference to the Banhead Bounce, a dance made famous in Atlanta rap music.
bout it
Real, not fake, true to the game. "I'm bout it, bout it" -- Master P (Bout it, bout it [1995]).
box
Video Music Box, a NYC hip-hop video music show.
boy
1) Friend, possibly short for homeboy. "That's my boy".
2) Racist term used by white masters to address a slave. "Boy is a racist white word" -- Dr. Dre (movie: Who's the man)
boys in blue
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
Scrotum.
Brass Monkey
an alcoholic concoction available in liquor stores. "Drinking Brass Monkey" -- Beastie Boys (Brass Monkey [1986]).
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]).
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.
bremelo
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.
3) A quantity of cocaine.
broady
(v) To take or steal something.
broccoli
See marijuana. "With a handful of broccoli" -- Spice 1 (??? [??]).
Bronx
New York City borough where hip-hop was born and raised. Home of Boogie Down Productions. "My posse from the Bronx is thick" -- Boogie Down Productions (My philosophy).
Brooklyn
New York City borough. "No sleep till Brooklyn!" -- Beastie Boys (No sleep till Brooklyn [1987]). Home of Fugees and DAS EFX.
brother
Man of the same group; friend. In the Bible you will read "brethern", which is used in the same meaning.
bucket
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]).
Bucktown
A neighborhood better known as the Brownsville section of Brooklyn used by Smif & Wesson and Black Moon.
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
See marijuana. "I'm an addict for sneakers, 20's of buddah and bitches with beepers" -- NAS (New York state of mind [1994]).
buddy
1) At the start of De La soul's "Buddy" video, Prince Paul makes a statement to the effect that "Buddy means body."
2) 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]).
bump
(v) To make a car with hydraulics bump. "Why you gotta pull me over... cause I'm bumpin'" -- Warren G (I shot the sheriff [????]).
bumrush
1) Crash the gates of a show with a pack of people, in the hope to get in without having to pay. "Yo! Bumrush the show" -- Public Enemy. (Yo! Bumrush the show) [1987].
2) (v) To get beaten up by a large, angry group of people. Literally to get rushed by bums or lowlifes.
bunk
1) (adj) Unpleasant, bad.
2) A load of bunk: a lot of nonsense.
burner
1) A large piece of graffiti involving many colors, making it bright and colorful. It usually refers to whole-car productions on subways.
2) A gun.
bust a nut
(v) To ejaculate.
bust slugs
(v) To fire bullets. "And bust some slugs for South Africa" -- Heather B. with BDP (Seven MC's)
bust this
(interj) Pay attention. "But bust this!" -- Ice-T (Bitches 2 [1991]).
busta
1) Fake person, weak individual. "Busta ass nigga talkin' bullshit" -- Dr. Dre (Rat-a-tat-tat [1992]).
2) A snitch, a person who tattle-tales.
butt
1) 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
Jamaican, resembles the sound of gunshots. See boo-yaa.
C
C-Town
Cleveland, Ohio.
C.B.
1) See cock block.
2) Cell block.
3) Trucker radio.
C.R.E.A.M.
Money. Acronym for Cash Rules Everything Around Me. From the Wu-Tang Clan (36 chambers [1993]).
Calliope
Project in the New Orleans UPT (uptown New Orleans).
cap
1) Bullet. "I'm a pop a cap in him" -- Jules in the movie "Pulp Fiction"
2) Cranium, top of the skull. "Blood's on my gear, from caps I've peeled" -- Ice-T. (Mic contract [1991]).
3) Crack.
Casper
(interj) "I'm Casper", I'm out of here, I'm ghost. From the Casper the ghost cartoon.
cat
1) Vagina. "Sprung on the Cat" -- Sir Mixalot (Sprung on the cat [1992]). 2) Person. Used in the 70s. "You cant take the jungle out of the cat" -- Jeru Tha Damaja (Frustrated Nigger [1995]).
2) (adv) When someone is being a pussy about something. "Why don't you ask the girl out and stop being so cat?"
cateye
1) (v) To stare at a woman/man with sexual intentions.
2) A stud with many women.
cave bitch
Female version of "cave boy". Ice Cube (Cave bitch [1993]).
cave boy
A white person. Derived from the theory that early white man lived in caves.
Celo
A dice game also called "4-5-6", because you need to roll 4-5-6 to win in this game. "Like shootin' Celo, and always hittin' head cracks" -- A Tribe Called Quest (Low end theory [??]).
cha
You. "I'm comin' to getcha" -- Ice Cube (I'm gonna wetcha [1993])
cheeba
1) See marijuana. Company inscriptions on pharmaceutical drugs read "ciba", pronounced "cheeba".
2) Black, sticky, gooey Brazilian marijuana often sold in pounds. "Some call it cheeba, some call it weed" -- Schoolly D. (Saturday night [??]).
cheese
money; material wealth (from Bone: Thugs & Harmony).
chickenhead
1) 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) A derrogatory term used when referring to females who perform oral sex on males, because of the motion of the woman's head: back and forth, like a chichenhead. "Chickenheads be cluckin' in my bedroom" -- Notorious B.I.G. (Warning [??]).
3) Crack addict, because many will perform oral sex to get free crack or money. Repeatedly referred to in "Do or die", a book about the conflict between the Crips and the Bloods in South Central.
chill
1) Relax. "Why don't you just chill" -- L.L. Cool J. (Eat em up L chill [1990]).
2) (adj) Mellow.
Chilltown
Jersey City, Double XX Posse.
ChiTown
Chicago.
Chocolate City, Capital City
Washington D.C.
chrome
1) Gun. "Now I gotta follow him home with the chrome" -- Ice Cube (Robbin' hood [1994]).
2) Chrome wheel. "Sittin' on da chrome" -- Masta Ace Inc. [1995].
chronic
See marijuana. Incredibly potent marijuana, it started out as weed laced with coke. "The Chronic" -- Dr. Dre (The Chronic [1992]).
chronic flakes
Ashes from a marijuana cigarette. "What up Ren? Still droppin' chronic flakes on yo ass, bitch" -- Snoop Doggy Dog (The Chronic [1992]).
chubby
Erection.
chulo
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]).
cipher
1) A circle of brothers dropping science, showing and proving. A 5%-er term.
2) 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
Gun or holder of bullets to load a semi-automatic or fully automatic gun with. "My AK-47 holdin' 50 clips" -- Da Lench Mob (Freedom got an AK [1992]).
clique
the West Coast equivalent of "crew".
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]).
4) (v) To hit or knock someone out, as in "he clocked him". Probably comes from "he got his clock cleaned".
cluck (head)
Crack user.
cock
1) Penis.
2) 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. See the Kool G Rap song "Operation CB".
cock diesel
(adj) Very muscular.
coconut
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])
Compton
Los Angeles borough. This is from where the gangsta style was brought to a greater height.
coochie
Vagina.
cool
(adj) Okay as in "good" or "good idea".
coqui 900
1) A type of malt liquor. "Coqui 900" -- Schoolly D. (Coqui 900 [??]).
2) A kind of frog native to Puerto Rico.
county blues
Prison-issue clothes.
CPT
1) 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) Short for "Colored People Time"; being late.
3) Phonebook abbreviation for Compton.
4) Colored People's Time.
crab
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".
crack
Synthetic drug, extremely addictive.
crack a brew
(v) Open a beer. "Crack another 40, smoke some kill" -- Schoolly D. (Smoke some kill)
cracker
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
1) (adj) Besides meaning insane or extremely daring, it is kind of synonymous with mad.
2) (adj) Extremely or very. "Crazy fly bitches" -- Ice-T (???).
cream
Money. From: Cash Rules Everything Around Me, by the Wu-Tang Clan.
creep
1) (v) To sneak up on someone.
2) (v) To be unfaithful in a relationship.
Crenshaw
Los Angeles street. Know for it's sunday nights, where people go to floss phat cars, get their mack on, chill, etc.
crew
Group, band.
crib
Home. "Black Ceasar at the crib" -- Public Enemy (Burn Hollywood Burn [1990])
crip
Member of the Crips gang.
Cronkite
News, after the newsreader Walter Cronkite. "Grand Puba and Studd Doogie droppin' Cronkite" -- Grand Puba (A little of this).
Crooklyn
See Brooklyn.
cross fader
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" -- ??.
cut
1) A record, the latest hit
2) A recently received haircut.
3) (v) Cutting wax: scratching a record. "Rip the cut!" -- Just Ice (Back to the old school) [198?]
4) Behind, or out of the way. "I glance in the cut and I see my homey Nate" -- Warren G (Regulate [1994]).
cut up
Vagina. "I gots to get me some cut up!" -- Kriss Kross (??? [??]).
cuz
1) homeboy or homegirl.
2) Cousin, apparently a Crip term.
[cold] hoopin' it
(v) Playing a game of basketball.
D
D's, Dayton's
An expensive brand of alloy wheels. "Rollin' in my fo' on D's, hittin' the switches" Dr. Dre (Let me ride [1992]).
D-Town, The D
Detroit, with its own sound, D-Funk.
D.O.A.
Police term: "dead on arrival".
dank
See marijuana. "Go on and hit the dank" -- Too Short.
dap
1) Sort of high-five type of handshake. "Gimme a dap, I'll give you one back" -- Ice T. (Ziplock [1991])
2) Dignity and Pride, old slang (think 70's here).
dead presidents
Money. Most American dollarbills have a former president of the United States on them. "I'm out for dead presidents to represent me" -- NAS (The world is yours [1994]).
deal with
(v) To take care of business.
deep
1) A unit of measure. "It was a crew four deep" -- D-Nice (??).
2) A hip hop clothing manufacturer (X-Large).
3) (adj) Heavy in the hippy sense of the word.
def
1) (adj) Really good, the bomb. 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) (adj) 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) A great record.
2) One of the first big labels for rap artists, founded by Rick Rubin, led by Russels Simmons.
delf
"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) A "deuce deuce" is a .22 caliber handgun. "About to get loose with the deuce deuce" -- Ice Cube (Gangsta fairytale II [1993]).
2) 20 ounce of liquor.
devil
an enemy, usually white people. "The devil made me do it" -- Paris (the devil made me do it) [??].
dick
penis. "Mister Big Dick, who do you think you are?" -- Schoolly D. (Mr. Big Dick).
dig
1) (v) To understand; "can you dig it?"
2) (v) To like.
dig out
(v) To have sexual intercourse. "By 2 am. I was diggin' her out" -- Ice Cube (Ghetto bird [1993]).
Dillon
Pistol. "Made a move for my Dillon; and all I remember the Gangsta Lean was killin'" -- ?? (??? [??]).
dime
1) Ten dolar bag of marijuana. Due to price variations the price may actually be higher for the same bag.
2) "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) 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
Disc Jockey, means MC in Jamaica. "My DJ Derek B is best" -- Derek B. (Get down [??]).
DL
See down low.
do
1) 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) a form of addressing: "Whatup dog?", not meant to be offensive
5) a friend, "That's my Dog". Road ~: West Coast gangsta for friend.
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.
dolo
Like delf/self, dolo/solo. I go for dolo -- ??? (?? [??]).
dome
A person's big head, skull, gun against your head.
dope
1) Narcotics.
2) (adj) Great, addictive.
dopeman
Seller of narcotics. "If you see somebody getting pussy for crack, he's the dopeman, dopeman" -- N.W.A. (Tha Dopeman [1988])
Double 99
The street East 99th and St. Clair in Cleveland. Home of the group Bone Thugs'n Harmony.
double deuce juice
1) 22 oz of cold 45 ml beer.
2) Colt 45 (the Billy D. juice).
dough
Money. "Don't you know when the dough get low, the juice go" -- Mobb Deep (Survival of the fittest [??]).
down low
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
Dogg pound gangsta.
drawers
Pants, underpants.
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.
drive-by
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
Dick sucking lips; oral sex.
dubs
Car wheel rims. "can I get a WOOP WOOP to these niggaz from all my bitches who don't got love for niggaz without doves" -- Jay Z (Can I get a...[????])
duckets
Money, from "ducats": coins. He's gettin' juiced for his duckets" -- N.W.A. (I ain't the one [1988]).
dukey rope
Fat gold chain.
dumm
(v) To act stupid, from the english "dumb". "Ya dummin'" -- Funkdoobiest (You're dummin').
dun
1) Used like the word son. "What up, dun?" -- Nas (Represent [1994]).
2) (adj) Very dark, used in a negative setting as in dark and ugly. "They always let the motherfucking dun nigger hold the cash." -- Lil Kim (Queen Bitch [????]).
dusting
(v) To use PCP, a strong hallucinogen that reportedly makes one almost inhumanly strong, also known as "Angel Dust". "Like the Hudson on PCP, when I'm dustin'" -- Wu-Tang Clan (Proteck ya neck [1993]).
Dutch Master
Dutch Master is a brand of cigars. When rolling a serious blunt, the tobacco is removed from a cigar and replaced with marijuana. "Slit a nigga back like a Dutchmasta killa" -- Wu-Tang Clan (???).
E
E.Z. Wides
Extra wide rolling paper for marijuana cigarettes. "Don't hide the crop cause I got the E.Z. Wides"
East Boogie
A predominately Black city called East St. Louis. Home of Miles Davis.
East Saint
See East Boogie.
El
Short for El Producto cigars. "I contact eleven El's and macs in heaven" -- Nas (One time 4 your mind [1994]).
elbow
A pound of marijuana.
Elijah Muhammad
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])
Elm City, The L
New haven, Connecticut.
ends
Money, derived from making ends.
ese
Spanish word meaning "that" or "that one", used for homeboy. Incidentally, in the 70's in California, certain application forms had the choices "black", "white", "SA" and "other" for ethnicity, where "SA" stood for "Spanish-American".
F
fade
1) 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) Term from from the dice-game craps, related to losing. The player rolling the dice must have someone to fade them (i.e. to put up money against the money they are gambling). If you are faded, you have lost.
fag
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).
fag hag
Woman who only seeks homosexual people for friends. "...who used to be a fag hag" -- Grandmaster Flash (The Message [??]).
fake jacks
(v) To front, to fake moves. "Cuz the brothers that fake jacks get laid on they backs" -- Mobb Deep (??? [??]).
Farmers Boulevard
Street in the New York City borough of Queens. Home of L.L. Cool J. "Farmers Boulevard, that's where the crib's at, that's where me and E. hang out." -- L.L. Cool J. (???)
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.
Felt Forum
New York boxing arena, many prominent New York City boxers have boxed there.
fiend
(v) To be hostile to. 2) (v) To need something badly, most often drugs. But you can also be a fiend for a dope beat.
figga
Figure.
Fillmore
San Francisco district.
finger on the trigger
1) 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]).
2) In a state of readiness, prepared.
3) In a position of power or authority.
fix
Heroin.
flamboasting
(v) To show off in a manner of actually flashing material items in the faces of other individuals.
flava
1) Flavour
2) Flavor Flav, Chuck D's right hand man in Public Enemy.
Flavavision
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.
3) (v) To have sexual intercourse.
floss
1) (v) Move in and out of something. "Floss the NSX" -- DJ Quick (Dollars and sense).
2) (v) To show off.
flow
1) 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).
Forty Deuce
42nd street, Manhattan, the Times Square area.
forty dog
40 ounce bottle of Olde English 800 malt liquor. "Forty dog, one love" -- Nas (One love [1994]).
four
See '64.
freak
1) (v) Dance in a provocative way.
2) (v) Have sex.
3) Person who practices the above things; sexually aggressive female (never missing a beat).
4) (v) To take out the filter paper from a Black & Mild pipe-tobacco cigar. "I'm going to freak this Mild"
free world
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) Very good.
Frisco
San Francisco. Home of JT the bigga figga.
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]).
fu-shnicken
A variety of fried chicken often cooked op in and around the area of Jackson Mississippi. Also known as "Rico".
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) The essence of being, as in faking the funk.
funky drummer
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]).
G
G
1) 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) Money, from Grands or thousands, for example a hundred G's equals $100,000. "I clock G's while you clock Z's" - EPMD (??? [??]).
G'd up
(adv) Dressed to kill, like a bawla.
G-funk
Gangsta funk. Examples: Snoop Doggy Dogg, Warren G & Nate Dog.
gaffle
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
Group of organised criminals. The main gangs in Northern California are (in random order): 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) 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) 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) 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
See marijuana. "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])
gatt
1) Refers to any gun. It originates from Gattling, the name of the man who invented the machine gun (the Gattling gun). 2)
2) Hip-Hop Clothing Co.
gauge
A shotgun. "Hopped in his caddy, loaded his 12 gauge" -- Schoolly D (Signifying rapper [??]).
George Clinton
One of the most sampled men alive, creator of the P-Funk.
get burned
(v) To catch a sexually transmitted disease. Specifically refers to the burning sensation caused by gonorrhoea when urinating. "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.
ghetto bird
Police helicopter. "Motherfuck you and your punk ass ghetto bird." -- Ice Cube (Ghetto Bird [1993]).
ghetto sled
car, usually American made, that generally sports a rusted body covered with house paint. Synonym of hooptie.
ghost
Out of here: "I'm ghost".
Glock
Austrian manufacturer of handguns. 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
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
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) Ability on the microphone.
2) Gun.
3) Money. "I guess that's what I get, for trying to gank the little homies for their grip" -- Dr. Dre (Lil' ghetto boy [??]).
GT
Ford Mustang GT, also known as the "five-point-oh" for it's 5.0L V-8.
GTA
Grand theft auto, legalese for stealing a car. "It's all about makin' that GTA" -- Eazy-E (Boyz in the hood [1989]).
H
H-Town
Houston, home of The 5th Ward.
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) The wind, especially when it is blowing hard.
head
Someone who earned respect.
hella
(adv) A hell of a lot. "I got hella scrilla" -- ??? (??? [??]).
Hennessey
Brand of Cognac. "Take this Hennessey!" NAS -- (The Genesis [1994]).
herbalz
1) Marijuana, comes from herbs. "Herbalz in my mouth" -- 3rd Bass (Herbalz in my mouth [1991]).
2) Semen (mentioned in an interview once by 3rd Bass).
high top fade
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 (??? [??]).
high-five
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 [??]).
hip-hop
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) Hooker, prostitute, from the Southern pronounciation of the word whore. "She ain't nothing but another ho, according to the system" -- KRS-One (Exhibit D. [1990]).
2) (v) To sell out.
ho cake
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) Vagina.
2) Gun chamber. "16 in the clip and one in the hole" -- Nate Dogg (Regulate [??]).
holler
(v) To shout.
holly
See ho.
homeboy
Close friend.
homegirl
Female equivalent of homeboy. "Homegirls, see a guy you like? Just grab him in the biscuits... and doowutchalike" -- Digital Underground (Doowutchalike [??]).
homeskillet
A close relative or friend. "My homeskillet gets me the goods whenever I want" -- ?? (?? [??]).
homey
See homeboy. "But I wish he could have said it to my dead homey" -- Ice Cube (Dead Homiez [1990]).
honey
Female, generally attractive.
Honey Dip
pretty young ladies with golden brown complexions.
hood
The neighbourhood, usually a poor community.
hoodie
T-shirt or sweatshirt with hood attached to it.
hoodlum
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
female, generally sexually promiscuous, and not upwardly mobile "Homies in the hood labeled her as a hoodrat" -- Domino (Ghetto jam [1993])
hook
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" -- ??? (???).
hooptie
Old car in bad shape.
hooptie ride
To do a driveby murder.
hoota
Blunt. "It's a hoota of the Buddah blessed"
hop on the side
(v) To get on the passenger side of a car.
hops
Vertical jump, usually related to basketball. "He's got mad hops" -- ??? (??? [??]).
hottie
A very attractive female. "This hottie got a body and I wanna get naughty" -- Sir Mixalot (Sprung on the Cat [1992]).
housenigger
Person who blindly follows simple-minded people, the term was used by Malcolm X. 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.
HP
Hunter's Point, a San Francisco district.
Huey P. Newton
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 marijuana, which is due to an agricultural technique of cultivation in the production of cannabis, a more potent product. "Hydro, me just can't let me, high go " - Bone Thugs 'n Harmony (Buddah lovas [1995]).
hype
1) 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]).
I
IBWC
The Intelligent Black Womens Coalition, a group that Yo-Yo is a member of.
ice
1) Diamonds or jewelry with diamonds in it. "Hands smothered in ice." -- Ice-T (Bitches 2 [1991]).
2) On ice - at the morgue.
3) 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 [??]).
Illtown
East-orange, NJ. Home of Naughty By Nature, Queen Latifah.
Impala
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
1) Under control by someone else. Probably from a game of chess.
2) (adv) Under control, due to skills. "I got you all in check" -- Busta Rhymes (Woo Hah! [1996]).
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])
in [full] effect
(adv) Present and taking place.
Indo
Marijuana from Indonesia. "Indo smoke up in your lungs like that" -- Dr. Dre (Rat-tat-tat-tat [1992]).
J
jack
1) (v) To rob someone face to face. "Lets see who the fuck I'ma jack today" -- Ice Cube (Robin hood [??]).
2) Nothing, "I ain't got jack to give you".
jack roll
(v) To rob the helpless.
jacker
Short for carjacker.
jailbait
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.
Jakes
The police.
jam
1) song, cut, track. "This is the dope Jam!" -- Public Enemy (Night the living baseheads [1989]).
2) The sweet stuff - like honey.
3) Slam dunk in basketball.
4) To lock up, like when a bullet gets caught up in the chamber of a gun the gun jams.
James Brown
One of the funkiest and most sampled men alive.
jammy
1) Penis. "All the fly ladies are on my jammy" -- Beastie Boys (The new style [1986]).
2) Gun. "Pulled out the jammy aimed it at the sky" -- Beastie Boys (Paul Revere [1986]).
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) Another word for joint, a marijuana cigarette. "Back in Philly, they call me da jawn" -- Bahamadia (Total Wreck [??]).
2) Any type of thing, as in "Yo, check this jawn out".
jenny
Vagina.
jet
(v) To leave in a hurry.
Jheri-curls
Wetlook, curly hairstyle. "Hoodlums and hustlers and bangers with Jheri-curls" -- Ice T. (Lifestyles of the rich and infamous [1991])
jiggy
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
See Jimmy.
Jimmy
Penis. "Never sleep alone because Jimmy is a magnet" -- Beastie Boys (3 Minute rule [1989]).
Jimmy hat/cap
Condom.
jock
1) 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
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 marijuana. I got a love Jones for your body and skin tone" -- Method Man & Mary J. Blidge (You are all I need [1994]).
JPT
Japanese People Time; being early or on time.
juice
1) 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) "To have juice means you kiss and lick a lot of booty" -- KRS-One (Blackman in effect [1990]).
4) Respect, e.g. the movie "Juice".
5) Alcohol, as in "being juiced up" or get juice for the party".
6) Willpower.
K
Kakalaka
North Carolina "New York, North Kakalaka and Compton." -- A Tribe Called Quest (Scenario [??]).
kangol
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).
Kani
Short for "Karl Kani," which is a clothes label popular in the hood.
KDAY
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
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
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
See sneakers.
kill
1) See marijuana. "Crack another 40, smoke some kill" -- Schoolly D. (Smoke some kill).
2) To be dope on the microphone.
knocka
A pest. "Leave Flavor Flav alone, knocka" -- Public Enemy (Cold lampin' with Flavor [1988]).
knocking boots
(v) To have sexual intercourse. The knock refers to the man's hips hitting the woman's ass, which produces a slapping sound. The motion litterally knocks her boots (buttocks). "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, by closing and raising ones fists.
[kitty] cat
Vagina.
L
'lac
Short for Cadillac. "Macks drive 'lacs" -- Big Mello [1993].
L-train
1) The late train. "I'm on the L train going insane" -- The Roots (Silent treatment).
2) Elevated trains in Chicago or NYC.
LA
Los Angeles. In particular the phrase "LA 1992" indicates the riots that broke out after the Rodney King trial.
Laketown
Salt Lake City, Utah.
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.
Land of Dope
Oakland.
Land of the Heartless
Cleveland, Ohio.
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).
LBC
Phonebook abbreviation for Long Beach city, California. Home of 21 & Lewis. "With so much drama in the LBC" -- Snoop Doggy Dogg (Gin and Juice).
leather Tuscadero
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
From: to pull someones leg, to make a joke. No leg pulls means no jokes; speak the truth. "No leg pulls kid".
Lexus
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) A casual gathering of friends and family. "This lime has no juice", this gathering is dull.
lina
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
Cocaine, crack; it is a Spanish word, and the double l's are pronounced as "y"'s. Used in the movie "Scarface" [1983]. The bitch came back with a bag of llello" -- Ice Cube (Once upon a time in the projects [1991]).
loc
1) Term used for local person.
2) 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) 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.
5) To get high. "We was in the park gettin' loc-ed" -- ???
lock
Short for dredlocks.
Long Beach
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])
Louies
Louis Vuitton gear.
low low
Lowrider car with adjusted suspension. "Hitting them corners in them low low', girl" - Dr. Dre (Still Dre [????])
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.
LP
1) Long Play, a nine or ten song regular tape.
2) A vinyl record.
lunch
(v) To act stupid or crazy.
M
M3
See beamer. M3 is a special edition model from the BMW 3-series range. "purple M3s and jet skis" -- Nas (If I Ruled the World [1996]).
Mac 10
The Ingram Mac-10 30 to 36-shot submachine pistol firing standard 9mm caliber (.38 in) bullets. The American version of the Israeli Uzi. Most "Tens" are actually smuggled Czech M-61s. "The Mac 10 is in the grass and I run like a cheetah with thoughts of an assassin" -- Nas (??? [1994]).
mack
1) Pimp.
2) (v) Being a pimp. "Mackin' is a game and everybody's playing it" -- Ice Cube (Who's the mack [1991])
3) The Mack, an early 70's Blacksploitation film shot in Oakland, CA.
4) 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
Someone who sells drugs.
mag
1) Short for magazine, as in clip or ammo insert.
2) Short for Magnum.
mail
Money. Mo' mail than the rest of the pushers -- E-40 (??? [??]).
making ends
1) (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])
2) To make money. Think of the phrase "The ends justify the means". The ends may be taken to mean money.
Malcolm [Malcolm X]
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.
marijuana
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, 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, method, pot, sess, shake, shit, skunk, stress, tabacci, Thai, wacky and weed.
marinate
(v) To chill, hang out.
mark
1) A sucker, a target for gaffling and crime. "You mark-ass busta, you betta raise up" -- Dr Dre (Dre [??].)
2) 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
Probably Jamaican, in which case it comes from the TV game shows, Master of Ceremonies (although the term existed before TV). It was the only person at a gathering that was allowed to use the microphone. 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) Said to be an aphrodisiac. "Funky col' medina" -- Tone Loc (Funky cold medina [1989])
2) Nickname for Brooklyn.
3) One of the three holy cities in Islam One of the three holy cities in Islam
Medina
Second most holy city of Islam; Nickname for Brooklyn.
megablast
Large breath of crack. "Oh please, oh please, oh please, just gimme just one more blast" -- Public Enemy (Megablast).
meth, method
See marijuana.
MF
1) Short for motherfucker.
2) Short for Mark Ferhman; the police officer who tried to set up O.J. Simpson by planting evidence on him.
MLK
Martin Luther King, civil rights leader, shot april 4th, 1968. He represented the largely rural South.
money
See brother, nigga.
Moneyearnin' Mount Vernon
Shabazz, 4th ave, 3rd street. One of the worst corners in Mount Vernon - hood hang out, dealers, addicts. Home of Heavy D., Pete Rock and CL Smooth - 77 hillside straight up Columbus Hill make a left in Mount Vernon.
Moschino
Clothing label. "Moschino on my misstres" -- Notorious B.I.G. (??? [??]).
Mossberg
Popular brand of twelge gauge shotgun, used by the police. "And I grabbed my 12 gauge Mossberg pump" -- Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (??? [??]).
motherfucker
1) Respectless person with no attitude.
2) 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
Akai MPC-60 sampling sequencer/drum machine, Akai's answer to the SP-12, popular especially in the early 90's. Most hip-hop producers have a machine of the MPC-series.
MPV
The 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. As used by Big L in the song "MVP".
N
nappy dugout
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
A head with dreading hair. "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) "Nathan's" is a brand of hot dog.
3) Natural born pimp.
Neighbourhood Family
South Central Blood set associated with Cypress Hill.
Newark
Brick City. Home of RedMan, LOTUG, Artifacts, Channel Live, T-neck.
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
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
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) [neenyah] Spanish for girl of 5 years or less. Chica is a teenage girl.
2) [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
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
Nation Of Islam. "Elijah is alive, Louis Farrakhan, NOI" -- Ice Cube (Enemy [1993]).
Now Rule
New Rochelle NY, a suburb of NYC, borders Mount Vernon. Origin of Grand Puba and Brand Nubian.
nucker
1) 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'
Nothing. "Nine times outta ten, she's givin' up nuttin'" -- N.W.A. (I ain't tha one [1988])
Nyquil
Cold medicine that basically puts you to sleep, so you won't stay up all night coughing. "Knock ya out like Nyquil" -- Ice Cube(?)
O
O
An ounce of marijuana.
O'Malley
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]).
O-1-2
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-Town
Orlando.
O.E.
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) 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) Someone who is true to the game, who never sold out.
O.J.
1) 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) To pull an O.J. on someone: to set someone up, to plant evidence.
O.P.P.
1) Other people's pussy.
2) Other people's penis.
3) Other people's property.
Oaktown, the big O, the O
Oakland, California. The Westside O and the Eastside O stand for West and East Oakland. Home of Too $hort and Luniz.
on swo
(adv) Increasing in size, often used in prisons to describe a weight lifter. "My bank roll's on swo" -- Snoop Doggy Dogg (??? [??]).
one love
(interj.) Farewell bidding, like "peace".
one-time
Police officer. Refered to as one-time as you have one time or one chance to get out of the situation alive. "One-time because it's my life on the line" -- Ice Cube (??? [??]).
oowop
An uzi semi-automatic gun.
oreo
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]).
Osdorp
Amsterdam (the Netherlands) hood where the foundations of the Dutch underground, hardcore hiphop scene were laid. Rap artists such as Jason, West Klan and first and foremost The Osdorp Posse are from that part of Amsterdam.
other level
A higher degree of consciousness satisfaction; beyond the average. "Grip it on that other level" -- Geto Boys (On that other level [1992]).
ox piece
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)
P
P
1) Partner, friend.
2) Pussy. "The P is free" -- BDP (The P is free) 3) Posse.
P-Dog
Paris. "P-Dog comin' up, I'm staying low" -- Paris (The devil made me do it).
P-funk
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.
P-Town
Paterson.
P.E.
Public Enemy.
P.O.D.
1) Paid on delivery.
2) Passed over-dosed; a deceased person due to an drug over-dose.
P.S.K.
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?)).
PA, PAT
Port Arthur, Texas. Referred to throughout UGK and Point Blank albums.
pad
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
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
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. Comes from the French word "parler", which means talking.
Pat Duke
1) Patty Duke, an old sitcom television show. "On the stoop doing the Pat Duke" -- Ol' Dirty Bastard (Don't you know [1994]).
2) A popular dance style from the late 80's.
peace
1) That's what rap is all about for all you mentally challenged.
2) (interj) Farewell bidding.
peckerwood
Derogatory term for a white person.
peeling
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
People. "To all my peeps who didn't make it" -- Nas (The world is yours [1994]).
pen
Penitentiary, jail. "To all of my peoples in the pens, keep ya head up" -- Lost Boyz (Lex Coupes, Beamaz and Benz's [??]).
Penelope
Police -- E-40 (???).
pep
(v) To beat someone up. "I'm ready to pep ya".
phat
1) (adj) Rich like butter, really good, extremely well put together. "ATCQ be putting together some phat beats" -- ??? (???)
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 or even Pretty Hot And Tempting.
phat pocket
A person who has a lot of money
Philly
Philadelphia. Home of Schoolly D., Da Youngstas, The Fresh Prince, Tuff Crew, The Roots, DJ Ghetto, Bahamadia.
pie
Vagina.
piece
1) A firearm.
2) A work of graffiti art (short for masterpiece).
3) Sexual intercourse. "I'm gonna go get me a piece."
pig
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) Boss of prostitutes.
2) (v) To be a ladies man.
PJ's
The Projects.
plats
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) Action.
play ball
(v) To play basketball. "Got a pair that I wear when I'm playin' ball" -- RUN-DMC (My Adidas).
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)
played out
Old.
player
1) 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) A kind of playboy, so a player is good at picking up honeys.
3) "Players" is a black-oriented adult men's magazine.
player hater
One who despises or speaks ill of another because he does not have any game of his own.
player's ball
A party for players. Outkast mentions it.
PO
1) Police officer, parole officer or probation officer. "dven pack my gatt when I go to see my P.O." -- Mobb Deep (The infamous posse [??]).
2) (adj) Piece out.
3) (v) Pissed off, angry.
po-po
The police, from Oakland Police Department. "Yeah it was po-po, and that's OPD for those who don't know" -- Raw Fusion (?? [????])
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.
Poly Apartments
An apartment project at the west side of Long Beach. Was home for artists like the Twinz and Warren G: "Poly Apartments for tha niggaz that ain't from the LB" -- The Twinz (Good Times [1995]).
pop
(v) To shoot someone. "I'm a pop a cap in him" -- Jules in the movie "Pulp Fiction"
posse
A group of people you hang out with. This doesn't necessarily mean a gang. "They got too, too, too much posse" -- Public Enemy (Too much posse [??])
pot
See marijuana. "Must have been drinking, 'cause this ain't pot" -- Cypress Hill and Sonic Youth (Mary Jane [1993]).
potna
Term to address a person, compare partner. "What's now up potna" -- Menace 2 Society.
power U
Vagina. "On top of that you got the good power U" -- Method Man & Mary J. Blige (You're all I need [1994]).
primo
1) A joint laced with crack, west coast term. The east coast equivalent is "turbo". See also marijuana.
2) Friend.
3) Nickname for DJ Premier.
Private Stock
A brand of malt liquor.
project gold
Huge gold hoop earrings.
props
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
Wine that inmates make in prison.
psych
1) 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. marijuana. "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
1) Pump of a pump-action shotgun "Sawed off shotgun, hand on the pump" -- Cypress Hill (Hand on the pump [1993])
2) To play music loud.
punani
1) Vagina.
2) Sex, this is used more commonly.
3) A Jamaican dance, the art of moving your stomach and behind on the dancefloor.
punk
1) A person related to the Punk movement or the Punk music.
2) A stupid, usually irritating person. "Motherfuck you and your punk ass ghetto bird." -- Ice Cube (Ghetto Bird [1993]).
pussy
Vagina.
puta/puto
1) Prostitute.
2) Asshole. "How you like me now, puto" -- Cypress Hill (Locotes [??]).
Q
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]).
Q.B.
1) Short for Queensbridge.
2) Short for Queen Bitch, or Queen Bee as Lil' Kim refers to herself. Queen Bee was a character from the blaxploitation movie "Dolemite".
Quad City
Orlando. Home of Quad City DJ's, 95 South, 69 Boyz and DJ Magic Mike.
quarter-O
1) Quarter ounce (= oz.) of weed.
2) 40 oz. of beer.
Queens
New York City borough. RUN-DMC are often referred to as the Kings from Queens.
Queensbridge
The name of a six building (six stories each) housing project in Long Island City (NY), a section of Queens. 40 side and 41st side refer to the 40th street side of the buildings 41st street side of the buildings. Home of Nas and Mobb Deep.
R
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.
rab
Short for rabbi. "Told a rab get off the rag" -- Public Enemy (Welcome to the Terrordome[1991])
rat
(v) To betray. "Why did Judas rat to Romans while Jesus slept?" -- Genius (4th chamber)
rat pack
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) 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
Murder spelled backwards.
reefer
See marijuana. (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
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
Derogatory term for a member of the Crips, an L.A. gang.
ride
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
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) Crack.
2) (v) To have sexual intercourse.
3) Biblical. Alcatraz, Jamaica...
4) (v) To wear, "I was rocking my brand new Nikes".
rock star
Crack addict
rocket
1) A joint (see marijuana).
2) (v) To blast off into a high when smoking a joint.
Rodney King
1) 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) 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 on someone means to beat someone up.
3) (v) To roll a joint.
4) (v) To drive one's car in the neighborhood with a certain style or finesse.
roll up
(v) To arrive on a scene.
rollie
Rolling papers.
Rolling 60's
Notorious South Central Crip set.
ruff neck
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) Ruthless Records is Eazy-E's record company.
S
S1W
The Security of the First World; the military dancers on stage with Public Enemy at their concerts.
SA
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
Woman using a man for money.
Sactown
Sacramento, California.
sagging deuce
A lowered Cadillac car.
scarface
A scarface is someone who is a gangster or models themselves on the character of Tony Montana in the film "Scarface"(1983). Scarface is one of the most influential films with regard to hip-hop. Many of the samples used on rap albums are from Scarface. Many phrases you hear used by rappers are copied verbatim from Scarface. Examples include The Geto Boys album (Geto Boys) the hook for "Fuck Em' All" is sampled from Scarface. The sample at the beginning of the Kool G Rap song "Fast Life" is from Scarface. The rapper Scarface took his name from the film.
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
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:
+ Everything before "Straight Outta Compton" (NWA [1988]) and "Amerikkka's Most Wanted" (Ice Cube [1990]) for the West Coast Gangsta Movement
+ 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) The cartoon character.
2) 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
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
Money, loot. "Scrilla scratch paper" -- E-40 (One love [??]).
Seatown
Seattle.
sell out
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
An abbreviation of the word "sinsemellia", which is a form o marijuana that has no seeds, because it is isolated from male pollen during te blooming process. Instead of making seeds, the marijuana plant makes more THC, hence this "sense" is more potent, and generally better than standard ganja.
serve
1) (v) To defeat an opponent with skill.
2) (v) To deliver a subpoena
set
1) 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) 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
Handcuffs.
shank
A custom made knife as used in prisons, made from whatever materials are available. "You better grab your shank, cuz ain't no fistfight" -- Dr. Dre (Lil' ghetto boy [??]).
Shaton
Shaton or Shaitan is an Arabic word meaning "devil". "At night the evil armies of Shaton don't play" -- Fugees (Family business [1996]).
Shea Town
New York, from Shea stadium.
sherm stick
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
See booty. "Shimmy shimmy ya!" - Ol' Dirty Bastard (Shimmy shimmy ya [1995]).
sholda than show
(interj) Surer than sure.
shook one
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 shook ones. "Shook ones" -- Mobb Deep (Shook ones pt. II [1995]).
short
Vehicle.
shorty
1) Little person.
2) Female, like baby or honey. "I got myself a shorty, I got myself a forty" -- Wu-Tang Clan (Method Man).
3) A seven ounce bottle of beer.
shotty
Shotgun.
show and prove
(v) Demonstrate.
show case
(v) To carry out a fraud.
siamese
A person who acts two-faced.
sike
See psych.
simp
1) 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
Woman of the same group; friend.
skank
A scandalous woman.
skeezer
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
General ability; ability on the microphone.
skins
1) The lips of the vagina. "She likes to bend over and then she spreads the skins" -- Brand Nubian (Slow down [1990]).
2) Condom.
3) Rolling papers.
skirt
A female.
skitzing
(v) Acting bizarre or crazy, from schizophrenic.
skully
(v) Getting oral sex performed. "My buddy, daz dilly, we gettin' skully" - Kurupt (My Buddy [1998]).
skunk
A medium grade and smelly form of marijuana.
slab
1) 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) 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
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.
Slauson
Los Angeles street. "The sun went down when I hit Slauson" -- Dr. Dre (Let Me Ride [??]).
sleep [on]
(v) Ignore. (v) To be unaware or unprepared. You can creep up on someone while they are "sleeping" (even if they are awake).
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
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
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
Money.
sneakers
Sportswear shoes. "I wear my sneakers but I'm not a sneak" -- RUN-DMC (My Adidas).
snow
Cocaine.
soggy indo
A joint (see marijuana) that has been dipped in PCP or something.
soldier
Non-OG gangbanger.
South Central
Los Angeles area. A very important place for gangsta rap. Origin of a lot of rappers.
SP-12
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
Jamaican marijuana cigarette, see marijuana.
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) Released on bail by someone else.
squab
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?]
St. Ides
A specific brand of maly liquor. Ice Cube and Scarface have done radio commercials for St. Ides. "Gotta get tha S-T-I-D-E-S, first of tha month" -- Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (??? [??]).
stab out
(v) To leave.
stake
(v) Making money, often used in conjunction with paper, i.e. "stakin' paper".
steel
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.
stilo
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.
straight
1) Okay.
2) Short for stright up, truly, used for emphasis. "Straight booty" or "straight wack".
strap
A gun.
strapped
(adj) Strapped in: armed.
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.
Strong island
Long island.
stunt
1) Sexual act.
2) A person who performs stunts.
3) To pull a stunt, to try something difficult.
stupid
1) (adj) Creative.
2) (adv) Very. "Evil's got the funky beat, a stupid dope loop" -- Ice-T (Fried chicken [1991]).
sucka
person easily duped.
Sucka Free
San Francisco.
SWASS
Short for "Some wild-ass silly shit".
SWAT
Southwest Atlanta. Home of Outkast, Goodie Mob, Kriss Kross, Parental Advisory.
Swayze
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) 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
Car.
swing
To have sexual intercourse (Grand Puba).
swing low
To have oral sex (Kool Moe Dee).
switch
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).
T
tag
1) A persons graffiti nickname.
2) (v) The act of writing graffiti on an object (tagging up).
Tanqueray
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
A fly honey.
tax
1) (v) To rob. "Stick up kids are out to tax" -- Gangstarr (Just to get a rep [??]).
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.
Tec 9
A 9mm semiautomatic or fully automatic gun made by Infratec. "Every kid's got a Tec 9 or a handgrenade" -- Ice-T (??? [??]).
thai stick
See marijuana.
thang
Thing; "your own thang": your own way.
The (island of) Shao-Lin
Staten Island, a New York borough. Home of the Wu-Tang clan
The Boogie Bang / The Boogie Down
See Bronx. King Sun mentions it in one of his EPs.
The Boogie Down
The Bronx.
The Bridge
See Queensbridge.
The Burgh
Pittsburgh, PA.
The Get Low
San Francisco. JT the Bigga Figga's group is call GLP: Get Low Players.
Thompson
Tommy gun.
three-wheel motion
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
Drunk or high to the point of almost being unconscious.
throw-up
1) A non-complex piece of graffiti usually involving only two colors.
2) To tag your graffiti on something ("Watch my back as I throw up this tag").
thug
Someone who does not have anything but himself. "Livin' life thug style" -- Tupac (To live and die in L.A. [????]).
thump
(v) To engage in a fistfight. "Remember they used to thump, but now they blast, right?" -- Dr. Dre (Lil' ghetto boy [??]).
tical
See marijuana. "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) Penis (Get off my tip).
2) Q-Tip from a Tribe Called Quest
3) The end, the fullest. "To the tip!" -- Schoolly D. (Mr. Big Dick).
Tipper Gore
Tipper, the wife of vice-president Al Gore, 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" -- Ice-T (Freedom of speech / Just watch what you say [1991]).
to get your swerve on
(v) A compliment of skill. If you are about to get your swerve on then you are confidently preparing to enter the conflict. If you got your swerve on it means you accomplished something skillfully.
toa
Gang pride/love (Polynesian/Maori).
Tony Montana
The character of Tony Montana in the film "Scarface"(1983). "1995 Tony Montana" -- Ice Cube (Summer Vacation [??]).
toy
1) A poor or beginner graffiti artist.
2) (v) To purposefully write over another graffiti artists work (toy someone out).
3) A sucker.
4) Short for Trouble On Your System.
Tragniew Park Crips
Compton crip set, associated with MC Eiht. "Tragniew Park you say..." -- DJ Quik (Dollaz & Sense [1994]).
trap
(v) to sell drugs.
tray eight
See 38.
Trenton
Home of the old schoolrappers, PRT.
trick
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]).
triple beam
Balanced scales for weighing with three grades of weights, originally used to measure gold, it is more commonly used to measure drugs. "You learned about your triple beam from me" -- Ice Cube (Dr. Frankenstein [1998])
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
big gold jewelry.
true that
(interj) See word is bond.
trump
To have lots of money, like billionaire Donald Trump. 2) In certain card games the highest ranking suit is called trump (e.g. spades). When a person has nothing but trump cards in his hand it is referred to as being 'trump tight'. "cause Snoop dog is trump tight like the virgin-surgeon" -- Snoop Dogg (Tha Shiznit [??])
TTP
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
A joint laced with crack, east coast term. The west coast equivalent is "primo". See also marijuana.
turn (it) out
1) (v) To make records.
2) (v) To have sexual intercourse with.
twenty sack
One gram of marijuana, which costs $20. See marijuana. From Nas (NY state of mind).
twisted
Drunk.
[to be] high
(v) 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]).
U
uncle L.
L.L. Cool J. "Like uncle L. said, I'm rippin' up shows" -- Public Enemy (Shut 'em down).
uncle tom
1) 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.
Union Square
1) A park in New York City on Broadway between 14th and 16th(?). Origin of Kid n Play.
2) A hip-hop club from the late 1980's in the above area. The name of this routine is called live at Union Square. - KRS One
up north trip
Being sent to jail. "Up north trip" -- Mobb Deep (?? [??]).
UPT
Uptown New Orleans
Uptown
The word uptown originated in the New York city train stations. As you leave downtown Manhattan the trains direct you to Uptown. Uptown includes Harlem, East Harlem, Washinton Heights, Inwood and (sometimes) the South Bronx.
USG
United States Ghettos (Onyx).
uzi
Israeli semi-automatic gun. "Hold it, rock! Miuzi weighs a ton" -- Public Enemy (Miuzi weighs a ton).
V
V-Town
Vallejo, California. Home of E-40.
Vacaville
Nothern California Prison (Too $hort).
vacuum lungs
Taking a deep smoke. "Cause fools be havin' them vacuum lungs" -- The Luniz (I've got 5 on it [??]).
vato
East LA hispanic slang, meaning homeboy. "Vato, cholo, call us what you will" -- Kid Frost (La Raza [1990]).
Vegas
1) 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]).
2) A marijuana sigarette rolled in Garcia Vegas (a brand of cigar) papers.
Versace
Clothing label. "I stay laced cuz my body got Versace taste" -- Monifa (I miss you (come back home) [1995]).
vexed
(v) Very angry.
VIP Records
Famous Long Beach record store where a lot of current stars first sold their demo tapes. Snoop was standing on it in his "Who am I?" video. "Let's journey to the VIP for the latest hits" -- Domino (Long Beach Thang [1993]).
VMB
Video Music Box, a NYC hip-hop video music show.
W
wack
1) (adj) Negative: crazy or weird. Mostly this is meant
2) (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) 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.
4) (v) To have sexual intercourse. "Wax that ass" -- Ice Cube (Get off my dick [??]).
5) (v) To make a car appear very shiny.
WBLS
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)
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
Turntables. "My DJ Code Money on the wheels of steel" -- Schoolly D. (Gucci time).
Whitestone
Movie theatre in the Bronx - Diamond D.
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) The who ride is the act of getting wild and crazy, like a riot or an assassination, or any wild activity.
wigger
A derogatory term for white people usually used by white people.
wild thing
Sexual intercourse. "Hey you two, I was once like you and I loved to do the wild thing" -- Tone Loc (Wild thing).
wilding
(adj) To act without without rational thought. Wilding was a term not used until the Central park jogger attack in 1989. The victim in this case was raped, and, upon being questioned, kids in the neighborhood of the attackers had said that they had done the "Wild Thing" (after the Tone Loc release). Misinterpreted by reporters not accustomed to the slurred speech of the attackers, the term wilding was born out of the NYC media's lust for a catch phrase. (Info from: "Black Studies, Rap and the Academy" by Houston Baker Jr.) "Across the street you was wilding" -- Nas (?? [1996])
Willy
1) Penis.
2) Someone with money or status in the neighbourhood, a player or bawler.
wood
Erected penis. "Delivering the wood" stands for having sexual intercourse.
word
1) Biblical (John1:1). "logos": truth.
2) (interj) Exclamation or term of endearment.
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. The term originates from the financial markets where hirstorically traders woul tell each other "my word is bond", i.e. my word is good enough, you don't need it in writing. "Cause I'm frontin' in my ride, and my word is bond" -- LL Cool J (The boomin' system [1990]).
word up
(interj.) A question like "What's up?", or "What's the word?".
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.
X
xerox
(v) To copy, from the Rank-Xerox copying machine. "and still they try to xerox" -- Public Enemy (Don't believe the hype [1987]).
Y
y'all
Short for "you all". Also sometimes used for you", singular.
yo
1) You.
2) Your.
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
A joint laced with crack.
#
1 and 2
Turntables. "DJ behind the 1 and 2".
1-2 checker
1) Checking the MIC.
2) Checking the scene.
10
See Mac 10. "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
The big "urban format" station in Chicago, Illinois. 107.5 WGCI, home of the nationally-syndicated "Tom Joyner Morning Show," a focal point for activism and unity in the black community.
1200
1) 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) SP-1200 sampler, a top of the line product.
1555
The year the first slaveships arrived in America. "Sayin' 1555 how I'm livin'" -- Public Enemy (Can't truss it [??]).
186
Police term for a murder or homicide. To be on the lookout for someone who is trying to kill you.
187
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
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
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 & Lewis
Streetcorner in Long Beach, California. "I hung a left at two-one and Lewis" -- Warren G. (Regulate [1994]).
21 Cerritos
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
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
A New York area code.
213
1) 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]).
2) Also, 213 was the area code for Long Beach before it got 310, which now is the area code for a large portion of southern California, including Compton. Inglewood is 213 nowadays.
3) 213 was named after a car (not a motor vehicle but an alliance of inmates in a prison). See Ice-T's book "Who gives a Fuck?" for reference. There are other cars as well but most West coast and/or Death Row rappers claim to be affiliated with the 213 car (not to be confused with the set somebody claims)
22
22 caliber gun. "Twentytwo automatic on my person" -- Beastie Boys (Posse in Effect [1986])
226
Police code for drugs.
24/7, 24/7/365
All the time, from 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
25 with an L
25 years to life sentence. "25 with an izL" -- Snoop Doggy Dog (Murder was the case [1993]).
30
A firearm of .30 calibre.
310
The area code for Long Beach.
357
A .357 Magnum pistol. ".357 break it on down" -- LL Cool J. (.357 Break it on down [1987]).
36 chambers
1) 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) 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) 38 caliber pistol.
2) "38 hot" means very angry.
380
A .380 calibre handgun. "Unpacked and I grabbed my three eighty cause where we stayin', niggaz look shady" -- Ice Cube (Summer Vacation [1991]).
4 pound
45 caliber (1 caliber = 1/100th inch) gun.
4-5-6
See celo. See the song "456" by Kool G Rap.
4-9-3-11
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]).
40
1) A 40-ounce bottle of malt liquor. "Use to drink every day, straight 40's to the head" -- Ice-T. (Ed [1991]).
2) A 40 caliber gun "With my 40 and my 40 to the fucking dome".
411
Information, from the US phone number for information.
4:20
The time to smoke some marijuana.
5 0
1) 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) A 5.0 liter Ford Mustang, which is used as a police vehicle in some areas.
5 on it
Five dollars on a sac of marijuana. "I got five on it" -- The Luniz (I got five on it [1995]).
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-plated
(adj) Nickel plated.
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
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 [??]).
504
New Orleans area code.
5150
5150 is the section of the California Welfare and Institutions Code dealing with involuntary confinement of a mentally disordered person. (I.e. California law consists of 29 codes, of which the Welfare and Institutions Code is one, and 5150 is a section number in that code.) Also the name of an old Van Halen album. It is also a track on Da Luniz' album "Operation Stackola".
64
1) 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) 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) 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) 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) Old English 800, a popular beer in the hood.
2) 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) On to it. Ie: "on the 8-ball", up with the play.
4) 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) The bassdrum from a Roland TR-808 drum machine, which is now a popular sample.
2) 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 to 5
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]).
9, 9mm
9 mm gun. "My nine is easy to load" -- L.L. Cool J. (Mama said knock you out [1990])
911
The US phone number for emergencies. "Now I dialed 911 a long time ago" -- Public Enemy (911 is a joke).
917
New York City area code where all the cellular phones and pagers are on.
950
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]).
97.1
HOT 97, A CHR-turned-hip hop station in New York.
98 Oldsmobile
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]).
98.7
WRKS KISS FM, a NYC radio station that helped bring hip-hop to the radio.
a
(v) Going to. "I'm a do it like this"
A&R
Refers to Artist and Repetoir execs in record companies they are hooked up with an artist to help to find new artists and put out an image for them. 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]). A-Town
Atlanta Ac
The Acura Legend, a brand car. "With the Mac in the Ac door panelin'" -- Notorious BIG (Unbelievable [1994]). afro
1)
Hairstyle like the Jackson Five had, much hair and round like a ball. 2)
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
Assault rifle of Russian origin, nowadays produced in China. The letters stand for "avtomat Kalashnikova", an automatic assault rifle invented by Mikhail Kalashnikov, who invented the gun in 1947. "My AK-47 is the tool" -- Da Lench Mob (Freedom got an AK [1993]) (originally from NWA (Straight out of Compton)). Al B Square Mall
Albee Square Mall in Brooklyn - Bizmarkie Alizé
French beverage made from passion fruit and cognac. all that
(adj) in possession of all good qualities.
Alpine
Make of car stereo from a Japanese-based company. 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
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 amarrettos" -- Raekwon (Investigative Reports [??]). around the way
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".
B
b-boy
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 [??]). B-Town
Berkeley, California. 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.
baller
1)
Ballplayer, someone who is good at playing basketball, and has moved up to earning a lot of money and getting a lot of girls from that. "I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller" -- Skee Low (I wish [??]). 2)
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". ballin'
(v) Having it all.
bama
1)
Person who cannot dress, a loser. Short for Alabama, meaning a person from the country, backwards unsophisticated. "Me and the rest of the bama's" -- Question Mark Asylum (Deriving from the D.C. area [??]). 2)
Shake, a type of marijuana from the leaves rather than the buds of the hemp plant. bang
(v) To fight to kill
banger
1)
someone associated with gangs and murder. 2)
Rocker, from headbanging. bank
Money. "That's cool cause I whipped out bank" -- Sir Mix-a-lot (I got game [??]). Bankhead Hwy
Highway in Atlanta where all the players go. battle
(v) To compete, usually freestyle rapping, sometimes breakdancing or graffiti. "You want to rap and you got no battle, it's like havin' a boat and you got no paddle" -- Public Enemy (??? [1987]).
Bay Plaza
Movie theatre in the Bronx - Nice and Smooth. be geese
(interj) To leave. "Yo we be geese"
beam me up, Scotty
(interj) Give me crack.
beamer
Expensive European car: BMW, status symbol. Used by Tribe Called Quest on Low End Theory. References to 325i's are to BMW 3-series models with a 2.5 litre engine. References to 735i's, 740i's, 750i's are to models in the 7-series range of BMW models. The 750iL is the flagship model made by BMW. A reference to the a seven series model is found in Ice Cube's "Ghetto Bird". 850i's (mentioned in Wu-Tang's "Can It All Be...") is to the BMW 850i Coupé. bean
Head or brain. Bed Stuy
Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. Also called The Stuy. Radio Raheem wears a Bed Stuy T-shirt in the movie "Do the right thing" by Spike Lee. beef
1)
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. 2)
Sexual meat, like a penis. "No service of beef ... meaning to have sex" -- NWA (Parental Discretion Iz Advised [??]) 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).
bend
A prostitute. "She was more than just a bend" -- Grand Puba bent
1) (v) Drunk. "It doesn't matter if I'm dead sober or I'm bent" -- Heltah Skeltah (Therapy [??]).
2) (v) Sad. "You got me bent like elbows, amongst other things" -- Outkast (Aliens [???]).
Benz
1)
Expensive brand of 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)
A pull out radio. "Here come the cops... put the Benzi-box under the seat" -- Naughty by Nature (Strike a nerve [1991]). 2)
A box full of Mercedes Benz emblems that were stolen off the cars. berry
A police car. The red lights on old cop cars looked like a berry on top of an ice cream. "Berry flashing those high beams" refers to a cop behind your car signalling for you to pull over. "Didn't even see a berry flashing those high beams" -- Ice Cube (Today was a good day [1993]). BG
1)
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)
Black gangster. bill
A one hundred dollar banknote. bima
See beamer. "Lex, coupe, bimaz, benz" -- Lost Boyz (??? [1996]). bird
Kilo. "A bird in the hand" -- Ice Cube (A bird in the hand [1991]). biscuit
1)
Gun. 2)
Behinds. "Gals, if you see a man you like, just grab him in the biscuits... and doowutchalike" -- Digital Underground (Doowutchalike [????]). bitch
1)
Prostitute, literally meaning "female dog"; 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)
A girl. "My seven bizzos" -- 2 Live crew (My seven bizzos [1989]). 2)
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
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
1) (v) To smoke crack.
2) (v) To play music loud.
blend
See marijuana. blindside
(v) To creep up on someone.
blood
1)
Blood brother 2)
Member of the Bloods gang. blunt
See marijuana. 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])
BM
See beamer. "Drop top BM's, I'm the man, girlfriend" -- Notorious BIG (Big Poppa [??]). BMX
Refers to now-defunct Chicago radio station WBMX, which used to play hip-hop and house music mixes through the 1980s. "I tuned into BMX, and taped Farley on the Tonemaster." -- Common Sense ("This is Me" [????]) boat
Marijuana laced with embalming fluid. bolos
South American throwing weapon, a number of balls on cords. "I'm throwin' bolos you'll find out who's the number one solo" -- Lady of Rage (?? [????]). bomb
1)
Marijuana laced with heroin. 2) (adj) Very good. "Gimme that bomb beat from Dre" -- Tupac (California love [1994]).
bone
1) (v) To have sexual intercourse. "Your aim is to bone" -- Tribe Called Quest (Classic example of a date rape).
2)
Penis. "You can act like a doggy, and play with my bone" -- Schoolly D. (Another poem [??]). 3) One dollar. 3)
Core, soul. "I'm a rock hard trooper to the bone" -- Public Enemy (Louder Than A Bomb) 4) (v) To bone out, as in leaving. "They all got in the car and boned out" -- Smokey (Friday [1995]).
5)
A joint. "Smokin' bones in the staircase" -- Wu-Tang Clan (C.R.E.A.M. [1993]). bones
Dominos. boneyard
1)
Graveyard. 2)
Domino pile to draw from. bong
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
A term of endearment, like baby. "I'll be in here, boo" -- Method Man (You're all I need [1994]). boo boo head
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). boo-yaa
1)
Totally dope, incredibly fine. Probably orignated from the "Boo-yaa Tribe". That shit was straight-up boo-yaa" -- ??. 2)
Impression of the sound of a shotgun, also "boo-yaaka". "Shotgun goes boo-ya" -- Cypress Hill (Hand on the pump [1993]). 3)
Marijuana, probably derived from Buddha. 4) Crack, probably related from the fact that smoking crack is sort of equivalent to putting a shotgun to your head and pulling the trigger. booster
A shoplifter. booty
1) (adj) Not good, lacking. "And them rhymes you were kickin were quite bootylicious" -- Snoop Doggy Dogg (Dre Day [??]).
2)
Bottom, ass. Or getting a piece of ass. 3)
Biblical, as in pirates booty or treasure. Since booty is stolen treasure, it could be good or bad. Often used in the negative today. bounce
1) (v) To leave, to get up, to break. "You mean bounce... I'm with you, bounce right outta NYC" -- Raekwon the Chef (??? [1995]).
2)
Form of music from New Orleans. Check Mystikal's album for a song called "Neva gonna bounce". 3)
A reference to the Banhead Bounce, a dance made famous in Atlanta rap music. bout it
Real, not fake, true to the game. "I'm bout it, bout it" -- Master P (Bout it, bout it [1995]). box
Video Music Box, a NYC hip-hop video music show. boy
1)
Friend, possibly short for homeboy. "That's my boy". 2)
Racist term used by white masters to address a slave. "Boy is a racist white word" -- Dr. Dre (movie: Who's the man) boys in blue
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
Scrotum. Brass Monkey
an alcoholic concoction available in liquor stores. "Drinking Brass Monkey" -- Beastie Boys (Brass Monkey [1986]). 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]).
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.
bremelo
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.
3)
A quantity of cocaine. broady
(v) To take or steal something.
broccoli
See marijuana. "With a handful of broccoli" -- Spice 1 (??? [??]). Bronx
New York City borough where hip-hop was born and raised. Home of Boogie Down Productions. "My posse from the Bronx is thick" -- Boogie Down Productions (My philosophy). Brooklyn
New York City borough. "No sleep till Brooklyn!" -- Beastie Boys (No sleep till Brooklyn [1987]). Home of Fugees and DAS EFX. brother
Man of the same group; friend. In the Bible you will read "brethern", which is used in the same meaning. bucket
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]). Bucktown
A neighborhood better known as the Brownsville section of Brooklyn used by Smif & Wesson and Black Moon. 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
See marijuana. "I'm an addict for sneakers, 20's of buddah and bitches with beepers" -- NAS (New York state of mind [1994]). buddy
1)
At the start of De La soul's "Buddy" video, Prince Paul makes a statement to the effect that "Buddy means body." 2)
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]).
bump
(v) To make a car with hydraulics bump. "Why you gotta pull me over... cause I'm bumpin'" -- Warren G (I shot the sheriff [????]).
bumrush
1)
Crash the gates of a show with a pack of people, in the hope to get in without having to pay. "Yo! Bumrush the show" -- Public Enemy. (Yo! Bumrush the show) [1987]. 2) (v) To get beaten up by a large, angry group of people. Literally to get rushed by bums or lowlifes.
bunk
1) (adj) Unpleasant, bad.
2)
A load of bunk: a lot of nonsense. burner
1)
A large piece of graffiti involving many colors, making it bright and colorful. It usually refers to whole-car productions on subways. 2)
A gun. bust a nut
(v) To ejaculate.
bust slugs
(v) To fire bullets. "And bust some slugs for South Africa" -- Heather B. with BDP (Seven MC's)
bust this
(interj) Pay attention. "But bust this!" -- Ice-T (Bitches 2 [1991]).
busta
1)
Fake person, weak individual. "Busta ass nigga talkin' bullshit" -- Dr. Dre (Rat-a-tat-tat [1992]). 2)
A snitch, a person who tattle-tales. butt
1)
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
Jamaican, resembles the sound of gunshots. See boo-yaa. C
C-Town
Cleveland, Ohio. C.B.
1)
See cock block. 2)
Cell block. 3)
Trucker radio. C.R.E.A.M.
Money. Acronym for Cash Rules Everything Around Me. From the Wu-Tang Clan (36 chambers [1993]). Calliope
Project in the New Orleans UPT (uptown New Orleans). cap
1)
Bullet. "I'm a pop a cap in him" -- Jules in the movie "Pulp Fiction" 2)
Cranium, top of the skull. "Blood's on my gear, from caps I've peeled" -- Ice-T. (Mic contract [1991]). 3)
Crack. Casper
(interj) "I'm Casper", I'm out of here, I'm ghost. From the Casper the ghost cartoon.
cat
1)
Vagina. "Sprung on the Cat" -- Sir Mixalot (Sprung on the cat [1992]). 2) Person. Used in the 70s. "You cant take the jungle out of the cat" -- Jeru Tha Damaja (Frustrated Nigger [1995]). 2) (adv) When someone is being a pussy about something. "Why don't you ask the girl out and stop being so cat?"
cateye
1) (v) To stare at a woman/man with sexual intentions.
2)
A stud with many women. cave bitch
Female version of "cave boy". Ice Cube (Cave bitch [1993]). cave boy
A white person. Derived from the theory that early white man lived in caves. Celo
A dice game also called "4-5-6", because you need to roll 4-5-6 to win in this game. "Like shootin' Celo, and always hittin' head cracks" -- A Tribe Called Quest (Low end theory [??]). cha
You. "I'm comin' to getcha" -- Ice Cube (I'm gonna wetcha [1993]) cheeba
1)
See marijuana. Company inscriptions on pharmaceutical drugs read "ciba", pronounced "cheeba". 2)
Black, sticky, gooey Brazilian marijuana often sold in pounds. "Some call it cheeba, some call it weed" -- Schoolly D. (Saturday night [??]). cheese
money; material wealth (from Bone: Thugs & Harmony). chickenhead
1)
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)
A derrogatory term used when referring to females who perform oral sex on males, because of the motion of the woman's head: back and forth, like a chichenhead. "Chickenheads be cluckin' in my bedroom" -- Notorious B.I.G. (Warning [??]). 3)
Crack addict, because many will perform oral sex to get free crack or money. Repeatedly referred to in "Do or die", a book about the conflict between the Crips and the Bloods in South Central. chill
1)
Relax. "Why don't you just chill" -- L.L. Cool J. (Eat em up L chill [1990]). 2) (adj) Mellow.
Chilltown
Jersey City, Double XX Posse. ChiTown
Chicago. Chocolate City, Capital City
Washington D.C. chrome
1)
Gun. "Now I gotta follow him home with the chrome" -- Ice Cube (Robbin' hood [1994]). 2)
Chrome wheel. "Sittin' on da chrome" -- Masta Ace Inc. [1995]. chronic
See marijuana. Incredibly potent marijuana, it started out as weed laced with coke. "The Chronic" -- Dr. Dre (The Chronic [1992]). chronic flakes
Ashes from a marijuana cigarette. "What up Ren? Still droppin' chronic flakes on yo ass, bitch" -- Snoop Doggy Dog (The Chronic [1992]). chubby
Erection. chulo
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]). cipher
1)
A circle of brothers dropping science, showing and proving. A 5%-er term. 2)
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
Gun or holder of bullets to load a semi-automatic or fully automatic gun with. "My AK-47 holdin' 50 clips" -- Da Lench Mob (Freedom got an AK [1992]). clique
the West Coast equivalent of "crew". 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]).
4) (v) To hit or knock someone out, as in "he clocked him". Probably comes from "he got his clock cleaned".
cluck (head)
Crack user. cock
1)
Penis. 2)
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. See the Kool G Rap song "Operation CB".
cock diesel
(adj) Very muscular.
coconut
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])
Compton
Los Angeles borough. This is from where the gangsta style was brought to a greater height. coochie
Vagina. cool
(adj) Okay as in "good" or "good idea".
coqui 900
1)
A type of malt liquor. "Coqui 900" -- Schoolly D. (Coqui 900 [??]). 2)
A kind of frog native to Puerto Rico. county blues
Prison-issue clothes. CPT
1)
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)
Short for "Colored People Time"; being late. 3)
Phonebook abbreviation for Compton. 4)
Colored People's Time. crab
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". crack
Synthetic drug, extremely addictive. crack a brew
(v) Open a beer. "Crack another 40, smoke some kill" -- Schoolly D. (Smoke some kill)
cracker
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
1) (adj) Besides meaning insane or extremely daring, it is kind of synonymous with mad.
2) (adj) Extremely or very. "Crazy fly bitches" -- Ice-T (???).
cream
Money. From: Cash Rules Everything Around Me, by the Wu-Tang Clan. creep
1) (v) To sneak up on someone.
2) (v) To be unfaithful in a relationship.
Crenshaw
Los Angeles street. Know for it's sunday nights, where people go to floss phat cars, get their mack on, chill, etc. crew
Group, band. crib
Home. "Black Ceasar at the crib" -- Public Enemy (Burn Hollywood Burn [1990]) crip
Member of the Crips gang. Cronkite
News, after the newsreader Walter Cronkite. "Grand Puba and Studd Doogie droppin' Cronkite" -- Grand Puba (A little of this). Crooklyn
See Brooklyn. cross fader
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" -- ??.
cut
1)
A record, the latest hit 2)
A recently received haircut. 3) (v) Cutting wax: scratching a record. "Rip the cut!" -- Just Ice (Back to the old school) [198?]
4)
Behind, or out of the way. "I glance in the cut and I see my homey Nate" -- Warren G (Regulate [1994]). cut up
Vagina. "I gots to get me some cut up!" -- Kriss Kross (??? [??]). cuz
1)
homeboy or homegirl. 2)
Cousin, apparently a Crip term. [cold] hoopin' it
(v) Playing a game of basketball.
D
D's, Dayton's
An expensive brand of alloy wheels. "Rollin' in my fo' on D's, hittin' the switches" Dr. Dre (Let me ride [1992]). D-Town, The D
Detroit, with its own sound, D-Funk. D.O.A.
Police term: "dead on arrival". dank
See marijuana. "Go on and hit the dank" -- Too Short. dap
1)
Sort of high-five type of handshake. "Gimme a dap, I'll give you one back" -- Ice T. (Ziplock [1991]) 2)
Dignity and Pride, old slang (think 70's here). dead presidents
Money. Most American dollarbills have a former president of the United States on them. "I'm out for dead presidents to represent me" -- NAS (The world is yours [1994]). deal with
(v) To take care of business.
deep
1)
A unit of measure. "It was a crew four deep" -- D-Nice (??). 2)
A hip hop clothing manufacturer (X-Large). 3) (adj) Heavy in the hippy sense of the word.
def
1) (adj) Really good, the bomb. 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) (adj) 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)
A great record. 2)
One of the first big labels for rap artists, founded by Rick Rubin, led by Russels Simmons. delf
"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)
A "deuce deuce" is a .22 caliber handgun. "About to get loose with the deuce deuce" -- Ice Cube (Gangsta fairytale II [1993]). 2)
20 ounce of liquor. devil
an enemy, usually white people. "The devil made me do it" -- Paris (the devil made me do it) [??]. dick
penis. "Mister Big Dick, who do you think you are?" -- Schoolly D. (Mr. Big Dick). dig
1) (v) To understand; "can you dig it?"
2) (v) To like.
dig out
(v) To have sexual intercourse. "By 2 am. I was diggin' her out" -- Ice Cube (Ghetto bird [1993]).
Dillon
Pistol. "Made a move for my Dillon; and all I remember the Gangsta Lean was killin'" -- ?? (??? [??]). dime
1)
Ten dolar bag of marijuana. Due to price variations the price may actually be higher for the same bag. 2)
"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)
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
Disc Jockey, means MC in Jamaica. "My DJ Derek B is best" -- Derek B. (Get down [??]). DL
See down low. do
1)
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)
a form of addressing: "Whatup dog?", not meant to be offensive 5)
a friend, "That's my Dog". Road ~: West Coast gangsta for friend. 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.
dolo
Like delf/self, dolo/solo. I go for dolo -- ??? (?? [??]). dome
A person's big head, skull, gun against your head. dope
1)
Narcotics. 2) (adj) Great, addictive.
dopeman
Seller of narcotics. "If you see somebody getting pussy for crack, he's the dopeman, dopeman" -- N.W.A. (Tha Dopeman [1988]) Double 99
The street East 99th and St. Clair in Cleveland. Home of the group Bone Thugs'n Harmony. double deuce juice
1)
22 oz of cold 45 ml beer. 2)
Colt 45 (the Billy D. juice). dough
Money. "Don't you know when the dough get low, the juice go" -- Mobb Deep (Survival of the fittest [??]). down low
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
Dogg pound gangsta. drawers
Pants, underpants. 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.
drive-by
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
Dick sucking lips; oral sex. dubs
Car wheel rims. "can I get a WOOP WOOP to these niggaz from all my bitches who don't got love for niggaz without doves" -- Jay Z (Can I get a...[????]) duckets
Money, from "ducats": coins. He's gettin' juiced for his duckets" -- N.W.A. (I ain't the one [1988]). dukey rope
Fat gold chain. dumm
(v) To act stupid, from the english "dumb". "Ya dummin'" -- Funkdoobiest (You're dummin').
dun
1)
Used like the word son. "What up, dun?" -- Nas (Represent [1994]). 2) (adj) Very dark, used in a negative setting as in dark and ugly. "They always let the motherfucking dun nigger hold the cash." -- Lil Kim (Queen Bitch [????]).
dusting
(v) To use PCP, a strong hallucinogen that reportedly makes one almost inhumanly strong, also known as "Angel Dust". "Like the Hudson on PCP, when I'm dustin'" -- Wu-Tang Clan (Proteck ya neck [1993]).
Dutch Master
Dutch Master is a brand of cigars. When rolling a serious blunt, the tobacco is removed from a cigar and replaced with marijuana. "Slit a nigga back like a Dutchmasta killa" -- Wu-Tang Clan (???). E
E.Z. Wides
Extra wide rolling paper for marijuana cigarettes. "Don't hide the crop cause I got the E.Z. Wides" East Boogie
A predominately Black city called East St. Louis. Home of Miles Davis. East Saint
See East Boogie. El
Short for El Producto cigars. "I contact eleven El's and macs in heaven" -- Nas (One time 4 your mind [1994]). elbow
A pound of marijuana. Elijah Muhammad
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]) Elm City, The L
New haven, Connecticut. ends
Money, derived from making ends. ese
Spanish word meaning "that" or "that one", used for homeboy. Incidentally, in the 70's in California, certain application forms had the choices "black", "white", "SA" and "other" for ethnicity, where "SA" stood for "Spanish-American". F
fade
1)
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)
Term from from the dice-game craps, related to losing. The player rolling the dice must have someone to fade them (i.e. to put up money against the money they are gambling). If you are faded, you have lost. fag
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). fag hag
Woman who only seeks homosexual people for friends. "...who used to be a fag hag" -- Grandmaster Flash (The Message [??]). fake jacks
(v) To front, to fake moves. "Cuz the brothers that fake jacks get laid on they backs" -- Mobb Deep (??? [??]).
Farmers Boulevard
Street in the New York City borough of Queens. Home of L.L. Cool J. "Farmers Boulevard, that's where the crib's at, that's where me and E. hang out." -- L.L. Cool J. (???) 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.
Felt Forum
New York boxing arena, many prominent New York City boxers have boxed there. fiend
(v) To be hostile to. 2) (v) To need something badly, most often drugs. But you can also be a fiend for a dope beat.
figga
Figure. Fillmore
San Francisco district. finger on the trigger
1)
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]). 2)
In a state of readiness, prepared. 3)
In a position of power or authority. fix
Heroin. flamboasting
(v) To show off in a manner of actually flashing material items in the faces of other individuals.
flava
1)
Flavour 2)
Flavor Flav, Chuck D's right hand man in Public Enemy. Flavavision
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.
3) (v) To have sexual intercourse.
floss
1) (v) Move in and out of something. "Floss the NSX" -- DJ Quick (Dollars and sense).
2) (v) To show off.
flow
1)
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).
Forty Deuce
42nd street, Manhattan, the Times Square area. forty dog
40 ounce bottle of Olde English 800 malt liquor. "Forty dog, one love" -- Nas (One love [1994]). four
See '64. freak
1) (v) Dance in a provocative way.
2) (v) Have sex.
3)
Person who practices the above things; sexually aggressive female (never missing a beat). 4) (v) To take out the filter paper from a Black & Mild pipe-tobacco cigar. "I'm going to freak this Mild"
free world
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) Very good.
Frisco
San Francisco. Home of JT the bigga figga. 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]).
fu-shnicken
A variety of fried chicken often cooked op in and around the area of Jackson Mississippi. Also known as "Rico". 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)
The essence of being, as in faking the funk. funky drummer
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]).
G
G
1)
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)
Money, from Grands or thousands, for example a hundred G's equals $100,000. "I clock G's while you clock Z's" - EPMD (??? [??]). G'd up
(adv) Dressed to kill, like a bawla.
G-funk
Gangsta funk. Examples: Snoop Doggy Dogg, Warren G & Nate Dog. gaffle
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
Group of organised criminals. The main gangs in Northern California are (in random order): 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)
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)
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)
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
See marijuana. "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]) gatt
1)
Refers to any gun. It originates from Gattling, the name of the man who invented the machine gun (the Gattling gun). 2) 2)
Hip-Hop Clothing Co. gauge
A shotgun. "Hopped in his caddy, loaded his 12 gauge" -- Schoolly D (Signifying rapper [??]). George Clinton
One of the most sampled men alive, creator of the P-Funk. get burned
(v) To catch a sexually transmitted disease. Specifically refers to the burning sensation caused by gonorrhoea when urinating. "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.
ghetto bird
Police helicopter. "Motherfuck you and your punk ass ghetto bird." -- Ice Cube (Ghetto Bird [1993]). ghetto sled
car, usually American made, that generally sports a rusted body covered with house paint. Synonym of hooptie. ghost
Out of here: "I'm ghost". Glock
Austrian manufacturer of handguns. 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
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
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)
Ability on the microphone. 2)
Gun. 3)
Money. "I guess that's what I get, for trying to gank the little homies for their grip" -- Dr. Dre (Lil' ghetto boy [??]). GT
Ford Mustang GT, also known as the "five-point-oh" for it's 5.0L V-8. GTA
Grand theft auto, legalese for stealing a car. "It's all about makin' that GTA" -- Eazy-E (Boyz in the hood [1989]). H
H-Town
Houston, home of The 5th Ward. 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)
The wind, especially when it is blowing hard. head
Someone who earned respect. hella
(adv) A hell of a lot. "I got hella scrilla" -- ??? (??? [??]).
Hennessey
Brand of Cognac. "Take this Hennessey!" NAS -- (The Genesis [1994]). herbalz
1)
Marijuana, comes from herbs. "Herbalz in my mouth" -- 3rd Bass (Herbalz in my mouth [1991]). 2)
Semen (mentioned in an interview once by 3rd Bass). high top fade
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 (??? [??]). high-five
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 [??]).
hip-hop
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)
Hooker, prostitute, from the Southern pronounciation of the word whore. "She ain't nothing but another ho, according to the system" -- KRS-One (Exhibit D. [1990]). 2) (v) To sell out.
ho cake
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)
Vagina. 2)
Gun chamber. "16 in the clip and one in the hole" -- Nate Dogg (Regulate [??]). holler
(v) To shout.
holly
See ho. homeboy
Close friend. homegirl
Female equivalent of homeboy. "Homegirls, see a guy you like? Just grab him in the biscuits... and doowutchalike" -- Digital Underground (Doowutchalike [??]). homeskillet
A close relative or friend. "My homeskillet gets me the goods whenever I want" -- ?? (?? [??]). homey
See homeboy. "But I wish he could have said it to my dead homey" -- Ice Cube (Dead Homiez [1990]). honey
Female, generally attractive. Honey Dip
pretty young ladies with golden brown complexions. hood
The neighbourhood, usually a poor community. hoodie
T-shirt or sweatshirt with hood attached to it. hoodlum
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
female, generally sexually promiscuous, and not upwardly mobile "Homies in the hood labeled her as a hoodrat" -- Domino (Ghetto jam [1993]) hook
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" -- ??? (???). hooptie
Old car in bad shape. hooptie ride
To do a driveby murder. hoota
Blunt. "It's a hoota of the Buddah blessed" hop on the side
(v) To get on the passenger side of a car.
hops
Vertical jump, usually related to basketball. "He's got mad hops" -- ??? (??? [??]). hottie
A very attractive female. "This hottie got a body and I wanna get naughty" -- Sir Mixalot (Sprung on the Cat [1992]). housenigger
Person who blindly follows simple-minded people, the term was used by Malcolm X. 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. HP
Hunter's Point, a San Francisco district. Huey P. Newton
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 marijuana, which is due to an agricultural technique of cultivation in the production of cannabis, a more potent product. "Hydro, me just can't let me, high go " - Bone Thugs 'n Harmony (Buddah lovas [1995]). hype
1)
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]).
I
IBWC
The Intelligent Black Womens Coalition, a group that Yo-Yo is a member of. ice
1)
Diamonds or jewelry with diamonds in it. "Hands smothered in ice." -- Ice-T (Bitches 2 [1991]). 2)
On ice - at the morgue. 3)
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 [??]).
Illtown
East-orange, NJ. Home of Naughty By Nature, Queen Latifah. Impala
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
1)
Under control by someone else. Probably from a game of chess. 2) (adv) Under control, due to skills. "I got you all in check" -- Busta Rhymes (Woo Hah! [1996]).
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]) in [full] effect
(adv) Present and taking place.
Indo
Marijuana from Indonesia. "Indo smoke up in your lungs like that" -- Dr. Dre (Rat-tat-tat-tat [1992]). J
jack
1) (v) To rob someone face to face. "Lets see who the fuck I'ma jack today" -- Ice Cube (Robin hood [??]).
2)
Nothing, "I ain't got jack to give you". jack roll
(v) To rob the helpless.
jacker
Short for carjacker. jailbait
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. Jakes
The police. jam
1)
song, cut, track. "This is the dope Jam!" -- Public Enemy (Night the living baseheads [1989]). 2)
The sweet stuff - like honey. 3)
Slam dunk in basketball. 4)
To lock up, like when a bullet gets caught up in the chamber of a gun the gun jams. James Brown
One of the funkiest and most sampled men alive. jammy
1)
Penis. "All the fly ladies are on my jammy" -- Beastie Boys (The new style [1986]). 2)
Gun. "Pulled out the jammy aimed it at the sky" -- Beastie Boys (Paul Revere [1986]). 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)
Another word for joint, a marijuana cigarette. "Back in Philly, they call me da jawn" -- Bahamadia (Total Wreck [??]). 2)
Any type of thing, as in "Yo, check this jawn out". jenny
Vagina. jet
(v) To leave in a hurry.
Jheri-curls
Wetlook, curly hairstyle. "Hoodlums and hustlers and bangers with Jheri-curls" -- Ice T. (Lifestyles of the rich and infamous [1991]) jiggy
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
See Jimmy. Jimmy
Penis. "Never sleep alone because Jimmy is a magnet" -- Beastie Boys (3 Minute rule [1989]). Jimmy hat/cap
Condom. jock
1)
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
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 marijuana. I got a love Jones for your body and skin tone" -- Method Man & Mary J. Blidge (You are all I need [1994]). JPT
Japanese People Time; being early or on time. juice
1)
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)
"To have juice means you kiss and lick a lot of booty" -- KRS-One (Blackman in effect [1990]). 4)
Respect, e.g. the movie "Juice". 5)
Alcohol, as in "being juiced up" or get juice for the party". 6)
Willpower. K
Kakalaka
North Carolina "New York, North Kakalaka and Compton." -- A Tribe Called Quest (Scenario [??]). kangol
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). Kani
Short for "Karl Kani," which is a clothes label popular in the hood. KDAY
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
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
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
See sneakers. kill
1)
See marijuana. "Crack another 40, smoke some kill" -- Schoolly D. (Smoke some kill). 2)
To be dope on the microphone. knocka
A pest. "Leave Flavor Flav alone, knocka" -- Public Enemy (Cold lampin' with Flavor [1988]). knocking boots
(v) To have sexual intercourse. The knock refers to the man's hips hitting the woman's ass, which produces a slapping sound. The motion litterally knocks her boots (buttocks). "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, by closing and raising ones fists.
[kitty] cat
Vagina. L
'lac
Short for Cadillac. "Macks drive 'lacs" -- Big Mello [1993]. L-train
1)
The late train. "I'm on the L train going insane" -- The Roots (Silent treatment). 2)
Elevated trains in Chicago or NYC. LA
Los Angeles. In particular the phrase "LA 1992" indicates the riots that broke out after the Rodney King trial. Laketown
Salt Lake City, Utah. 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.
Land of Dope
Oakland. Land of the Heartless
Cleveland, Ohio. 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).
LBC
Phonebook abbreviation for Long Beach city, California. Home of 21 & Lewis. "With so much drama in the LBC" -- Snoop Doggy Dogg (Gin and Juice). leather Tuscadero
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
From: to pull someones leg, to make a joke. No leg pulls means no jokes; speak the truth. "No leg pulls kid". Lexus
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)
A casual gathering of friends and family. "This lime has no juice", this gathering is dull. lina
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
Cocaine, crack; it is a Spanish word, and the double l's are pronounced as "y"'s. Used in the movie "Scarface" [1983]. The bitch came back with a bag of llello" -- Ice Cube (Once upon a time in the projects [1991]). loc
1)
Term used for local person. 2)
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)
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.
5)
To get high. "We was in the park gettin' loc-ed" -- ??? lock
Short for dredlocks. Long Beach
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]) Louies
Louis Vuitton gear. low low
Lowrider car with adjusted suspension. "Hitting them corners in them low low', girl" - Dr. Dre (Still Dre [????]) 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.
LP
1)
Long Play, a nine or ten song regular tape. 2)
A vinyl record. lunch
(v) To act stupid or crazy.
M
M3
See beamer. M3 is a special edition model from the BMW 3-series range. "purple M3s and jet skis" -- Nas (If I Ruled the World [1996]). Mac 10
The Ingram Mac-10 30 to 36-shot submachine pistol firing standard 9mm caliber (.38 in) bullets. The American version of the Israeli Uzi. Most "Tens" are actually smuggled Czech M-61s. "The Mac 10 is in the grass and I run like a cheetah with thoughts of an assassin" -- Nas (??? [1994]). mack
1)
Pimp. 2) (v) Being a pimp. "Mackin' is a game and everybody's playing it" -- Ice Cube (Who's the mack [1991])
3)
The Mack, an early 70's Blacksploitation film shot in Oakland, CA. 4)
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
Someone who sells drugs. mag
1)
Short for magazine, as in clip or ammo insert. 2)
Short for Magnum. Money. Mo' mail than the rest of the pushers -- E-40 (??? [??]). making ends
1) (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])
2)
To make money. Think of the phrase "The ends justify the means". The ends may be taken to mean money. Malcolm [Malcolm X]
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. marijuana
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, 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, method, pot, sess, shake, shit, skunk, stress, tabacci, Thai, wacky and weed. marinate
(v) To chill, hang out.
mark
1)
A sucker, a target for gaffling and crime. "You mark-ass busta, you betta raise up" -- Dr Dre (Dre [??].) 2)
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
Probably Jamaican, in which case it comes from the TV game shows, Master of Ceremonies (although the term existed before TV). It was the only person at a gathering that was allowed to use the microphone. 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)
Said to be an aphrodisiac. "Funky col' medina" -- Tone Loc (Funky cold medina [1989]) 2)
Nickname for Brooklyn. 3)
One of the three holy cities in Islam One of the three holy cities in Islam Medina
Second most holy city of Islam; Nickname for Brooklyn. megablast
Large breath of crack. "Oh please, oh please, oh please, just gimme just one more blast" -- Public Enemy (Megablast). meth, method
See marijuana. MF
1)
Short for motherfucker. 2)
Short for Mark Ferhman; the police officer who tried to set up O.J. Simpson by planting evidence on him. MLK
Martin Luther King, civil rights leader, shot april 4th, 1968. He represented the largely rural South. money
See brother, nigga. Moneyearnin' Mount Vernon
Shabazz, 4th ave, 3rd street. One of the worst corners in Mount Vernon - hood hang out, dealers, addicts. Home of Heavy D., Pete Rock and CL Smooth - 77 hillside straight up Columbus Hill make a left in Mount Vernon. Moschino
Clothing label. "Moschino on my misstres" -- Notorious B.I.G. (??? [??]). Mossberg
Popular brand of twelge gauge shotgun, used by the police. "And I grabbed my 12 gauge Mossberg pump" -- Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (??? [??]). motherfucker
1)
Respectless person with no attitude. 2)
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
Akai MPC-60 sampling sequencer/drum machine, Akai's answer to the SP-12, popular especially in the early 90's. Most hip-hop producers have a machine of the MPC-series. MPV
The 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. As used by Big L in the song "MVP". N
nappy dugout
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
A head with dreading hair. "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)
"Nathan's" is a brand of hot dog. 3)
Natural born pimp. Neighbourhood Family
South Central Blood set associated with Cypress Hill. Newark
Brick City. Home of RedMan, LOTUG, Artifacts, Channel Live, T-neck. 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
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
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)
[neenyah] Spanish for girl of 5 years or less. Chica is a teenage girl. 2)
[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
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
Nation Of Islam. "Elijah is alive, Louis Farrakhan, NOI" -- Ice Cube (Enemy [1993]). Now Rule
New Rochelle NY, a suburb of NYC, borders Mount Vernon. Origin of Grand Puba and Brand Nubian. nucker
1)
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'
Nothing. "Nine times outta ten, she's givin' up nuttin'" -- N.W.A. (I ain't tha one [1988]) Nyquil
Cold medicine that basically puts you to sleep, so you won't stay up all night coughing. "Knock ya out like Nyquil" -- Ice Cube(?) O
O
An ounce of marijuana. O'Malley
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]). O-1-2
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-Town
Orlando. O.E.
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)
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)
Someone who is true to the game, who never sold out. O.J.
1)
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)
To pull an O.J. on someone: to set someone up, to plant evidence. O.P.P.
1)
Other people's pussy. 2)
Other people's penis. 3)
Other people's property. Oaktown, the big O, the O
Oakland, California. The Westside O and the Eastside O stand for West and East Oakland. Home of Too $hort and Luniz. on swo
(adv) Increasing in size, often used in prisons to describe a weight lifter. "My bank roll's on swo" -- Snoop Doggy Dogg (??? [??]).
one love
(interj.) Farewell bidding, like "peace". one-time
Police officer. Refered to as one-time as you have one time or one chance to get out of the situation alive. "One-time because it's my life on the line" -- Ice Cube (??? [??]). oowop
An uzi semi-automatic gun. oreo
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]). Osdorp
Amsterdam (the Netherlands) hood where the foundations of the Dutch underground, hardcore hiphop scene were laid. Rap artists such as Jason, West Klan and first and foremost The Osdorp Posse are from that part of Amsterdam. other level
A higher degree of consciousness satisfaction; beyond the average. "Grip it on that other level" -- Geto Boys (On that other level [1992]). ox piece
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) P
P
1)
Partner, friend. 2)
Pussy. "The P is free" -- BDP (The P is free) 3) Posse. P-Dog
Paris. "P-Dog comin' up, I'm staying low" -- Paris (The devil made me do it). P-funk
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. P-Town
Paterson. P.E.
Public Enemy. P.O.D.
1)
Paid on delivery. 2)
Passed over-dosed; a deceased person due to an drug over-dose. P.S.K.
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?)). PA, PAT
Port Arthur, Texas. Referred to throughout UGK and Point Blank albums. pad
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
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
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. Comes from the French word "parler", which means talking.
Pat Duke
1)
Patty Duke, an old sitcom television show. "On the stoop doing the Pat Duke" -- Ol' Dirty Bastard (Don't you know [1994]). 2)
A popular dance style from the late 80's. peace
1)
That's what rap is all about for all you mentally challenged. 2) (interj) Farewell bidding.
peckerwood
Derogatory term for a white person. peeling
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
People. "To all my peeps who didn't make it" -- Nas (The world is yours [1994]). pen
Penitentiary, jail. "To all of my peoples in the pens, keep ya head up" -- Lost Boyz (Lex Coupes, Beamaz and Benz's [??]). Penelope
Police -- E-40 (???). pep
(v) To beat someone up. "I'm ready to pep ya".
phat
1) (adj) Rich like butter, really good, extremely well put together. "ATCQ be putting together some phat beats" -- ??? (???)
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 or even Pretty Hot And Tempting.
phat pocket
A person who has a lot of money Philly
Philadelphia. Home of Schoolly D., Da Youngstas, The Fresh Prince, Tuff Crew, The Roots, DJ Ghetto, Bahamadia. pie
Vagina. piece
1)
A firearm. 2)
A work of graffiti art (short for masterpiece). 3)
Sexual intercourse. "I'm gonna go get me a piece." pig
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)
Boss of prostitutes. 2) (v) To be a ladies man.
PJ's
The Projects. plats
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)
Action. play ball
(v) To play basketball. "Got a pair that I wear when I'm playin' ball" -- RUN-DMC (My Adidas).
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)
played out
Old. player
1)
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)
A kind of playboy, so a player is good at picking up honeys. 3)
"Players" is a black-oriented adult men's magazine. player hater
One who despises or speaks ill of another because he does not have any game of his own. player's ball
A party for players. Outkast mentions it. PO
1)
Police officer, parole officer or probation officer. "dven pack my gatt when I go to see my P.O." -- Mobb Deep (The infamous posse [??]). 2) (adj) Piece out.
3) (v) Pissed off, angry.
po-po
The police, from Oakland Police Department. "Yeah it was po-po, and that's OPD for those who don't know" -- Raw Fusion (?? [????]) 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.
Poly Apartments
An apartment project at the west side of Long Beach. Was home for artists like the Twinz and Warren G: "Poly Apartments for tha niggaz that ain't from the LB" -- The Twinz (Good Times [1995]). pop
(v) To shoot someone. "I'm a pop a cap in him" -- Jules in the movie "Pulp Fiction"
posse
A group of people you hang out with. This doesn't necessarily mean a gang. "They got too, too, too much posse" -- Public Enemy (Too much posse [??]) pot
See marijuana. "Must have been drinking, 'cause this ain't pot" -- Cypress Hill and Sonic Youth (Mary Jane [1993]). potna
Term to address a person, compare partner. "What's now up potna" -- Menace 2 Society. power U
Vagina. "On top of that you got the good power U" -- Method Man & Mary J. Blige (You're all I need [1994]). primo
1)
A joint laced with crack, west coast term. The east coast equivalent is "turbo". See also marijuana. 2)
Friend. 3)
Nickname for DJ Premier. Private Stock
A brand of malt liquor. project gold
Huge gold hoop earrings. props
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
Wine that inmates make in prison. psych
1)
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. marijuana. "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
1)
Pump of a pump-action shotgun "Sawed off shotgun, hand on the pump" -- Cypress Hill (Hand on the pump [1993]) 2)
To play music loud. punani
1)
Vagina. 2)
Sex, this is used more commonly. 3)
A Jamaican dance, the art of moving your stomach and behind on the dancefloor. punk
1)
A person related to the Punk movement or the Punk music. 2)
A stupid, usually irritating person. "Motherfuck you and your punk ass ghetto bird." -- Ice Cube (Ghetto Bird [1993]). pussy
Vagina. puta/puto
1)
Prostitute. 2)
Asshole. "How you like me now, puto" -- Cypress Hill (Locotes [??]). Q
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]).
Q.B.
1)
Short for Queensbridge. 2)
Short for Queen Bitch, or Queen Bee as Lil' Kim refers to herself. Queen Bee was a character from the blaxploitation movie "Dolemite". Quad City
Orlando. Home of Quad City DJ's, 95 South, 69 Boyz and DJ Magic Mike. quarter-O
1)
Quarter ounce (= oz.) of weed. 2)
40 oz. of beer. Queens
New York City borough. RUN-DMC are often referred to as the Kings from Queens. Queensbridge
The name of a six building (six stories each) housing project in Long Island City (NY), a section of Queens. 40 side and 41st side refer to the 40th street side of the buildings 41st street side of the buildings. Home of Nas and Mobb Deep. R
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. rab
Short for rabbi. "Told a rab get off the rag" -- Public Enemy (Welcome to the Terrordome[1991]) rat
(v) To betray. "Why did Judas rat to Romans while Jesus slept?" -- Genius (4th chamber)
rat pack
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)
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
Murder spelled backwards. reefer
See marijuana. (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
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
Derogatory term for a member of the Crips, an L.A. gang. ride
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
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)
Crack. 2) (v) To have sexual intercourse.
3)
Biblical. Alcatraz, Jamaica... 4) (v) To wear, "I was rocking my brand new Nikes".
rock star
Crack addict rocket
1)
A joint (see marijuana). 2) (v) To blast off into a high when smoking a joint.
Rodney King
1)
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)
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 on someone means to beat someone up.
3) (v) To roll a joint.
4) (v) To drive one's car in the neighborhood with a certain style or finesse.
roll up
(v) To arrive on a scene.
rollie
Rolling papers. Rolling 60's
Notorious South Central Crip set. ruff neck
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)
Ruthless Records is Eazy-E's record company. S
S1W
The Security of the First World; the military dancers on stage with Public Enemy at their concerts. SA
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
Woman using a man for money. Sactown
Sacramento, California. sagging deuce
A lowered Cadillac car. scarface
A scarface is someone who is a gangster or models themselves on the character of Tony Montana in the film "Scarface"(1983). Scarface is one of the most influential films with regard to hip-hop. Many of the samples used on rap albums are from Scarface. Many phrases you hear used by rappers are copied verbatim from Scarface. Examples include The Geto Boys album (Geto Boys) the hook for "Fuck Em' All" is sampled from Scarface. The sample at the beginning of the Kool G Rap song "Fast Life" is from Scarface. The rapper Scarface took his name from the film. 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
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:
+ Everything before "Straight Outta Compton" (NWA [1988]) and "Amerikkka's Most Wanted" (Ice Cube [1990]) for the West Coast Gangsta Movement
+ 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)
The cartoon character. 2)
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
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
Money, loot. "Scrilla scratch paper" -- E-40 (One love [??]). Seatown
Seattle. sell out
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
An abbreviation of the word "sinsemellia", which is a form o marijuana that has no seeds, because it is isolated from male pollen during te blooming process. Instead of making seeds, the marijuana plant makes more THC, hence this "sense" is more potent, and generally better than standard ganja. serve
1) (v) To defeat an opponent with skill.
2) (v) To deliver a subpoena
set
1)
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)
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
Handcuffs. shank
A custom made knife as used in prisons, made from whatever materials are available. "You better grab your shank, cuz ain't no fistfight" -- Dr. Dre (Lil' ghetto boy [??]). Shaton
Shaton or Shaitan is an Arabic word meaning "devil". "At night the evil armies of Shaton don't play" -- Fugees (Family business [1996]). Shea Town
New York, from Shea stadium. sherm stick
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
See booty. "Shimmy shimmy ya!" - Ol' Dirty Bastard (Shimmy shimmy ya [1995]). sholda than show
(interj) Surer than sure.
shook one
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 shook ones. "Shook ones" -- Mobb Deep (Shook ones pt. II [1995]). short
Vehicle. shorty
1)
Little person. 2)
Female, like baby or honey. "I got myself a shorty, I got myself a forty" -- Wu-Tang Clan (Method Man). 3)
A seven ounce bottle of beer. shotty
Shotgun. show and prove
(v) Demonstrate.
show case
(v) To carry out a fraud.
siamese
A person who acts two-faced. sike
See psych. simp
1)
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
Woman of the same group; friend. skank
A scandalous woman. skeezer
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
General ability; ability on the microphone. skins
1)
The lips of the vagina. "She likes to bend over and then she spreads the skins" -- Brand Nubian (Slow down [1990]). 2)
Condom. 3)
Rolling papers. skirt
A female. skitzing
(v) Acting bizarre or crazy, from schizophrenic.
skully
(v) Getting oral sex performed. "My buddy, daz dilly, we gettin' skully" - Kurupt (My Buddy [1998]).
skunk
A medium grade and smelly form of marijuana. slab
1)
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)
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
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.
Slauson
Los Angeles street. "The sun went down when I hit Slauson" -- Dr. Dre (Let Me Ride [??]). sleep [on]
(v) Ignore. (v) To be unaware or unprepared. You can creep up on someone while they are "sleeping" (even if they are awake).
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
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
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
Money. sneakers
Sportswear shoes. "I wear my sneakers but I'm not a sneak" -- RUN-DMC (My Adidas). snow
Cocaine. soggy indo
A joint (see marijuana) that has been dipped in PCP or something. soldier
Non-OG gangbanger. South Central
Los Angeles area. A very important place for gangsta rap. Origin of a lot of rappers. SP-12
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
Jamaican marijuana cigarette, see marijuana. 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)
Released on bail by someone else. squab
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?]
St. Ides
A specific brand of maly liquor. Ice Cube and Scarface have done radio commercials for St. Ides. "Gotta get tha S-T-I-D-E-S, first of tha month" -- Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (??? [??]). stab out
(v) To leave.
stake
(v) Making money, often used in conjunction with paper, i.e. "stakin' paper".
steel
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.
stilo
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. straight
1)
Okay. 2)
Short for stright up, truly, used for emphasis. "Straight booty" or "straight wack". strap
A gun. strapped
(adj) Strapped in: armed.
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. Strong island
Long island. stunt
1)
Sexual act. 2)
A person who performs stunts. 3)
To pull a stunt, to try something difficult. stupid
1) (adj) Creative.
2) (adv) Very. "Evil's got the funky beat, a stupid dope loop" -- Ice-T (Fried chicken [1991]).
sucka
person easily duped. Sucka Free
San Francisco. SWASS
Short for "Some wild-ass silly shit". SWAT
Southwest Atlanta. Home of Outkast, Goodie Mob, Kriss Kross, Parental Advisory. Swayze
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)
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
Car. swing
To have sexual intercourse (Grand Puba). swing low
To have oral sex (Kool Moe Dee). switch
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). T
tag
1)
A persons graffiti nickname. 2) (v) The act of writing graffiti on an object (tagging up).
Tanqueray
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
A fly honey. tax
1) (v) To rob. "Stick up kids are out to tax" -- Gangstarr (Just to get a rep [??]).
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.
Tec 9
A 9mm semiautomatic or fully automatic gun made by Infratec. "Every kid's got a Tec 9 or a handgrenade" -- Ice-T (??? [??]). thai stick
See marijuana. thang
Thing; "your own thang": your own way. The (island of) Shao-Lin
Staten Island, a New York borough. Home of the Wu-Tang clan The Boogie Bang / The Boogie Down
See Bronx. King Sun mentions it in one of his EPs. The Boogie Down
The Bronx. The Bridge
See Queensbridge. The Burgh
Pittsburgh, PA. The Get Low
San Francisco. JT the Bigga Figga's group is call GLP: Get Low Players. Thompson
Tommy gun. three-wheel motion
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
Drunk or high to the point of almost being unconscious. throw-up
1)
A non-complex piece of graffiti usually involving only two colors. 2)
To tag your graffiti on something ("Watch my back as I throw up this tag"). thug
Someone who does not have anything but himself. "Livin' life thug style" -- Tupac (To live and die in L.A. [????]). thump
(v) To engage in a fistfight. "Remember they used to thump, but now they blast, right?" -- Dr. Dre (Lil' ghetto boy [??]).
tical
See marijuana. "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)
Penis (Get off my tip). 2)
Q-Tip from a Tribe Called Quest 3)
The end, the fullest. "To the tip!" -- Schoolly D. (Mr. Big Dick). Tipper Gore
Tipper, the wife of vice-president Al Gore, 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" -- Ice-T (Freedom of speech / Just watch what you say [1991]). to get your swerve on
(v) A compliment of skill. If you are about to get your swerve on then you are confidently preparing to enter the conflict. If you got your swerve on it means you accomplished something skillfully.
toa
Gang pride/love (Polynesian/Maori). Tony Montana
The character of Tony Montana in the film "Scarface"(1983). "1995 Tony Montana" -- Ice Cube (Summer Vacation [??]). toy
1)
A poor or beginner graffiti artist. 2) (v) To purposefully write over another graffiti artists work (toy someone out).
3)
A sucker. 4)
Short for Trouble On Your System. Tragniew Park Crips
Compton crip set, associated with MC Eiht. "Tragniew Park you say..." -- DJ Quik (Dollaz & Sense [1994]). trap
(v) to sell drugs.
tray eight
See 38. Trenton
Home of the old schoolrappers, PRT. trick
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]).
triple beam
Balanced scales for weighing with three grades of weights, originally used to measure gold, it is more commonly used to measure drugs. "You learned about your triple beam from me" -- Ice Cube (Dr. Frankenstein [1998]) 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
big gold jewelry. true that
(interj) See word is bond.
trump
To have lots of money, like billionaire Donald Trump. 2) In certain card games the highest ranking suit is called trump (e.g. spades). When a person has nothing but trump cards in his hand it is referred to as being 'trump tight'. "cause Snoop dog is trump tight like the virgin-surgeon" -- Snoop Dogg (Tha Shiznit [??]) TTP
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
A joint laced with crack, east coast term. The west coast equivalent is "primo". See also marijuana. turn (it) out
1) (v) To make records.
2) (v) To have sexual intercourse with.
twenty sack
One gram of marijuana, which costs $20. See marijuana. From Nas (NY state of mind). twisted
Drunk. [to be] high
(v) 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]).
U
uncle L.
L.L. Cool J. "Like uncle L. said, I'm rippin' up shows" -- Public Enemy (Shut 'em down). uncle tom
1)
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. Union Square
1)
A park in New York City on Broadway between 14th and 16th(?). Origin of Kid n Play. 2)
A hip-hop club from the late 1980's in the above area. The name of this routine is called live at Union Square. - KRS One up north trip
Being sent to jail. "Up north trip" -- Mobb Deep (?? [??]). UPT
Uptown New Orleans Uptown
The word uptown originated in the New York city train stations. As you leave downtown Manhattan the trains direct you to Uptown. Uptown includes Harlem, East Harlem, Washinton Heights, Inwood and (sometimes) the South Bronx. USG
United States Ghettos (Onyx). uzi
Israeli semi-automatic gun. "Hold it, rock! Miuzi weighs a ton" -- Public Enemy (Miuzi weighs a ton). V
V-Town
Vallejo, California. Home of E-40. Vacaville
Nothern California Prison (Too $hort). vacuum lungs
Taking a deep smoke. "Cause fools be havin' them vacuum lungs" -- The Luniz (I've got 5 on it [??]). vato
East LA hispanic slang, meaning homeboy. "Vato, cholo, call us what you will" -- Kid Frost (La Raza [1990]). Vegas
1)
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]). 2)
A marijuana sigarette rolled in Garcia Vegas (a brand of cigar) papers. Versace
Clothing label. "I stay laced cuz my body got Versace taste" -- Monifa (I miss you (come back home) [1995]). vexed
(v) Very angry.
VIP Records
Famous Long Beach record store where a lot of current stars first sold their demo tapes. Snoop was standing on it in his "Who am I?" video. "Let's journey to the VIP for the latest hits" -- Domino (Long Beach Thang [1993]). VMB
Video Music Box, a NYC hip-hop video music show. W
wack
1) (adj) Negative: crazy or weird. Mostly this is meant
2) (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)
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.
4) (v) To have sexual intercourse. "Wax that ass" -- Ice Cube (Get off my dick [??]).
5) (v) To make a car appear very shiny.
WBLS
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)
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
Turntables. "My DJ Code Money on the wheels of steel" -- Schoolly D. (Gucci time). Whitestone
Movie theatre in the Bronx - Diamond D. 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)
The who ride is the act of getting wild and crazy, like a riot or an assassination, or any wild activity. wigger
A derogatory term for white people usually used by white people. wild thing
Sexual intercourse. "Hey you two, I was once like you and I loved to do the wild thing" -- Tone Loc (Wild thing). wilding
(adj) To act without without rational thought. Wilding was a term not used until the Central park jogger attack in 1989. The victim in this case was raped, and, upon being questioned, kids in the neighborhood of the attackers had said that they had done the "Wild Thing" (after the Tone Loc release). Misinterpreted by reporters not accustomed to the slurred speech of the attackers, the term wilding was born out of the NYC media's lust for a catch phrase. (Info from: "Black Studies, Rap and the Academy" by Houston Baker Jr.) "Across the street you was wilding" -- Nas (?? [1996])
Willy
1)
Penis. 2)
Someone with money or status in the neighbourhood, a player or bawler. wood
Erected penis. "Delivering the wood" stands for having sexual intercourse. word
1)
Biblical (John1:1). "logos": truth. 2) (interj) Exclamation or term of endearment.
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. The term originates from the financial markets where hirstorically traders woul tell each other "my word is bond", i.e. my word is good enough, you don't need it in writing. "Cause I'm frontin' in my ride, and my word is bond" -- LL Cool J (The boomin' system [1990]).
word up
(interj.) A question like "What's up?", or "What's the word?". 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.
X
xerox
(v) To copy, from the Rank-Xerox copying machine. "and still they try to xerox" -- Public Enemy (Don't believe the hype [1987]).
Y
y'all
Short for "you all". Also sometimes used for you", singular. yo
1)
You. 2)
Your. 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
A joint laced with crack. #
1 and 2
Turntables. "DJ behind the 1 and 2". 1-2 checker
1)
Checking the MIC. 2)
Checking the scene. 10
See Mac 10. "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
The big "urban format" station in Chicago, Illinois. 107.5 WGCI, home of the nationally-syndicated "Tom Joyner Morning Show," a focal point for activism and unity in the black community. 1200
1)
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)
SP-1200 sampler, a top of the line product. 1555
The year the first slaveships arrived in America. "Sayin' 1555 how I'm livin'" -- Public Enemy (Can't truss it [??]). 186
Police term for a murder or homicide. To be on the lookout for someone who is trying to kill you. 187
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
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
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 & Lewis
Streetcorner in Long Beach, California. "I hung a left at two-one and Lewis" -- Warren G. (Regulate [1994]). 21 Cerritos
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
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
A New York area code. 213
1)
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]). 2)
Also, 213 was the area code for Long Beach before it got 310, which now is the area code for a large portion of southern California, including Compton. Inglewood is 213 nowadays. 3)
213 was named after a car (not a motor vehicle but an alliance of inmates in a prison). See Ice-T's book "Who gives a Fuck?" for reference. There are other cars as well but most West coast and/or Death Row rappers claim to be affiliated with the 213 car (not to be confused with the set somebody claims) 22
22 caliber gun. "Twentytwo automatic on my person" -- Beastie Boys (Posse in Effect [1986]) 226
Police code for drugs. 24/7, 24/7/365
All the time, from 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. 25 with an L
25 years to life sentence. "25 with an izL" -- Snoop Doggy Dog (Murder was the case [1993]). 30
A firearm of .30 calibre. 310
The area code for Long Beach. 357
A .357 Magnum pistol. ".357 break it on down" -- LL Cool J. (.357 Break it on down [1987]). 36 chambers
1)
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)
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)
38 caliber pistol. 2)
"38 hot" means very angry. 380
A .380 calibre handgun. "Unpacked and I grabbed my three eighty cause where we stayin', niggaz look shady" -- Ice Cube (Summer Vacation [1991]). 4 pound
45 caliber (1 caliber = 1/100th inch) gun. 4-5-6
See celo. See the song "456" by Kool G Rap. 4-9-3-11
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]). 40
1)
A 40-ounce bottle of malt liquor. "Use to drink every day, straight 40's to the head" -- Ice-T. (Ed [1991]). 2)
A 40 caliber gun "With my 40 and my 40 to the fucking dome". 411
Information, from the US phone number for information. 4:20
The time to smoke some marijuana. 5 0
1)
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)
A 5.0 liter Ford Mustang, which is used as a police vehicle in some areas. 5 on it
Five dollars on a sac of marijuana. "I got five on it" -- The Luniz (I got five on it [1995]). 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-plated
(adj) Nickel plated.
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
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 [??]). 504
New Orleans area code. 5150
5150 is the section of the California Welfare and Institutions Code dealing with involuntary confinement of a mentally disordered person. (I.e. California law consists of 29 codes, of which the Welfare and Institutions Code is one, and 5150 is a section number in that code.) Also the name of an old Van Halen album. It is also a track on Da Luniz' album "Operation Stackola". 64
1)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Old English 800, a popular beer in the hood. 2)
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)
On to it. Ie: "on the 8-ball", up with the play. 4)
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)
The bassdrum from a Roland TR-808 drum machine, which is now a popular sample. 2)
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 to 5
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]). 9, 9mm
9 mm gun. "My nine is easy to load" -- L.L. Cool J. (Mama said knock you out [1990]) 911
The US phone number for emergencies. "Now I dialed 911 a long time ago" -- Public Enemy (911 is a joke). 917
New York City area code where all the cellular phones and pagers are on. 950
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]). 97.1
HOT 97, A CHR-turned-hip hop station in New York. 98 Oldsmobile
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]). 98.7
WRKS KISS FM, a NYC radio station that helped bring hip-hop to the radio.
