(v) Going to.

"I'm a do it like this"

A
A&R
(n) 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
(n) Atlanta
Ac
(n) The Acura Legend, a brand car. "With the Mac in the Ac door panelin'" -Notorious BIG (Unbelievable [1994]).
acid
(n) Synthetic drug, usually LSD. "I do acid, crack, smack and smokin' dope then" -Eminem (Just Don't Give A Fuck [1998])
afro
1) (n) Hairstyle like the Jackson Five had, much hair and round like a ball.
2) (n) Person with an afro. "Afro picks afro chicks, I let my soul glow from my afro
dick" -- Ludacris (Southern Hospitality [2000])
AK/AK-47
(n) 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
(n) Albee Square Mall in Brooklyn - Bizmarkie
Aliz
(n) French beverage made from passion fruit and cognac.
all that
(adj) in possession of all good qualities.
Alpine
(n) Make of car stereo from a Germany-based company (http://www.alpine.de/). From
the name of the manufacturers of the top in-car speaker systems. "Sit back and let
the Alpine blast" -- Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (Summertime [1991]).
am
(n) The morning, as in A.M. "Steppin' to the am" -- 3rd Bass (The cactus album
[1989]).
Amarredos
(n) Italian bit-size cookies that often come with meals. "eatin' better amarrettos" -Raekwon (Investigative Reports [??]).
around the way
(n) From the neighbourhood. "From around the way" -- Beastie Boys (No sleep till
Brooklyn [1986]).
axe
(v) Ask. "Gave her ten dollars, then she axed me for some more" -- Schoolly D.
ay yo trip
(interj) Phrase to seek attention, compare "Check this out".

B
b boy
(n) From "break boy"; one who breakdances. B-boys in the front, back, side and
middle, check out my b-boy rhyme and riddle" -- Schoolly D. (B-boy rhyme [??]).
B-Town
1) (n) Berkeley, California. "Howard came through from the B-Town" -- Too $hort (Just
Anotha Day [????])
2) (n) Boston, Massachusets. "(Boston) B-town forever bitch word is bond" -Kreators feat. Akrobatik, Big Shug, Ed O.G., Guru, Krumb Snatcha (Home [????])
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) (n) 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) (n) Someone who has established himself in the hood, who is making much
money (beit illegitimate or not), and who is good with the ladies; it is a Blood term.
The Crip version of this word is "highroller".
ballin'
(v) Having it all.
bama
1) (n) 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) (n) Shake, a type of marijuana from the leaves rather than the buds of the hemp
plant.
bang
(v) To fight to kill
banger
1) (n) someone associated with gangs and murder.
2) (n) Rocker, from headbanging.
bank
(n) Money. "That's cool cause I whipped out bank" -- Sir Mix-a-lot (I got game [??]).
Bankhead Hwy
(n) 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
(n) 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
(n) 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 WuTang's "Can It All Be...") is to the BMW 850i Coup.
bean
(n) Head or brain.
Bed Stuy
(n) 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) (n) And argument or discrepancy with another individual or group of individuals.
The following citation is from the book Juba to Jive: the dictionary of AfricanAmerican 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) (n) 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
(n) A prostitute. "She was more than just a bend" -- Grand Puba
Benjamin
(n) Money. From the one hundred dollar bill, which has Benjamin Franklin on the
front. "It's all about the Benjamins" -- Puff Daddy (It's All About The Benjamins [????])
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) (n) 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) (n) A pull out radio. "Here come the cops... put the Benzi-box under the seat" -Naughty by Nature (Strike a nerve [1991]).
2) (n) A box full of Mercedes Benz emblems that were stolen off the cars.
berry

(n) 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) (n) Baby gangster, as opposed to OG. An OG has shot somebody, a BG has not
shot anyone yet. "I quit school cuz of recess, you fuckin BG" -- Snoop Doggy Dogg
(Pump Pump [1993]).
2) (n) Black gangster.
bill
(n) A one hundred dollar banknote.
bima
(n) See beamer. "Lex, coupe, bimaz, benz" -- Lost Boyz (??? [1996]).
bird
(n) Kilo. "A bird in the hand" -- Ice Cube (A bird in the hand [1991]).
biscuit
1) (n) Gun.
2) (n) Behinds. "Gals, if you see a man you like, just grab him in the biscuits... and
doowutchalike" -- Digital Underground (Doowutchalike [????]).
bitch
1) (n) 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) (n) A girl. "My seven bizzos" -- 2 Live crew (My seven bizzos [1989]).
2) (n) Someone who is bizarre.
black book
1) (n) A small book carried by graffiti artists for others to do work in.
2) (n) A book to carry phone numbers in.
3) (n) The Bible.
Black Panther movement
(n) This movement was founded in Oakland, California by Huey P. Newton, H.R.
Brown and Bobby Seale. Fought for the rights of black to bear arms like white people
in the late 1960's and the early 1970's.
blades
(n) 20 inch chrome car wheel rims. "Big pimpin' on B.L.A.D.'s" -- Jay Z. (Big pimpin').
blast
1) (v) To smoke crack.
2) (v) To play music loud.
blend
(n) See marijuana.
blindside
(n) To attack someone unseen. "It can't be stopped, and it's comin like a blindside" -Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. (Once Upon a Drive By [????])
bling bling

(n) Jewelry, derived from the sound it makes.

blitzed
(n) Drunk. "And I wanna get blitzed, grab my 40 and then I reminisce" - Ice Cube
(Dead Homiez [199?])
blood
1) (n) Blood brother. "I give my ankles in the mud for my blood" -- Goodie Mob (Blood
[????])
2) (n) Member of the Bloods gang. "Cuz, and that's just how these hoodstas roll,
talkin' 'bout "Is he a Blood or is he Crip?" -- Jayo Felony feat. Baby Skar (Trued Up
Remix (Real Anthem) [????])
blunt
(n) 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
(n) See beamer. "Drop top BM's, I'm the man, girlfriend" -- Notorious BIG (Big Poppa
[??]).
BMX
(n) 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
(n) Marijuana laced with embalming fluid.
bolos
(n) 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) (n) 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) (n) Penis. "You can act like a doggy, and play with my bone" -- Schoolly D.
(Another poem [??]). 3) (n) One dollar.
3) (n) 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) (n) A joint. "Smokin' bones in the staircase" -- Wu-Tang Clan (C.R.E.A.M. [1993]).
bones
1) (n) Dominos.
2) (n) Dice, as in "rollin' them bones".
boneyard
1) (n) Graveyard.
2) (n) Domino pile to draw from.
bong
(n) A waterpipe for smoking marijuana. The marijuana is filtered through the water.
When you suck it decreases the pressure in the chamber so the smoke get pulled

through the water so it looks like it boiling. This process filters out some of the bad
stuff like tar. It also cools the smoke to make it less harsh.
boo
(n) A term of endearment, like baby. "I'll be in here, boo" -- Method Man (You're all I
need [1994]).
boo boo head
(n) Whore, deceitful woman. Used mostly around the Bay Area, especially East Bay
(check the whole song dedicated to this word by Del on his No Need For Alarm
album).
boo-yaa
1) (n) Totally dope, incredibly fine. Probably orignated from the "Boo-yaa Tribe". That
shit was straight-up boo-yaa" -- ??.
2) (n) Impression of the sound of a shotgun, also "boo-yaaka". "Shotgun goes booya" -- Cypress Hill (Hand on the pump [1993]).
3) (n) Marijuana, probably derived from Buddha. 4) (n) Crack, probably related from
the fact that smoking crack is sort of equivalent to putting a shotgun to your head and
pulling the trigger.
booster
(n) A shoplifter.
booty
1) (adj) Not good, lacking. "And them rhymes you were kickin were quite bootylicious"
-- Snoop Doggy Dogg (Dre Day [??]).
2) (n) Bottom, ass. Or getting a piece of ass.
3) (n) Biblical, as in pirates booty or treasure. Since booty is stolen treasure, it could
be good or bad. Often used in the negative today.
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) (n) Form of music from New Orleans. Check Mystikal's album for a song called
"Neva gonna bounce".
3) (n) A reference to the Bankhead Bounce, a dance made famous in Atlanta rap
music.
bout it
(n) Real, not fake, true to the game. "I'm bout it, bout it" -- Master P (Bout it, bout it
[1995]).
box
(n) Video Music Box, a NYC hip-hop video music show.
boy
1) (n) Friend, possibly short for homeboy. "That's my boy".
2) (n) 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
(n) Police. "As I ran there were the boys in blue, pointing their guns at my four man
crew" -- Boogie Down Productions (Love's gonna getcha [1990]).
bozack, 'zack
(n) Scrotum. "And women go nuts just like my bozack" -- Ludacris (Game Got
Switched [????])
Brass Monkey

(n) 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) (n) 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
(n) Derogative term for fat ugly women from Bremerton, WA, a working-class town
with a Naval Base. The joke is that these women hang around and "chasin' fellas in
the Navy".
brick
1) (adj) Very cold.
2) (v) To punch.
3) (n) A quantity of cocaine.
broady
(v) To take or steal something.
broccoli
(n) See marijuana. "With a handful of broccoli" -- Spice 1 (??? [??]).
Bronx
(n) 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
(n) New York City borough. "No sleep till Brooklyn!" -- Beastie Boys (No sleep till
Brooklyn [1987]). Home of Fugees and DAS EFX.
brother
1) (n) Man of the same group; friend. In the Bible you will read "brethern", which is
used in the same meaning.
2) (n) African-American male.
bucket
(n) Old car in bad shape. "So I moved on an old car, it was a bucket, but fuck it, it had
to do" -- Ice-T. (Midnight [1991]).
Bucktown
(n) 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
(n) 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) (n) At the start of De La soul's "Buddy" video, Prince Paul makes a statement to
the effect that "Buddy means body."
2) (n) Sexual partner. A bit more than a friend.
3) (adj) Something that appears okay at first, but is actually a cheap imitation; a
knockoff, ripoff or fake. Said to be from "Buddies" which are shoes that look cool but
fall apart real quickly. "Get that buddy shit out of here" -- (???).
bug
(v) To act strange, crazy, weird. See ill. "You don't have to take us seriously, we're
only buggin'" -- Whistle (Only buggin' [1984]).
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) (n) 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) (n) A load of bunk: a lot of nonsense.
burner
1) (n) A large piece of graffiti involving many colors, making it bright and colorful. It
usually refers to whole-car productions on subways.
2) (n) 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) (n) Fake person, weak individual. "Busta ass nigga talkin' bullshit" -- Dr. Dre (Rata-tat-tat [1992]).
2) (n) A snitch, a person who tattle-tales.
butt
1) (n) Bottom.
2) (adj) Not good, lacking. "Get yourself some toilet paper 'cause your lyrics is butt" -Tribe Called Quest (Low End Theory).
butter
(adj) Well liked, smoothed out. "Phife Dog is on the mic and I'm smooth like butter. It's
like butter, not no Parkay, not no margerine, strictly butter, baby" -- A Tribe Called
Quest (Butter [??]).
buyaka
(n) Jamaican, resembles the sound of gunshots. See boo-yaa. "Revenge revenge,
that's what I said. Buyaka!" -- Infinite Mass (Area Turns Red [????])

C-Town
(n) Cleveland, Ohio.
C.B.
1) (n) See cock block.
2) (n) Cell block.
3) (n) Trucker radio.
C.R.E.A.M.
(n) Money. Acronym for Cash Rules Everything Around Me. From the Wu-Tang Clan
(36 chambers [1993]).
Calliope
(n) Project in the New Orleans UPT (uptown New Orleans).
cap
1) (n) Bullet. "I'm a pop a cap in him" -- Jules in the movie "Pulp Fiction"
2) (n) Cranium, top of the skull. "Blood's on my gear, from caps I've peeled" -- Ice-T.
(Mic contract [1991]).
3) (n) Crack.
Casper
(interj) "I'm Casper", I'm out of here, I'm ghost. From the Casper the ghost cartoon.
cat
1) (n) Vagina. "Sprung on the Cat" -- Sir Mixalot (Sprung on the cat [1992]). 2) (n)
Person. Used in the 70s. "You cant take the jungle out of the cat" -- Jeru Tha Damaja
(Frustrated Nigger [1995]).
2) (adv) When someone is being a pussy about something. "Why don't you ask the
girl out and stop being so cat?"
catch the vapors
(v) To be caught up someone else's popularity, hype or glamour and to want the
same things this person has.
cateye
1) (v) To stare at a woman/man with sexual intentions.
2) (n) A stud with many women.
cave bitch
(n) Female version of "cave boy". Ice Cube (Cave bitch [1993]).
cave boy
(n) A white person. Derived from the theory that early white man lived in caves.
Celo
(n) 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
(n) You. "I'm comin' to getcha" -- Ice Cube (I'm gonna wetcha [1993])
cheeba
1) (n) See marijuana. Company inscriptions on pharmaceutical drugs read "ciba",
pronounced "cheeba".
2) (n) Black, sticky, gooey Brazilian marijuana often sold in pounds. "Some call it
cheeba, some call it weed" -- Schoolly D. (Saturday night [??]).
cheese
(n) money; material wealth. "Big pimpin' spendin' cheese" -- Jay Z (Big Pimpin')
chickenhead

1) (n) Any dumb person (usually refers to women unfortunately) who clucks (speaks)
alot, and walks around aimlessly or without purpose (like a chicken with its head cut
off). "Give me all the chickenheads from Pasadena to Medina, let B.I.G. get in
between ya" - Total featuring the B.I.G. (Can't you see [1995]).
2) (n) 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) (n) 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) (n) Relax. "Why don't you just chill" -- L.L. Cool J. (Eat em up L chill [1990]).
2) (adj) Mellow.
Chilltown
(n) Jersey City, Double XX Posse.
chips
(n) Money. -- Lil Bow Wow (Bounce with me [2000]).
ChiTown
(n) Chicago.
Chocolate City, Capital City
(n) Washington D.C.
chrome
1) (n) Gun. "Now I gotta follow him home with the chrome" -- Ice Cube (Robbin' hood
[1994]).
2) (n) Chrome wheel. "Sittin' on da chrome" -- Masta Ace Inc. [1995].
chronic
(n) See marijuana. Incredibly potent marijuana, it started out as weed laced with
coke. "The Chronic" -- Dr. Dre (The Chronic [1992]).
chronic flakes
(n) Ashes from a marijuana cigarette. "What up Ren? Still droppin' chronic flakes on
yo ass, bitch" -- Snoop Doggy Dog (The Chronic [1992]).
chubby
(n) Erection.
chulo
(n) The word in Spanish directly translates to "pimp". In Spain the word means "cool".
It is synonymous with bad ass" or "bad guy". Vatos, chulos, call us what you will" -Kid Frost (La Raza [1990]).
cipher
1) (n) A circle of brothers dropping science, showing and proving. A 5%-er term.
2) (n) A graffitti writer.
claim
1) (v) To say one allies oneself with a gang or set.
2) (v) To claim membership in a gang.
3) (v) To say something that is not necessarily true.
Clarks
(n) Clarks are an excellent English shoe brand.
clip
(n) 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
(n) 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)
(n) Crack user.
cock
1) (n) Penis.
2) (n) Vagina. "She was giving up the cock" -- Ice Cube (Gangsta's Fairytale [1991])
3) (v) To pull the hammer of a gun. "Cock the hammer, it's time for action" -- Cypress
Hill (Cock the hammer [1993])
cock block
(v) To prevent someone from getting sexual intercourse. See the Kool G Rap song
"Operation CB".
cock diesel
(adj) Very muscular.
coconut
(n) A hispanic person trying to be white. Compare with oreo.
cold
1) (adj) Intensely. "Stone cold rhymin'" -- Young MC (Stone cold rhymin').
2) (adj) Mean, not nice.
come correct
(v) To represent the real, to do something the way it should be done. "When I'm on
the mic, I come correct" -- Beastie Boys (Sure shot [1994])
Compton
(n) Los Angeles borough. This is from where the gangsta style was brought to a
greater height.
consignment
(n) Credit; you pay for what you sell and return the remainder. "Let me buy a brick
and get the other on consignment" -- 50 Cent (Bodegas [????])
coochie
(n) Vagina.
cool
(adj) Okay as in "good" or "good idea".
coqui 900
1) (n) A type of malt liquor. "Coqui 900" -- Schoolly D. (Coqui 900 [??]).
2) (n) A kind of frog native to Puerto Rico.
county blues
(n) Prison-issue clothes.
CPT
1) (n) Compton in the phonebook. Call it CPT for ease of use. "Claimin' they are from
the CPT" -- N.W.A. (Compton's in the house [1990])

2) (n) Short for "Colored People Time"; being late.

3) (n) Phonebook abbreviation for Compton.
4) (n) Colored People's Time.
crab
(n) Derogatory name for a member of the Crips, an L.A. gang, used by members of
the Bloods, another L.A. gang. On the album "Damu ridas" there is a song called
"Fucc Crabz".
crack
(n) Synthetic drug, extremely addictive.
crack a brew
(v) Open a beer. "Crack another 40, smoke some kill" -- Schoolly D. (Smoke some
kill)
cracker
(n) Originally a term from Reconstruction time (1870) to mean southern men. Now it
means white bigot, from whip-cracker or slavedriver. "Got a little problem with the
redneck cracker" -- Ice Cube (The Predator).
crazy
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
(n) 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
(n) Los Angeles street. Know for it's sunday nights, where people go to floss phat
cars, get their mack on, chill, etc.
crew
(n) Group, band.
crib
(n) Home. "Black Ceasar at the crib" -- Public Enemy (Burn Hollywood Burn [1990])
crip
(n) Member of the Crips gang.
crissy
(n) Short for Cristal champagne, an expensive kind of champagne produced in
France by the winery Champagne Louis Roederer since 1876. A handful of New York
rappers, including Biggie Smalls, Puff Daddy and Jay-Z have referenced the drink in
their songs, skyrocketing the prices paid for the brand. $500 per bottle is not an
uncommon price; mentioning the brand announces that you're living the highest of
the high life. "We drunk, drinkin' that chrissy!" -- Big Tymerz (#1 Stunner [????])
Cronkite
(n) News, after the newsreader Walter Cronkite. "Grand Puba and Studd Doogie
droppin' Cronkite" -- Grand Puba (A little of this).
Crooklyn
(n) See Brooklyn.
cross fader
(n) Fading switch to select the left or right turntable. Without it, scratching wouldn't
sound too good.
cruise

(v) Driving around, preferably showing off your car.

crump
(adj) Hype, phat.
crunk
1) (adj) Hype, phat. "Tonight is going to be crunk" -- ??.
2) (adv) To get crunk: to have a good time. "Long as everybody get crunk in the drop"
-- Lil Bow Wow (Bounce with me [2000]).
cut
1) (n) A record, the latest hit
2) (n) A recently received haircut.
3) (v) Cutting wax: scratching a record. "Rip the cut!" -- Just Ice (Back to the old
school) [198?]
4) (n) Behind, or out of the way. "I glance in the cut and I see my homey Nate" -Warren G (Regulate [1994]).
cut up
(n) Vagina. "I gots to get me some cut up!" -- Kriss Kross (??? [??]).
cuz
1) (n) homeboy or homegirl.
2) (n) Cousin, apparently a Crip term.
[cold] hoopin' it
(v) Playing a game of basketball.
D's, Dayton's
(n) 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
(n) Detroit, with its own sound, D-Funk.
D.O.A.
(n) Police term: "dead on arrival".
D.R.
(n) Acronym for "death row". "For you's a fool D.R." -- Dr Dre (Still D-R-E [1999])
dank
(n) See marijuana. "Go on and hit the dank" -- Too Short.
dap
1) (n) Sort of high-five type of handshake. "Gimme a dap, I'll give you one back" -- Ice
T. (Ziplock [1991])
2) (n) Dignity and Pride, old slang (think 70's here).
dead presidents
(n) Money. Most American dollarbills have a former president of the United States on
them. "I'm out for dead presidents to represent me" -- NAS (The world is yours
[1994]).
deal with
(v) To take care of business.
deep
1) (n) A unit of measure. "It was a crew four deep" -- D-Nice (??).
2) (n) A hip hop clothing manufacturer (X-Large).
3) (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) (n) A great record.
2) (n) One of the first big labels for rap artists, founded by Rick Rubin, led by Russels
Simmons.
delf
(n) "Delf" was quoted for the first time by Parrish Smith when EPMD's last album was
released in 1992. It was in a Source interview and it's about the same as "self" like
going for delf (self). "Release yo delf" -- Da Method Man (Release yo delf [1994]).
deuce
1) (n) A "deuce deuce" is a .22 caliber handgun. "About to get loose with the deuce
deuce" -- Ice Cube (Gangsta fairytale II [1993]).
2) (n) 20 ounce of liquor.
devil
(n) an enemy, usually white people. "The devil made me do it" -- Paris (the devil
made me do it) [??].
dick
(n) penis. "Mister Big Dick, who do you think you are?" -- Schoolly D. (Mr. Big Dick).
dig
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
(n) Pistol. "Made a move for my Dillon; and all I remember the Gangsta Lean was
killin'" -- ?? (??? [??]).
dime
1) (n) Ten dolar bag of marijuana. Due to price variations the price may actually be
higher for the same bag.
2) (n) "To drop a dime", to fink. The term has probably descended from the time when
phone calls were 10 cents, and is related to the notion of moving gossip quickly, as
one would drop a dime into the phone to make a call.
3) (n) Ten as in a rating on a woman's beauty. "Slaying dime honeys".
dip
1) (v) Dipping is what a car with a hydraulic suspension does. "Set trippin', fo' dippin'"
-- Ice Cube (Friday [1995]).
2) (v) To pay more attention to other people's business than to one's own.
3) (v) To leave, "Yo, let's dip to the mall".

4) (adj) Dressed in the latest fashion, "looking fresh dipped".

dis
(v) Insult or thwart in a social manner, short for disrespect. "Challenge BDP, you'll get
dissed, expect it" -- Boogie Down Productions (Part time sucker [1988]).
DJ
(n) Disc Jockey, means MC in Jamaica. "My DJ Derek B is best" -- Derek B. (Get
down [??]).
DL
(n) See down low.
do
1) (n) Hairdo.
2) (v) Having sex.
3) (v) Killing someone.
dog
1) (v) To tear something up like a dog would do.
2) (v) To insult someone in front of his friends.
3) (v) To have sex the doggy way. "You don't love me, you just love my doggy style" -Snoop Doggy Dog (What's My Name [??]).
4) (n) a form of addressing, not meant to be offensive. "This one here's on tha up,
dog" -- Juvenile feat. Hot Boys (A Million and One Things [????])
5) (n) 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
(n) Like delf/self, dolo/solo. I go for dolo -- ??? (?? [??]).
dome
(n) A person's big head, skull, gun against your head.
dope
1) (n) Narcotics.
2) (adj) Great, addictive.
dopeman
(n) Seller of narcotics. "If you see somebody getting pussy for crack, he's the
dopeman, dopeman" -- N.W.A. (Tha Dopeman [1988])
Double 99
(n) The street East 99th and St. Clair in Cleveland. Home of the group Bone Thugs'n
Harmony.
double deuce juice
1) (n) 22 oz of cold 45 ml beer.
2) (n) Colt 45 (the Billy D. juice).
dough
(n) Money. "Don't you know when the dough get low, the juice go" -- Mobb Deep
(Survival of the fittest [??]).
down low

(n) Covert, secret, "hush hush", derived from low profile".

down with
(adv) To be down with: to be sympathetic to something, or to be friends with
someone.
DPG
(n) Dogg pound gangsta.
drawers
(n) 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
(n) A gang form of execution; armed with guns they drive by their victims, take a shot
at them, and drive off. "With your drive-by's it took time to getcha, but now I'm gonna
wetcha" -- Ice Cube (I'm gonna wetcha [1993])
drop
(n) Convertible car. "Long as everybody get crunk in the drop" -- Lil Bow Wow
(Bounce with me [2000]).
drop / throw bows
1) (v) Dance. In the "Southern Hospitality" video Ludacris is doing the dance where
he holds up his fists and looks like he's punching the sky, throwing up his elbows
(hence "'bows"). Also, when females are freak dancing, they might "drop it like it's
hot", and make their knees touch their elbows, which is why Ludacris talks about
women droppin 'bows. "If you's a pimp and you know you don't love them hoe's...
Drop bows on 'em." and "Catch them in the club throwing pretty ass bows" -Ludacris (Southern Hospitality [2000]).
2) (v) To fight using elbows.
drop science, drop knowledge
(v) To demonstrate wisdom or skill. "I'm droppin' science" -- 7a3 (Coolin' in Cali)
[1988]
Dropping a Dime
(v) Informing.
DSL
(n) Dick sucking lips; oral sex.
dubs
(n) 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
(n) Money, from "ducats": coins. He's gettin' juiced for his duckets" -- N.W.A. (I ain't
the one [1988]).
dukey rope
(n) Fat gold chain.
dumm
(v) To act stupid, from the english "dumb". "Ya dummin'" -- Funkdoobiest (You're
dummin').
dun
1) (n) 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
(n) 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 (???).
dyke
(n) Derogatory term for lesbian. "Dumb ass hooker ain't nuttin' but a dyke" -- N.W.A.
(Gangsta Gangsta [1989])
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ#
E.I.
(interj) Short for "yes, bring it on". St. Louis term used frequently by rapper Nelly.
E.Z. Wides
(n) Extra wide rolling paper for marijuana cigarettes. "Don't hide the crop cause I got
the E.Z. Wides"
East Boogie
(n) A predominately Black city called East St. Louis. Home of Miles Davis.
East Saint
(n) See East Boogie.
El
(n) Short for El Producto cigars. "I contact eleven El's and macs in heaven" -- Nas
(One time 4 your mind [1994]).
elbow
(n) A pound of marijuana.
Elijah Muhammad
(n) Elijah Poole, a Georgia-born ex-factory worker who founded the black muslim
movement Nation of Islam in Detroit in 1930, also known as Honorable Elijah
Muhammad. "Read the book how to eat to live, from Elijah Muhammad, it's a brown
paperback" -- Boogie Down Productions (Beef [1990])
Elm City, The L
(n) New haven, Connecticut.
ends
(n) Money, derived from making ends.
ese
(n) 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".
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ#
fade
1) (n) The hairdo (see high top fade).
2) (v) Means to not listen to, erase, or get rid of (kill). Has mutated into various other
meanings as well as has most other hiphop lingo. It (the phrase) started from actually
pulling down the fader on a mixer, which of course, results in not listening to
whomever was on at the time. So Ice Cube wants you to listen to him always and not
fade him or turn him off... "You can't fade me" -- Ice Cube (You can't fade me).

3) (n) Term from from the dice-game craps, related to losing. 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
(n) Derogatory term for 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
(n) 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
(n) 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 E40 tapes, probably Bay Area in origin.
3) (adj) Going federal: rising up in the game.
Felt Forum
(n) 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
(n) Figure.
Fillmore
(n) San Francisco district.
finger on the trigger
1) (n) Someone with the ~: someone prepared to shoot if necessary. "I got my hand
in my pocket and my finger's on the trigger" -- Beastie Boys (Posse in effect [1986]).
2) (n) In a state of readiness, prepared.
3) (n) In a position of power or authority.
fix
(n) Heroin.
flaking
(v) As in "being a flake", being untrustworthy. "Yo man there's a lot of brothers out
there flaking and perpetrating but scared to kick reality" -- N.W.A. (Express Yourself
[????])
flamboasting
(v) To show off in a manner of actually flashing material items in the faces of other
individuals.
Flatlands, The Flats
(n) Fairfield, CA (neighboring E-40's home city of Vallejo) "In the flatlands it ain't
never too late" -- E-40 (Seasoned [1999]).
flava

1) (n) Flavour
2) (n) Flavor Flav, Chuck D's right hand man in Public Enemy.
Flavavision
(n) The glasses of PE's Flavor. "Don't worry, Flavavision ain't blurry" -- Public Enemy
(Don't believe the hype).
flay
(v) "Flay on the mix", serious old school mixing and scratching.
flex
1) (v) To show one's mettle, flexing one's muscles, showing one's arsenal and
readiness to put it to use, letting one's pugilistic prowess be known. To strike
someone, or to get up in someones face for intimidation. "I use my nine when suckas
start to flex" -- Ice Cube (Man's best friend [1991]).
2) (v) Scratching, from flexing of the wrist. Rakim used to talk about Eric B being on
the flex.
3) (v) To have sexual intercourse.
flick
(n) Movie. "Scare mothafuckas like Stephen King flicks" -- N.W.A. (Chin Check
[1999])
floss
1) (v) Move in and out of something. "Floss the NSX" -- DJ Quick (Dollars and
sense).
2) (v) To show off.
flow
1) (n) Money.
2) (v) To rhyme continuously in the same rhyme scheme without stopping.
fly
(adj) Attractive, beautiful. "Put on the Bally shoes and the fly green socks" -- Slick
Rick and Doug E. Fresh (Ladidadi).
Forty Deuce
(n) 42nd street, Manhattan, the Times Square area.
forty dog
(n) 40 ounce bottle of Olde English 800 malt liquor. "Forty dog, one love" -- Nas (One
love [1994]).
four
(n) See '64.
freak
1) (v) Dance in a provocative way.
2) (v) Have sex.
3) (n) Person who practices the above things; sexually aggressive female (never
missing a beat).
4) (v) To take out the filter paper from a Black & Mild pipe-tobacco cigar. "I'm going to
freak this Mild"
free world
(n) Free from incarceration; the world outside of prison. "I really miss my free world"
-- Convicts (??? [1991]).
freestyle
(v) Freestyling is when an MC flows with lyrics right of the top of his or her head. It is
inpromptu and spontaneous and only the most creative rhymers can do it well. It is
also a kind of competition between MC's because you have to be good to bust a
good freestyle. It helps to keep MCs on their toes too, because its is like practice.

"We gonna do a little freestyle for y'all, and it go like this" -- Schoolly D. (Cuttin' and
scratchin' [??]).
fresh
1) (adj) New
2) (adj) Very good.
Frisco
(n) 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
(n) A variety of fried chicken often cooked op in and around the area of Jackson
Mississippi. Also known as "Rico".
FUBU
(n) Hiphop clothing company founded in 1992. FUBU is an acronym for "For Us, By
Us", referring to the founders purpose: clothes designed by African-Americans for
African-Americans. Many items from the clothing line display the number "05", which
stands for the five childhood friends from Queens who founded the company. In an
interview with HarlemLive, Carl Brown and Keith Perrin of FUBU state: "There were
five of us all out of Queens, we grew up together as friends and remained friends.
With $5,000 seed money we were able to start our business." In 1999 FUBU reported
an annual turnover of about $350 million. "Under the FUBU is a guru" -- Common
(The 6th Sense [2000])
fuck
(n) (n,v) This is the most powerful word in the American English language. It can be
the very best or the very worst. You might enjoy getting your brains fucked out, but
then again you might not.
funk
1) (adj) Malodorous.
2) (n) The essence of being, as in faking the funk.
funky drummer
(n) Famous drumtrack by Clyde Stubblefield, James Brown's drummer. Often used in
hiphop.
furilla
(adj) Contraction of the phrase "for real"; something known to be true. "On the furilla,
my nigga, just call me Scarface" -- Geto Boys (Scarface [1989]).
G
1) (n) Anything that starts with a G. E.g. God, Gangsta, Girl, Guy. As in "Whatup, G?".
2) (v) To have sexual intercourse. E.g. Sir Mix-a-Lot's self titled EP has a song called
"Let's G".
3) (n) Money, from Grands or thousands, 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
(n) Gangsta funk. Examples: Snoop Doggy Dogg, Warren G & Nate Dog.
gaffle
(n) To harass. Especially being "gaffled" by the police.
gaffled

(adj) Past tense of "to gaffle". The state of being messed up; a misfortunate
condition.
game
1) (v) Wooing. "Cause I'm gamin' on a female that's gamin' on me" -- N.W.A. (I ain't
the one [1988]).
2) (v) In the game, whatever the game might be. A game is some way to make
money or advance oneself, or just a game.
3) (adv) To be game, do be down with.
gang
(n) Group of organised criminals. The main gangs in Northern California are (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) (n) A gangster or criminal.
2) (adj) In the way of a gangster.
3) (adj) A style of rap that evolved in South Central, Los Angeles.
gangsta lean
1) (n) The way a person drives where they lean over to the passenger seat and get
really low. "Digging the scene with a gangsta lean" -- N.W.A. (Gangsta, gangsta
[1988]).
2) (n) The heaven where gangsters end up, when a homie dies, you pour out a little
liquor or lean the bottle over to spill liquor. "This is for my homies kickin' it in the
Gangsta Lean" -- DRS (Gangsta Lean [1992]).
ganja
(n) See 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) (n) To show someone a sign of disrespect.
2) (n) 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) (n) Refers to any gun. It originates from Gattling, the name of the man who
invented the machine gun (the Gattling gun). 2)
2) (n) Hip-Hop Clothing Co.
3) (v) To shoot someone. "What now: gotta duck, they're gonna gatt me" -- Cypress
Hill (Lick A Shot [????])
gauge
(n) A shotgun. "Hopped in his caddy, loaded his 12 gauge" -- Schoolly D (Signifying
rapper [??]).
George Clinton
(n) 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
(n) Police helicopter. "Motherfuck you and your punk ass ghetto bird." -- Ice Cube
(Ghetto Bird [1993]).
ghetto sled
(n) car, usually American made, that generally sports a rusted body covered with
house paint. Synonym of hooptie.
ghost
(n) Out of here: "I'm ghost".
gift of gab
(n) The ability to talk anyone into anything.
Glock
(n) 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
(n) Material made into jackets and other clothing. Also made into high durability
boots. "Bow to the group in the boots" -- Sir Mix-a-lot (Gortex [1989]).
government cheese
(n) On welfare.
grass
(n) See marijuana. "But I smoke 'em like grass, just like Cheech and Chong" -- Dr.
Dre (Keep Their Heads Ringin' [1995])
grill
1) (n) "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) (n) Front of a car.
grip
1) (n) Ability on the microphone.
2) (n) Gun.
3) (n) Money. "I guess that's what I get, for trying to gank the little homies for their
grip" -- Dr. Dre (Lil' ghetto boy [??]).
GT
(n) Ford Mustang GT, also known as the "five-point-oh" for it's 5.0L V-8.
GTA
(n) Grand theft auto, legalese for stealing a car. "It's all about makin' that GTA" -Eazy-E (Boyz in the hood [1989]).
Guiness
(n) Irish brand of beer. "Damn, they wanna label me a menace cuz I'm sittin' here
sippin' on Guiness" -- 2Pac (Fuck The World [1995])

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ#
H-Town
(n) 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.
hash
(n) See marijuana. "They got hash took the stash left the rest for me" -- 2Pac (To Live
& Die In L.A. [1996])
hawk
1) (v) To look at something.
2) (v) To stare down someone.
3) (n) The wind, especially when it is blowing hard.
head
(n) Someone who earned respect.
hella
(adv) A hell of a lot. "I got hella scrilla" -- ??? (??? [??]).
Hennessey
(n) Brand of Cognac. "Take this Hennessey!" NAS -- (The Genesis [1994]).
herbalz
1) (n) Marijuana, comes from herbs. "Herbalz in my mouth" -- 3rd Bass (Herbalz in
my mouth [1991]).
2) (n) Semen (mentioned in an interview once by 3rd Bass).
high top fade
(n) Haircut high on the top, fading down to close cut on the sides "Livin' in fear of my
shade or my high top fade" -- Public Enemy (??? [??]).
high-five
(n) Greeting where you slap hands together in the air, as opposed to low-five, where
you slap hands at waist height.
highside
(v) To ignore or disrespect someone by not acknowledging their presence. "Bitches
get mad cause we highside" -- Big Mike (Smoke 'em and & choke 'em [??]).
hip-hop
(n) In Jamaican ska era, 60's, a DJ would spin and cut the wax and a MC would sing
or shout or dub poetry over it. That's the roots of hiphop which were brought to New
York City by Kool DJ Herc, but hip-hop or rap was created in New York City.
ho
1) (n) Hooker, prostitute, from 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
(n) Vagina.
hold the fort down
(v) To represent where you are from. "If so hold the fort down and represent to the
fullest" -- Nas (One Love [1994]).
hole
1) (n) Vagina.

2) (n) Gun chamber. "16 in the clip and one in the hole" -- Nate Dogg (Regulate [??]).
holler
(v) To shout.
holly
(n) See ho.
homeboy
(n) Close friend.
homegirl
(n) Female equivalent of homeboy. "Homegirls, see a guy you like? Just grab him in
the biscuits... and doowutchalike" -- Digital Underground (Doowutchalike [??]).
homeskillet
(n) A close relative or friend. "My homeskillet gets me the goods whenever I want"
-- ?? (?? [??]).
homey
(n) See homeboy. "But I wish he could have said it to my dead homey" -- Ice Cube
(Dead Homiez [1990]).
honey
(n) Female, generally attractive.
Honey Dip
(n) pretty young ladies with golden brown complexions.
hood
(n) The neighbourhood, usually a poor community.
hoodie
(n) T-shirt or sweatshirt with hood attached to it.
hoodlum
(n) A criminal; drugdealer, car thief, stick up kid. "Hoodlums and hustlers and bangers
with Jheri-curls" -- Ice T. (Lifestyles of the rich and infamous [1991])
hoodrat
(n) female, generally sexually promiscuous, and not upwardly mobile "Homies in the
hood labeled her as a hoodrat" -- Domino (Ghetto jam [1993])
hook
(n) A hook, used in load of songs, is an aspect of popular or commercial music that
"grabs" people and makes it easy to like like or remember the song. For example, the
riff from "Son of a Preacher Man" used in Cypress Hill's "Hits from the Bong" [1993] is
an example of a hook. "Check out the hook while I drop crazy rhymes" -- ??? (???).
hooptie
(n) Old car in bad shape.
hoota
(n) Blunt. "It's a hoota of the Buddah blessed"
hop on the side
(v) To get on the passenger side of a car.
hops
(n) Vertical jump, usually related to basketball. "He's got mad hops" -- ??? (??? [??]).
hottie
(n) A very attractive female. "This hottie got a body and I wanna get naughty" -- Sir
Mixalot (Sprung on the Cat [1992]).
housenigger
(n) Person who blindly follows simple-minded people, 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
(n) Hunter's Point, a San Francisco district.
Huey P. Newton
(n) Founder of the Black Panther movement along with H. R. Brown and Bobby
Seale. Mentioned in a few PE songs.
humming
(v) Coming at someone.
hydro
(n) 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) (n) Statements made about something before that thing comes out, especially wild
statements guessing about the things nature (whether positive or negative). For
example, record companies will often put many advertisements out before a record
comes out. Before Public Enemy's album came out there was much negative hype in
the media. "Yo Harry! You're a writer; are we that type? Don't believe the hype..." -Public Enemy (Don't believe the hype).
2) (adj) Cool. "Too damn hype" -- Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince (??? [1988]).
IBWC
(n) The Intelligent Black Womens Coalition, a group that Yo-Yo is a member of.
ice
1) (n) Diamonds or jewelry with diamonds in it. "Hands smothered in ice." -- Ice-T
(Bitches 2 [1991]).
2) (n) On ice - at the morgue.
3) (n) Ice or ice cream: drugs, or cocaine in particular.
ill
1) (v) To be obnoxious, or to act weird, as in eating dogfood. "You be illin'" -- RUNDMC (You be illin' [1986]).
2) (adj) Negative.
3) (adj) Positive. "Most illinest b-boys" -- Beastie Boys (Rhymin' and stealing [??]).
Illtown
(n) East-orange, NJ. Home of Naughty By Nature, Queen Latifah.
Impala
(n) Type of popular low-cost car made by Chevrolet in the seventies. The car is
popular with low riders, especially the 1964 model. '63, '62 and '65 models are also
sometimes used. Ice Cube's car in "Boyz 'n the hood" was an Impala. "Knew her
from the back of my homeys Impala" -- Ice Cube (You can't fade me [1990]).
in check
1) (n) 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
(n) 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

(n) 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
(n) Marijuana from Indonesia. "Indo smoke up in your lungs like that" -- Dr. Dre (Rattat-tat-tat [1992]).
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ#
jack
1) (v) To rob someone face to face. "Lets see who the fuck I'ma jack today" -- Ice
Cube (Robin hood [??]).
2) (n) Nothing, "I ain't got jack to give you".
jack roll
(v) To rob the helpless.
jacker
(n) Short for carjacker.
jailbait
(n) Anybody who is at least five years younger than you are. The word is from old taxi
drivers who date young high school girls and when high school guys go out with
junior high school students.
Jakes
(n) The police.
jam
1) (n) song, cut, track. "This is the dope Jam!" -- Public Enemy (Night the living
baseheads [1989]).
2) (n) The sweet stuff - like honey.
3) (n) Slam dunk in basketball.
4) (n) To lock up, like when a bullet gets caught up in the chamber of a gun the gun
jams.
James Brown
(n) One of the funkiest and most sampled men alive.
jammy
1) (n) Penis. "All the fly ladies are on my jammy" -- Beastie Boys (The new style
[1986]).
2) (n) Gun. "Pulled out the jammy aimed it at the sky" -- Beastie Boys (Paul Revere
[1986]).
janky
1) (adj) Bad, flawed (northern California)
2) (adj) Good, smooth (souther California). "Dub C, nigga, still janky as fuck!" -- W.C.
and the Maad Circle (Intro [1995]).
jawn
1) (n) Another word for joint, a marijuana cigarette. "Back in Philly, they call me da
jawn" -- Bahamadia (Total Wreck [??]).
2) (n) Any type of thing, as in "Yo, check this jawn out".
jenny
(n) Vagina.
jet
(v) To leave in a hurry.
Jheri-curls

(n) Wetlook, curly hairstyle. "Hoodlums and hustlers and bangers with Jheri-curls" -Ice T. (Lifestyles of the rich and infamous [1991])
jiggy
(n) To have a lot of money or riches. "DKNY, oh my I'm jiggy" -- Junior M.A.F.I.A.
(Player's Anthem [1995]).
jimbrowsky
(n) See Jimmy.
Jimmy
(n) Penis. "Never sleep alone because Jimmy is a magnet" -- Beastie Boys (3 Minute
rule [1989]).
Jimmy hat/cap
(n) Condom.
jock
1) (n) Crotch. Being on someone's jock means trying to get involved with someone
for his money or his status etc. The best definition can be found on Ice Cube's "Kill at
will" in the full version of the song "Get off my dick and tell yo bitch to come here".
2) (v) To sweat someone.
jone
(v) To taunt or to make fun, see snap.
Jones
(n) A craving for something. It is said to come from Jones Alley in Manhattan where
junkies used to live. E.g.: "Baseball Jones": needing baseball, "love Jones": a dire
craving for someone, "Jonesing for some MJ": wanting some marijuana. I got a love
Jones for your body and skin tone" -- Method Man & Mary J. Blidge (You are all I
need [1994]).
JPT
(n) Japanese People Time; being early or on time.
juice
1) (n) Having hydraulics.
2) (v) To squeeze the juice out of something. "You can't juice Ice Cube, girl" -- N.W.A.
(I ain't the one [1988]).
3) (n) "To have juice means you kiss and lick a lot of booty" -- KRS-One (Blackman in
effect [1990]).
4) (n) Respect, e.g. the movie "Juice".
5) (n) Alcohol, as in "being juiced up" or get juice for the party".
6) (n) Willpower.
Kakalaka
(n) North Carolina "New York, North Kakalaka and Compton." -- A Tribe Called Quest
(Scenario [??]).
kangol
(n) A brand of hat. LL Cool J used to wear this along with other east coast rappers. It
has a kangaroo on the side, but brothers wore them with the 'roo in front. "Went back
in, I forgot my Kangol" -- Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh (Ladidadi).
Kani
(n) Short for "Karl Kani," which is a clothes label popular in the hood.
KDAY
(n) Radio station that broadcasted from Crenshaw in South Central LA, and was
devoted to local underground Hip Hop. The musical director of KDAY was Greg
Mack, and he single handedly turned NWA from an unknown group to superstars. It

signed Dr. Dre and DJ Yella in 1983 to broadcast their own Mix Show, as the
Wreckin' Crew. "It (KDAY) was percieved as a Rap station cause we played rap no
one else would" (Greg Mack, as interviewed by Brian Cross in the book "It's not
about a salarie"). KDAY was sold in 1990, and was turned into a business network.
The defunct radio station symbolizes to a lot of rappers coming out of LA area the
shutting down of black voice in America. "This is K-Eazy E, wassup y'all this is Greg
Mack, Mack Attack" -- Eazy-E (Radio [1988]).
key
(n) Kilo, often used in conjuction with cocaine. "Dope, like a pound or a key" -- N.W.A.
(Tell 'em what your name is [1988]).
khakis
(n) Hip-hop clothing, brown/tan colored pants. "Wearin ghackis, mob while ya ryhme,
little fag tried to sag" -- Eazy-E (Real Motherphuckkin' G's [1993]).
kicks
(n) See sneakers.
kill
1) (n) See marijuana. "Crack another 40, smoke some kill" -- Schoolly D. (Smoke
some kill).
2) (n) To be dope on the microphone.
knocka
(n) 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
(n) Vagina.
'lac
(n) Short for Cadillac. "Macks drive 'lacs" -- Big Mello [1993].
L-train
1) (n) The late train. "I'm on the L train going insane" -- The Roots (Silent treatment).
2) (n) Elevated trains in Chicago or NYC.
LA
(n) Los Angeles. In particular the phrase "LA 1992" indicates the riots that broke out
after the Rodney King trial.
Laketown
(n) 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
(n) Oakland.
Land of the Heartless
(n) 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
(n) 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
(n) Female equivalent of The Fonz that appeared on Happy Days. "Now he's zipped
up like leather Tuscadero" -- Ice Cube (We had to tear this motherfucker up [1992]).
leg pull
(n) From: to pull someones leg, to make a joke. No leg pulls means no jokes; speak
the truth. "No leg pulls kid".
Lexus
(n) Japanese luxury car. "Drivin' a Lexus with a death wish" -- Nas (Watch them
niggas [1996]).
lime
1) (v) Hanging around with friends of family.
2) (n) A casual gathering of friends and family. "This lime has no juice", this gathering
is dull.
lina
(n) A line of cocaine. From the spanish "una lina" which translates to one line.
live
(adv) Great. "Is it live?" -- L.L. Cool J (Is it live? [??]).
llello
(n) Cocaine, crack; it is a Spanish word, and the double l's are pronounced as "y"'s.
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) (n) Term used for local person.
2) (n) Crazy one, from the Spanish "loco", often used for friends or locals in a positive
way. "Don't you know I'm loco?" -- Cypress (Insane in the brain [1993]) Hill (Insane in
the brain [1993])
3) (n) Lock or locks, as in Jheri-curls, but always pronounced with the long o as in
"go".
4) (v) To "go loc" means to get ready for a drive-by or to shoot someone. This means
putting on dark glasses, skullies, caps and generally getting hard to identify.
5) (n) To get high. "We was in the park gettin' loc-ed" -- ???
lock
(n) Short for dredlocks.
Long Beach
(n) City south of Compton. "Rollin' from the East Side south of Compton, see a big
ass, and I say 'word', took a look at the face, and the bitch was to the curb!" -- N.W.A.
(8 ball (remix) [1988])
Louies
(n) Louis Vuitton gear.
low low
(n) 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) (n) Long Play, a nine or ten song regular tape.
2) (n) A vinyl record.
lunch
(v) To act stupid or crazy.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ#
M3
(n) 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
(n) 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) (n) Pimp.
2) (v) Being a pimp. "Mackin' is a game and everybody's playing it" -- Ice Cube
(Who's the mack [1991])
3) (n) The Mack, an early 70's Blacksploitation film shot in Oakland, CA.
4) (n) Ladies Man "I love the ladies and they love me right back, now who's the
Mack" -- Ice T. (??? [??]).
5) (v) To steal.
6) (v) To have sex. "You know, I was all getting my macks on with her"
mad
(adj) Extremely, very, a large quantity. "His jeep was pumpin' mad bass" -- ??? (???).
madhatter
(n) Someone who sells drugs.
mag
1) (n) Short for magazine, as in clip or ammo insert.
2) (n) Short for Magnum.
mail
(n) Money. Mo' mail than the rest of the pushers -- E-40 (??? [??]).
making ends
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) (n) To make money. Think of the phrase "The ends justify the means". The ends
may be taken to mean money.
Malcolm [Malcolm X]
(n) Malcolm X, civil rights activist leader, gunned down at the age of 35 at the
Audubon Ballroom on the north edge of Harlem in New York in 1965 as he spoke to
hundreds of followers. He represented the largely urban North. Member of Nation of
Islam until 1964. Wrote many texts, interviews, notes and speeches from 1950-1963,
of which some can be considered racist. Renounced these points of view in his last
year.
marijuana

(n) Dried leaves and flowering tops of the pistillate hemp plant that yield THC
(tetrahydrocannabinol, the physiologically active chemical C21H30O2 that is the chief
intoxicant in marijuana) and 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) (n) A sucker, a target for gaffling and crime. "You mark-ass busta, you betta raise
up" -- Dr Dre (Dre [??].)
2) (n) Someone who is claiming a set (subset of a Crip or Blood gang) to which he
does not belong.
max
(v) To have great fun.
MC
(n) Probably Jamaican, in which case it comes from the TV game shows, Master of
Ceremonies (although the term existed before TV). 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) (n) Said to be an aphrodisiac. "Funky col' medina" -- Tone Loc (Funky cold medina
[1989])
2) (n) Nickname for Brooklyn.
3) (n) One of the three holy cities in Islam (n) One of the three holy cities in Islam
Medina
(n) Second most holy city of Islam; Nickname for Brooklyn.
megablast
(n) Large breath of crack. "Oh please, oh please, oh please, just gimme just one
more blast" -- Public Enemy (Megablast).
meth, method
(n) See marijuana.
MF
1) (n) Short for motherfucker.
2) (n) Short for Mark Ferhman; the police officer who tried to set up O.J. Simpson by
planting evidence on him.
MLK
(n) Martin Luther King, civil rights leader, shot april 4th, 1968. He represented the
largely rural South.
money
(n) See brother, nigga.
Moneyearnin' Mount Vernon
(n) 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
(n) Clothing label. "Moschino on my misstres" -- Notorious B.I.G. (??? [??]).
Mossberg

(n) Popular brand of twelge gauge shotgun, used by the police. "And I grabbed my 12
gauge Mossberg pump" -- Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (??? [??]).
motherfucker
1) (n) Respectless person with no attitude.
2) (n) Also used to express a form of respect for someone. "My motherfuckin' nigga
Afrika Islam" -- Ice-T (??? [??]).
move on
(v) To mess with. "You move on the Ice and you're going to sleep" -- Ice T (Ziplock).
MPC-60
(n) Akai MPC-60 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
(n) 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
(n) (1) Most Valuable Poet (on the mic), compare Most Valuable Player in team
sports. As used by Big L in the song "MVP".
nappy dugout
(n) Vagina. The dugout is the dug-in bench at the side of a baseball field where
players wait until they are up to play. Nappy comes from hair napping up, sort of the
way it it on the way to dreading. The nappy dugout would be the dugout (small
enclave a few steps off the main field) that has nappy hair (pubic hair). "Giving up the
nappy dugout" -- Ice Cube (Giving up the nappy dugout [??]).
nappy head
(n) A 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) (n) "Nathan's" is a brand of hot dog.
3) (n) Natural born pimp.
Neighbourhood Family
(n) South Central Blood set associated with Cypress Hill.
Newark
(n) 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
(n) Five, as in 1995. "Everybody get in where ya fit in for tha nine five, tha nine nickel"
-- Method Man with Capleton (Wings of the morning [??]).
nigga
(n) Curseword used originally by white people, taken over by black people as a name
to show their proudness, and take off the edge; positive: "my nigga": my friend. I don't
want to be called yo nigga" -- Public Enemy (Yo nigga [??]).
nina
1) (n) [neenyah] Spanish for girl of 5 years or less. Chica is a teenage girl.

2) (n) [neenah] 9mm. Mixture of correct Spanish pronounciation of the i and NYC or
Southern dialect ponounciation of the final -er as -ah of the word "niner". Cuz if I got
my nina then you know I'm straight trippin'" -- Dr. Dre (The Chronic [1992]).
nino
(n) Spanish term for godfather, as in Nino Brown.From the movie "The Godfather".
Also Nino Brown in New Jack City.
no diggety
(interj) No doubt, no question.
NOI
(n) Nation Of Islam. "Elijah is alive, Louis Farrakhan, NOI" -- Ice Cube (Enemy
[1993]).
Now Rule
(n) New Rochelle NY, a suburb of NYC, borders Mount Vernon. Origin of Grand Puba
and Brand Nubian.
nucker
1) (n) A stupid person. Possible a combination of Numb Skull/Fucker, or maybe
derived from knuckle head.
2) (n) Ones best friend. "You call your nigger 'nucker'" -- Digital Underground (if it
wasn't for the rapping [??]).
nutt
(n) Good sex. "Gimme that nutt" -- Eazy-E (It's on Dr. Dre 187 um killa [1993]).
nuttin'
(n) Nothing. "Nine times outta ten, she's givin' up nuttin'" -- N.W.A. (I ain't tha one
[1988])
Nyquil
(n) Cold medicine that basically puts you to sleep, so you won't stay up all night
coughing. "Knock ya out like Nyquil" -- Ice Cube(?)
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ#
O
(n) An ounce of marijuana.
O'Malley
(n) An Irish name, pointing to the traditionally strong represented Irish in the LAPD.
"Gonna put a slug in captain O'Malley" -- Cypress Hill (We ain't goin' out like that
[1993]).
O-1-2
(n) The O stands for Oakland, the 1-2 for a left-right combination punch. "Up in
Oakland you might get the O-1-2" -- Father Dom (??? [??]).
O-Town
(n) Orlando.
O.E.
(n) Short for Old English, a kind of malt liquor. "Coolin' on the corner with a bottle of
O.E." -- Beastie Boys (Time to get ill [1986]).
O.G.
1) (n) Original gangster, which you become when you 'advertise' a gang. People
should talk about you and link your name with the things you done in the past. This
includes killings, driveby shootings, spending time in jail, and living up to your name.
"O.G. Original Gangster" -- Ice T. (Original Gangster [1991]).
2) (adj) True; original.
3) (n) Someone who is true to the game, who never sold out.

O.J.
1) (n) Reference to a big car: erstwhile football star and all-around adman O.J.
Simpson does Hertz commercials featuring Ford and Lincoln Mercury cars. Used on
Sugarhill Gang's Rapper's Delight.
2) (n) To pull an O.J. on someone: to set someone up, to plant evidence.
O.P.P.
1) (n) Other people's pussy.
2) (n) Other people's penis.
3) (n) Other people's property.
Oaktown, the big O, the O
(n) 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
(n) (interj.) Farewell bidding, like "peace".
one-time
(n) 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
(n) An uzi semi-automatic gun.
oreo
(n) Black person who wants to be white, or people of mixed race. An oreo is a type of
cookie black on the outside with white cream filling inside. "A message to the oreo
cookie" -- Ice Cube (Turn off the radio [1990]).
Osdorp
(n) 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
(n) A higher degree of consciousness satisfaction; beyond the average. "Grip it on
that other level" -- Geto Boys (On that other level [1992]).
ox piece
(n) Home-made type of gun that people make in the prisons. "I heared you blew a
nigga with an ox for the phone piece" -- Nas (One love)
P
1) (n) Partner, friend.
2) (n) Pussy. "The P is free" -- BDP (The P is free) 3) (n) Posse.
P-Dog
(n) Paris. "P-Dog comin' up, I'm staying low" -- Paris (The devil made me do it).
P-funk
(n) Music of the George Clinton time period. Parliament Funkadelic was a group in
that era and it included such artists as George Clinton and Bootsy Collins.
P-Town
(n) Paterson.
P.E.
(n) Public Enemy.

P.O.D.
1) (n) Paid on delivery.
2) (n) Passed over-dosed; a deceased person due to an drug over-dose.
P.S.K.
(n) Park Side Killers, Philadelphia gang of which Schoolly D. used to be a member.
"P.S.K., we're makin' that green" -- Schoolly D. (P.S.K. (what does it mean?)).
PA, PAT
(n) Port Arthur, Texas. Referred to throughout UGK and Point Blank albums.
pad
(n) House, home, place where you live. "It's like that and its like this I took her to the
pad and we started to kiss..." -- Eazy-E (Gimme that nutt [??]).
paddle
(n) Gun. "Say why ya creep without a muthaphuckin paddle" -- Lady or Rage (Lyrical
Gangbang [1992]).
pancake
(v) Hydraulics maneuver where a car goes from all wheels high to all wheels low.
"Pancake, front-to-back, side-to-side, and all that shit" -- Dr. Dre (Let me ride [1992]).
papes/papers
(n) Money. "...and we're getting papers, three months later we run our own caper" -Boogie Down Productions (Love's gonna getcha [1990]).
parlaying
(v) West coast slang for partying or having a good time. Comes from the French word
"parler", which means talking.
Pat Duke
1) (n) Patty Duke, an old sitcom television show. "On the stoop doing the Pat Duke" -Ol' Dirty Bastard (Don't you know [1994]).
2) (n) A popular dance style from the late 80's.
peace
1) (n) That's what rap is all about for all you mentally challenged.
2) (interj) Farewell bidding.
peckerwood
(n) Derogatory term for a white person.
peeling
(n) What comes off when peeling a cap. "The bigger the cap, the bigger the peelin'" -Ice Cube (Steady mobbin' [1991]) Note that Cube is paraphrasing a Parliament line,
where GC says "The bigger the headache, the bigger the pill", but the way he says it,
"pill" comes out sounding like peel".
peeling caps
(v) Killing someone by shooting him, shots to the head often disfigure it in such a way
that the cranium is "peeled back". "One wrong move and your cap's peeled" -- Ice T.
(O.G. original gangster).
peep
(v) Check this out (as in peep this).
peeps
(n) People. "To all my peeps who didn't make it" -- Nas (The world is yours [1994]).
pen
(n) Penitentiary, jail. "To all of my peoples in the pens, keep ya head up" -- Lost Boyz
(Lex Coupes, Beamaz and Benz's [??]).
Penelope
(n) Police -- E-40 (???).

pep
(v) To beat someone up. "I'm ready to pep ya".
phat
1) (adj) 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
(n) A person who has a lot of money
Philly
(n) Philadelphia. Home of Schoolly D., Da Youngstas, The Fresh Prince, Tuff Crew,
The Roots, DJ Ghetto, Bahamadia.
pie
(n) Vagina.
piece
1) (n) A firearm.
2) (n) A work of graffiti art (short for masterpiece).
3) (n) Sexual intercourse. "I'm gonna go get me a piece."
pig
(n) Police officer. "pig" as a synonym for policeman" has been around for about two
hundred years (according to "Partridge's Concise Dictionary of Slang and
Unconventional English"). It did, however, disappear in the late nineteenth century
(or, as the dictionary says "go underground" though I'm not sure what they mean by
that) and reappear in common usage around 1960. I know that during Prohibition
speakeasies who had bribed the local police to not bother them were called "blind
pigs" (The Blind Pig bar here in Ann Arbor actually used to be such a place). I
suspect that the term has been used to mean any kind of unpleasant person since
humans started domesticating the things....
pimp
1) (n) Boss of prostitutes.
2) (v) To be a ladies man.
PJ's
(n) The Projects.
plats
(n) Dreadlocks.
play
1) (v) To go along with. "I don't think so. Homey don't play that" -- Homey the Clown
in "In Living Colour".
2) (v) To fool. "You can't buy no relationship. You played yourself." -- Ice-T (You
played yourself [??]).
3) (n) Action.
play ball
(v) To play basketball. "Got a pair that I wear when I'm playin' ball" -- RUN-DMC (My
Adidas).
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

(n) Old.
player
1) (n) Someone who is "true to the game", ie. someone who never sold out. "To
Chuck, Flava and Griff... You're true players" -- Ice-T (M.V.P.'s).
2) (n) A kind of playboy, so a player is good at picking up honeys.
3) (n) "Players" is a black-oriented adult men's magazine.
player hater
(n) One who despises or speaks ill of another because he does not have any game
of his own. "Grab a player hater by the neck, choke him out and try to break it" -Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (2 Glocks [????])
player's ball
(n) A party for players. "When the player's ball is happenin, all day every day" -OutKast (Player's Ball [????])
PO
1) (n) 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
(n) 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
(n) 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"
popping collars
(v) To really show off and signify their importance to others, people pop the collar of
their shirt. "Around here we pop them collars" -- Lil Bow Wow (Bounce with me
[2000])
posse
(n) 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
(n) See marijuana. "Must have been drinking, 'cause this ain't pot" -- Cypress Hill and
Sonic Youth (Mary Jane [1993]).
potna
(n) Term to address a person, compare partner. "What's now up potna" -- Menace 2
Society.
power U
(n) Vagina. "On top of that you got the good power U" -- Method Man & Mary J. Blige
(You're all I need [1994]).
primo
1) (n) A joint laced with crack, west coast term. The east coast equivalent is "turbo".
See also marijuana.

2) (n) Friend.
3) (n) Nickname for DJ Premier.
Private Stock
(n) A brand of malt liquor.
project gold
(n) Huge gold hoop earrings.
props
(n) An abbreviation of "propers" or proper respects. A show sits on physical and nonphysical props. At an award ceremony the winner gives props: "And I would like to
thank...".
pruno
(n) Wine that inmates make in prison. "I been it down from day uno, baby bottle full of
pruno" -- E-40 feat. B-Legit (Doin' Dirt Bad [????])
psych
1) (n) Dupe. Check out 70's basketball commentary. Dr. J and especially Nate
Archibald used to do dribbling moves to psych out opponents. Psych as in
psychological head trips they threw.
2) (interj) I duped you.
puff lye
(v) To smoke a medicinal herb, i.e. 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) (n) Pump of a pump-action shotgun "Sawed off shotgun, hand on the pump" -Cypress Hill (Hand on the pump [1993])
2) (n) To play music loud.
punani
1) (n) Vagina. "I'm trickin' buying Vickey Secret just to cover her punani hair" -Timbaland feat. 1 Life 2 Live, Lil' Man (Can't Nobody [????])
2) (n) Sex, this is used more commonly. "You see I'm tryin to get the punani but you
just wanna rock me" -- Common Sense (Breaker 1/9 [????])
3) (n) A Jamaican dance, the art of moving your stomach and behind on the
dancefloor.
punk
1) (n) A person related to the Punk movement or the Punk music.
2) (n) A stupid, usually irritating person. "Motherfuck you and your punk ass ghetto
bird." -- Ice Cube (Ghetto Bird [1993]).
pussy
(n) Vagina.
puta/puto
1) (n) Prostitute.
2) (n) Asshole. "How you like me now, puto" -- Cypress Hill (Locotes [??]).
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) (n) Short for Queensbridge.
2) (n) 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

(n) Orlando. Home of Quad City DJ's, 95 South, 69 Boyz and DJ Magic Mike.
quarter o
1) (n) Quarter ounce (= oz.) of weed. "Feelin' on tilt man, quarter o to the brain,
smokin' like blunt after blunt my niggas insane" -- Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
(Budsmokers Only [????])
2) (n) 40 oz. of beer.
Queens
(n) New York City borough. RUN-DMC are often referred to as the Kings from
Queens.
Queensbridge
(n) 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.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ#
R.T.D.
(n) 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. "When you young
it's hard to see that it's wrong throwing rocks at the R.T.D." -- Ice Cube (Doing Dumb
Shit [????])
rab
(n) 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
(n) A bum rush. "Like some pussy, or in fact, a bum rush, but we call it rat pack, on a
nigga for nothing at all" -- N.W.A. (Gangsta, gangsta [1988]).
raw
(adj) Showing the pure essence of pure hip hop.
real McCoy
1) (n) The orignal, not a fake. One real McCoy was a late 19th century boxer who
fought under the name Kid McCoy and was so good that other fighters adopted the
name, whereupon he had to bill himself as "the real McCoy". Or, it was Scotch
whisky, made by A. & M. MacKay of Glasgow. In the UK the saying is "the real
MacKay". Another idea is that the expression came from heroin originating from
Macao (Dictionary of Cliches, pg.215). Yet another explanation is the American
scientist Eligah McCoy, who had several inventions well known throughout the
African American community in America. If you owned anything during those days,
you wanted it to be "the real McCoy". "You got to always be that real McCoy" -- Black
Azz Chill (Don'[t Ever [????])
2) (n) A 1967 Jazz CD by McCoy Tyner, a pianist.
really doe
(interj) Wrong spelling of "Really though", used to emphasize a point. Ice Cube
(Really doe).
red rum
(n) Murder spelled backwards.
reefer

(n) See marijuana. (1920s-1960s) Marijuana wrapped in cigarette paper, may be a

variant of Mexican "grefa" (Juba to Jive, pg. 380). "Alright homies legalize reefer
leaves and nines" -- Bizzy Bone (Fried Day [????])
reel to reel
1) (n) Really real.
2) (n) Reality.
3) (n) The big tape used for studio recording and the machine that runs it.
Remy Martin
(n) A brand of cognac. "I've got to get the chronic, some Remy Martin, and my soda
pop" -- Dr. Dre (Let me ride [1992]).
represent
(v) New big hip-hop word. Means just what you think it means. "Represent!" -- NAS
(Represent [1994])
ricket
(n) Derogatory term for a member of the Crips, an L.A. gang.
ride
(n) A vehicle. "So we rode in his ride" -- Ice-T (Bitches 2 [??]).
rift
(v) See step to. "Don't rift, I spill it like a bottle of Cris'" -- Killarmy (Monster [????])
rip
(v) Old street slang - to steal, stolen, to take agressively.
road dog
(n) A good friend, someone who you always hang out with. "Yo dick on hard, for
fuckin' your road doggs" -- Dr. Dre (The Chronic [1992]).
rock
1) (n) Crack.
2) (v) To have sexual intercourse.
3) (n) Biblical. Alcatraz, Jamaica...
4) (v) To wear, "I was rocking my brand new Nikes".
5) (n) Diamond. "And them rings you wearin' look like they got a few rocks on 'em" -Eminem (Rock Bottom [1998])
rock star
(n) Crack addict
rocket
1) (n) A joint (see marijuana).
2) (v) To blast off into a high when smoking a joint.
Rodney King
1) (n) Rodney King was beaten up by police when he was placed under arrest. The
whole incident was videotaped, leading to the infamous "Rodney King trials", where
the police officers were under trial for assault and battering. The outcome of the trial
was not satisfactory to many people in LA, leading to the LA riots of 1992.
2) (n) To pull a Rodney King: To initiate police brutality. "He'll probably pull me over
and I laugh, pull a Rodney King and I'll blast at his punk ass" -- Tupac (Souljah's
Revenge [1993]).
roll
1) (v) To hang with a given person or crowd. "I'm rollin' with the new jack crew" -- IceT (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. "Roll up in a school and bang - bang!" -- Tha Dogg Pound
(Roll Wit Us [????])
Rollie
(n) Wrist watch of the expensive brand Rolex. "Where my Rollie wearin thugs who
claim they don't love you" -- Da Brat feat. Jermaine Dupri, Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliott
(That's What I'm Lookin' For [????])
Rolling 60's
(n) Notorious South Central Crip set.
Roly-O
(n) An expensive Rolex watch. "She got the matching Roly-O" -- Hot Boys (I Need A
Hot Girl [????])
ruff neck
(n) A round the way guy that keeps it real and knows the streets. "Gotta what yo gotta
get a ruff neck" -- MC Lyte (Ruff neck [??]).
rush
1) (v) Bogard, physically assault.
2) (v) After taking drugs , one often gets a rush
ruthless
1) (adj) Tough, hard, stopping at nothing. "Drop him in his tracks so hip that I am
ruthless" - Eazy-E (It's on Dr. Dre 187 um killa [1993])
2) (n) Ruthless Records is Eazy-E's record company.
S1W
(n) The Security of the First World; the military dancers on stage with Public Enemy
at their concerts.
SA
(n) Wrong spelling of the Mexican word ese, which means dude. "SA's cool, don't
fuck with them boys" - Ice Cube (Really Doe).
sack chaser
(n) Woman using a man for money.
Sactown
(n) Sacramento, California.
sagging deuce
(n) A lowered Cadillac car.
scarface
(n) 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

(n) A specific era in hiphop history. There have been many discussions about the
difference between the "Old School" and the New School". One accepted view was
put to words in alt.rap by Charles L. Isbell:
All of time can be divided pretty easily this way:
- Everything before "Run DMC" (Run DMC [1984])
- Everything before "It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back" (Public Enemy
[1988])
It gets harder after that, but maybe you'd have to label parallel movements with stuff
like:
+ 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) (n) The cartoon character.
2) (n) A blunt. "Scooby Doo, where the fuck are you?" -- Cypress Hill (??? [??]).
3) (n) The B-side on Lick a Shot (US).
scope
1) (v) Look at something. "Scope that bitch"
2) (v) Stare down someone.
scrap a lick
(v) As in "can't scrap a lick", meaning, can't put up a fight, has a poor fighting ability.
From Dr. Dre (Fuck wit Dre day).
scratch
(n) Money, loot. "Scrilla scratch paper" -- E-40 (One love [??]).
screw
(v) To play a hip-hop record at a slower speed, said to accentuate the bass and
facilitate mixes with ballads. Also screw mixes, get my screw on. Originated in the
late 80's, when Fresh Records released 12" singles at 45 rpm. Many DJ's missed the
speed designation and mistakenly played it at the slower 33 rpm speed. Many
listeners began to intentionally request those records (esp. Mantronix's "Fresh is the
Word") at the slow speed. Now done with CD players with variable pitch (or vinyl).
scrilla
(n) Money, loot. "Scrilla scratch paper" -- E-40 (One love [??]).

Seatown
(n) Seattle. "Everybody in Seatown and T-Town!" -- Sir Mix-A-Lot (Seattle Ain't
Bullshittin' [????])
sell out
(n) Doing something purely for the financial gain, Selling your soul. "Did Ice Cube sell
out? You say hell no!" -- Ice Cube (When will they shoot? [??]).
sense
(n) An abbreviation of the word "sinsemellia", which is a form o 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) (n) A denomination of one of the larger gangs, a set is not necessarily friendly with
other sets in the same gang. "Baby girl asked me what set am I claiming" - Sir
MixaLot (Rapper's Reputation)
2) (n) The group of songs in a concert by a specific performer.
set tripping
(v) Killing someone in your own gang, but who is in a different set. i.e. a different
street but in the same gang. "I come around your corner, but I ain't set tripping. But I
will, wet niggas and wet women with the calico" -- Z-Ro (Mo City Don [????])
shackles
(n) Handcuffs.
shank
(n) 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
(n) 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
(n) New York, from Shea stadium.
sherm
(n) Under the influence of drugs. "Smokin' dope is like a sherm high niggaz think they
learned to fly" -- 2Pac (Hit 'Em Up [1998]) or "Niggaz gettin' shermed out" - 2Pac (To
Live And Die In L.A. [1996])
sherm stick
(n) Marijuana dipped in embalming fluid.
shife
(adj) See mark or newjack. A rookie or one who purports to be more than he is. "And
he knew he was shife, he knew he was hype" -- Bust Down (Nasty bitch (intro)
[1993]).
shimmy
(n) See booty. "Shimmy shimmy ya!" - Ol' Dirty Bastard (Shimmy shimmy ya [1995]).
sholda than show
(interj) Surer than sure.
shook one

(n) Individual who acts like he is tough, but when things get hectic or tense, he gets
scared and acts like the punk he really is. They have been shook up by the reality
and are labeled shook ones. "Shook ones" -- Mobb Deep (Shook ones pt. II [1995]).
short
(n) Vehicle.
shorty
1) (n) Little person. "Holla at your boy 'What's the problem shorty?'" -- Jay-Z feat.
Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Memphis Bleek (1-900-Hustler [????])
2) (n) Female, like baby or honey. "I got myself a shorty, I got myself a forty" -- WuTang Clan (Method Man).
3) (n) A seven ounce bottle of beer.
shotty
(n) Shotgun.
show and prove
(v) Demonstrate.
show case
(v) To carry out a fraud.
siamese
(n) A person who acts two-faced.
sike
(n) See psych.
simp
1) (n) Derived from simpleton, used for rhyming with pimp. "Short baby I ain't no
simp, but the nigga in the suit ain't nothin' but a pimp" -- Too $hort (Cocktales [??]).
2) (v) To sing and pimp. From Boyz II Men (Simpin' ain't easy).
sister
(n) Woman of the same group; friend.
skank
(n) A scandalous woman. "Sell the skank a dream bigger than life and she gon' stick
around for the shoppin' spree, alright" -- Big Tymers (10 Wayz [????])
skeezer
(n) See freak. "If you wanna know what a skeezer is, it's a girl who's on my jock
cause I'm in showbiz" -- LL Cool J. (??? [??]).
skill
(n) General ability; ability on the microphone.
skins
1) (n) The lips of the vagina. "She likes to bend over and then she spreads the skins"
-- Brand Nubian (Slow down [1990]).
2) (n) Condom.
3) (n) Rolling papers.
skirt
(n) 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
(n) A medium grade and smelly form of marijuana.
SL

(n) Reference to the SL class of Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The SL class is the series
of high-end roadster models. "You deserve flowers and candy, the simple things in
addition to the SL's, baguettes and rings" -- LL Cool J feat. Marc Dorsey (Luv U
Better [????])
slab
1) (n) The ground; to lower a car to the slab: to lower down. "I'm breaking em down to
the slab" -- Rage (The chronic [1992]).
2) (n) Crack.
slamming
1) (adj) Dynamic.
2) (adj) Something really good/attractive. "And may I say, may I say, that, that outfit
you got on is slammin'" -- L.L. Cool J (MrGoodbar).
slang
(v) The act of selling drugs.
slanted-back
(n) A Caddillac Seville, because of the slanted trunk of the earlier models.
slap skins
1) (v) Slapping hands together.
2) (v) Having sex. Slapping skins, hitting skins, getting skins, etc. Skins being the skin
of the opposite sex.
Slauson
(n) 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
(n) Derogatory name for a member of the Bloods, an L.A. gang, used by members of
the Crips, another L.A. gang.
slow your roll
(interj) Slow down whatever you are doing. "Slow ya roll like your leg was broken" -Kurupt (For my niggaz and my bitches [1993]).
smacked
(adj) Under the influence of drugs.
smashing
(v) See slapping skins.
smoke
1) (v) Killing someone. "Right then, I knew I had to smoke his ass" -- N.W.A.
(Gangsta gangsta [1988]).
2) (v) To get smoked: to get under the influence of drugs. "I'm in the land gettin'
smoked with my kinfolk" - Tha Luniz (I Got 5 On It [1995])
snap
(n) a form of verbal jestering. Also French and English speaking Africans especially in
Dakar and Paris say 'oh snap' in two contexts. 1) 'oh snap' if you get bagged on
(snapped on) and 2) meaning 'oh shit' as in 'I didn't know' or 'I forgot something'.

snaps
(n) Money.
sneakers
(n) Sportswear shoes. "I wear my sneakers but I'm not a sneak" -- RUN-DMC (My
Adidas).
snow
(n) Cocaine.
soggy indo
(n) A joint (see marijuana) that has been dipped in PCP or something.
soldier
(n) Non-OG gangbanger.
South Central
(n) Los Angeles area. A very important place for gangsta rap. Origin of a lot of
rappers. "South Central fool, where the Crips and the Bloods play" -- Ice-T (O.G.
Original Gangster [????])
SP-12
(n) The E-MU SP-12 (or SP-1200), a high-end sampling drum machine for rap music
production. These pieces of equipment came out around 1985 and 87 respectively.
The SP-12 did not have an internal disk drive, but EMU saw the problems since it
only worked with a Commodore diskdrive. So they made the next model with an
internal drive. Incidentally Ced-Gee of Ultra-Magnetics was the first person in hip-hop
to use this machine which has become one of the most sought after pieces of
equipment to date. So much that EMU has reissued the SP-1200. "Just me, a mic,
and an SP-12" -- Young MC (Album Filler).
spliff
(n) Jamaican 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) (n) Released on bail by someone else.
squab
(n) Shortened form of "to squabble"; to fight, physicallly confront. "Quick to squab,
always down for the job" -- E-40 featuring Suga T (Sprinkle me [??]).
squash
(v) To end, Squash that beef.
squeeze the trigger
(v) To shoot a gun. "Yo homeboy,squeeze the trigger!" -- Ice T. (squeeze the trigger)
[198?]
St. Ides
(n) 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.
stack up

(v) Making money, often used in conjunction with paper. "This kid here is all about
stackin' up" -- Lil Bow Wow (Bounce with me [2000])
steel
(n) Pistol. "Finger on the trigger with my hand upon the steel" --Cypress Hill (Hand on
the pump [1993])
steez
(n) Style.
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
(n) Pronounced as "steelo", is a term that like a lot of other hip-hop terms originated
in New York City. It is Spanish, and it means style.
straight
1) (n) Okay.
2) (n) Short for stright up, truly, used for emphasis. "Straight booty" or "straight wack".
strap
(n) A gun.
strapped
(adj) Strapped in: armed.
strawberry
(n) 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) (n) To drive one's car.
Strong island
(n) Long island.
stunt
1) (n) Sexual act.
2) (n) A person who performs stunts.
3) (n) 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
(n) person easily duped.
Sucka Free
(n) San Francisco.
SWASS
(n) Short for "Some wild-ass silly shit".
SWAT
(n) Southwest Atlanta. Home of Outkast, Goodie Mob, Kriss Kross, Parental Advisory.
Swayze

(n) I'm out of here, I'm ghost. From the movie "Ghost" which features the actor
Patrick Swayze, used for example in a cut by EPMD..
sweat
1) (n) over-patronize.
2) (v) Worry, as in "don't sweat it".
3) (v) Harrass or scrutinize. "There's one or two narcs in the area that's sweatin' me"
-- Digital Underground (Sex packets).
sweet
(adj) Cool, dope, fresh.
swerver
(n) Car.
swing
(n) To have sexual intercourse (Grand Puba).
swing low
(n) To have oral sex (Kool Moe Dee).
switch
(n) Your average toggle switch. Low-riding drivers use them to control the hydrolics or
any other electrical device in their cars. "Rollin' in my fo' with sixteen switches" Dr.
Dre -- (Let Me Ride).
syrup
(n) "Syrup", a popular drink, contains Promethazine With Codiene Cough Syrup,
vodka or rum, Milk of Magnesia (a common medicine for stomache pain), and candy;
usually "Now and Laters" (soft "taffy" style candy) or "Jolly Ranchers" (watermelon
flavored hard candy) - often served in a baby bottle. Continues the Southern tradition
of the slow "Screw Mixes" originated by DJ Screw from the early 1990's. Music is
pitched to deliberately slow speeds to portray a warped, psychedelic feeling.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ#
tag
1) (n) A persons graffiti nickname.
2) (v) The act of writing graffiti on an object (tagging up).
Tanqueray
(n) A brand of distilled English Gin, used to make cocktail drinks. It was recently
popularized by several rap and also by a very creative advertising campaign in the
US, featuring and elderly white man named Mr. Jenkins: "Mr. Jenkins doesn't
understand all the Hip-hop lyrics at his friend's record release party, but he
understands gin and juice very clearly." is the line that was used. "My homey Dr. Dre
came through with a gang of Tanqueray" -- Snoop Doggy Dogg (Gin and Juice [??]).
tastey
(n) A fly honey.
tax
1) (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
(n) A 9mm semiautomatic or fully automatic gun made by Infratec. "Every kid's got a
Tec 9 or a handgrenade" -- Ice-T (??? [??]).
thai stick
(n) See marijuana.

thang
(n) Thing; "your own thang": your own way.
The (island of) Shao-Lin
(n) Staten Island, a New York borough. Home of the Wu-Tang clan
The Boogie Bang / The Boogie Down
(n) See Bronx. King Sun mentions it in one of his EPs.
The Boogie Down
(n) The Bronx.
The Bridge
(n) See Queensbridge.
The Burgh
(n) Pittsburgh, PA.
The Get Low
(n) San Francisco. JT the Bigga Figga's group is call GLP: Get Low Players.
Thompson
(n) Tommy gun.
three-wheel motion
(n) Ride upon three wheels with a low rider car. You can see it in videos for "Ain't
nuthin but a G thang" and Today was a good day" [1993]. One of the back corners of
the car is really close to the ground and the opposite corner is picked up off the road.
through
(n) Drunk or high to the point of almost being unconscious.
throw-up
1) (n) A non-complex piece of graffiti usually involving only two colors.
2) (n) To tag your graffiti on something ("Watch my back as I throw up this tag").
thug
(n) 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
(n) See marijuana. "Smoke a bag of tical" -- Method Man (???).
tight
1) (adj) A state of mind, feeling really good at the moment. Straight, legitimate, allgood.
2) (adj) Cool, dope, fresh.
Timbs
(n) Clothing of the brand "Timberland", a popular hip-hop choice. "Are you feeling my
Timbs, my baggy jeans, my thug appeal" -- Blaque feat. N-Sync (Bring it all to me
[199?])
tip
1) (n) Penis (Get off my tip).
2) (n) Q-Tip from a Tribe Called Quest
3) (n) The end, the fullest. "To the tip!" -- Schoolly D. (Mr. Big Dick).
Tipper Gore
(n) 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
(n) Gang pride/love (Polynesian/Maori).
Tony Montana
(n) The character of Tony Montana in the film "Scarface"(1983). "1995 Tony Montana"
-- Ice Cube (Summer Vacation [??]).
toy
1) (n) A poor or beginner graffiti artist.
2) (v) To purposefully write over another graffiti artists work (toy someone out).
3) (n) A sucker.
4) (n) Short for Trouble On Your System.
Tragniew Park Crips
(n) Compton crip set, associated with MC Eiht. "Tragniew Park you say..." -- DJ Quik
(Dollaz & Sense [1994]).
trap
(v) to sell drugs.
tray eight
(n) See 38.
Trenton
(n) Home of the old schoolrappers, PRT.
trick
(n) Short for trick bitch. Derives from the turning tricks action of oral sex/doggy style
of a prostitute. Can be used to acknowledge any sort of woman. More than often
used as "slut", but a replacement for "bitch" will work too.
trill
(adj) Rough, street-wise person; "Trill ass nigga" -- Underground Kingz (The
Southern way [1992], also on Too hard to swallow [1994]).
triple beam
(n) 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
(n) big gold jewelry.
true that
(interj) See word is bond.
trump
(n) To have lots of money, like billionaire Donald Trump. 2) (n) 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

(n) Tree Top Piru, a notorious Compton Blood set, associated with DJ Quik
(addressed to MC Eiht) "Westside Trees sprayin' all tha fleas" -- DJ Quik
(Dollaz+Sense [1995]).
turbo
(n) A joint laced with crack, east coast term. The west coast equivalent is "primo".
See also marijuana.
turn (it) out
1) (v) To make records.
2) (v) To have sexual intercourse with.
twenty sack
(n) One gram of marijuana, which costs $20. See marijuana. From Nas (NY state of
mind).
twisted
(n) 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]).
uncle L.
(n) L.L. Cool J. "Like uncle L. said, I'm rippin' up shows" -- Public Enemy (Shut 'em
down).
uncle tom
1) (n) A black man who wants to be white. From the book Uncle Tom's Cabin.
2) (n) A tattle-taler; a person who befriends another only to deceive him, usually in
the workplace.
Union Square
1) (n) A park in New York City on Broadway between 14th and 16th(?). Origin of Kid n
Play.
2) (n) 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
(n) Being sent to jail. "Up north trip" -- Mobb Deep (?? [??]).
UPT
(n) Uptown New Orleans
Uptown
(n) 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
(n) United States Ghettos (Onyx).
uzi
(n) Israeli semi-automatic gun. "Hold it, rock! Miuzi weighs a ton" -- Public Enemy
(Miuzi weighs a ton).
Town
(n) Vallejo, California. Home of E-40.
Vacaville
(n) Nothern California Prison (Too $hort).
vacuum lungs

(n) Taking a deep smoke. "Cause fools be havin' them vacuum lungs" -- The Luniz
(I've got 5 on it [??]).
vato
(n) East LA hispanic slang, meaning homeboy. "Vato, cholo, call us what you will" -Kid Frost (La Raza [1990]).
Vegas
1) (n) High quality speaker units mabe by Cerwin-Vega, used in car and hi-fi systems.
"Going to school with the Vegas on my earlobe" -- Da Luniz (I got 5 on it [1995]).
2) (n) A marijuana sigarette rolled in Garcia Vegas (a brand of cigar) papers.
Versace
(n) Clothing label. "I stay laced cuz my body got Versace taste" -- Monifa (I miss you
(come back home) [1995]).
vest
(n) Condom. "Pack a vest for your jimmy in the city of sex" -- 2Pac (California Love
[1995])
vexed
(v) Very angry.
VIP Records
(n) 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
(n) Video Music Box, a NYC hip-hop video music show.
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).
wanksta
(n) Person who pretends to be a gangster without being one. Contraction of
"wannabe gangsta". "You said you a wanksta, and you needa stop frontin'" -- 50 Cent
(Wanksta [2001])
watching Andy Griffith
(v) refers to masturbating. Martin Lawrence (You so crazy).
wax
1) (n) Record album(s). "And we put it on wax, it's the new style" -- Beastie Boys
(The New Style [1986]).
2) (v) Synonym to tax as in "wax his ass" from the black popular "mop up the floor
with your ass".
3) (adj) Describing refinement as in 'waxed, buffed and simonized' from the Mister
Magic radio show.
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
(n) One of the original hip-hop stations in New York City. "BLS, 97, KISS, bounce to
this" -- Craig Mack (??? [??]).
wet
1) (v) Kill someone. As in wet from blood when someone is sprayed. "Now I gotta
wetcha" -- Ice Cube (I'm gonna wetcha)
2) (v) Excite a female.

WHBI-FM (105.9)
(n) The first radio station in New York that had a hip-hop show (Mr. Magic, the
Awesome Two, Afrika Izlam). The station later changed its call letters to WNWK-FM.
wheels of steel
(n) Turntables. "My DJ Code Money on the wheels of steel" -- Schoolly D. (Gucci
time).
whip
(n) A nice looking car. "Some bought me ice, so pay for whips" -- Beanie Sigel (Playa
[????])
Whitestone
(n) 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) (n) The who ride is the act of getting wild and crazy, like a riot or an assassination,
or any wild activity.
whodi
(n) Used to address someone as a friend, as in "What's up whodie", in the same way
as words like "homey", "money", "playa" or "dogg".
wigger
(n) A derogatory term usually used by white people for white people that use black
slang and that primarily socialize with black people.
wild thing
(n) Sexual intercourse. "Hey you two, I was once like you and I loved to do the wild
thing" -- Tone Loc (Wild thing).
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) (n) Penis.
2) (n) Someone with money or status in the neighbourhood, a player or bawler.
wood
(n) Erected penis. "Delivering the wood" stands for having sexual intercourse.
word
1) (n) 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
(n) (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.
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'all
(n) Short for "you all". Also sometimes used for "you", singular.
yak
(n) This is actually the phonetical version of "gnac", as in "cognac". "Dre and snoop
chronic'd out in the 'llac (caddilac), with Doc in the back sippin' on 'gnac" - Dr. Dre
(The Next Episode)
yo
1) (n) You.
2) (n) Your.
3) (interj) To catch attention, as in "Yo! What's up?"
zig zags
(n) Rolling papers. "Send some gin and a pack of zig zags" -- Snoop Doggy Dogg
(Pump pump)
zooted
(adj) Smoked out on weed. "I want to get zooted, nigga" -- Total Devastation (???
[1993]).
zootie
(n) A joint laced with crack.
and 2
(n) Turntables. "DJ behind the 1 and 2".
1-2 checker
1) (n) Checking the MIC.
2) (n) Checking the scene.
10
(n) See Mac 10. "Had my ten in my hand" -- Coolio (Gangsta's paradise [1995]).
10%
(n) See 5%. "Ten percent took a loss" -- Boots of The Coup.
107.5
(n) 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) (n) The Technics SL 1200 is regarded as the best turntable for DJ'ing. The reason
for this is its very, very high torque. If you hit the start/stop button, the platter will
reach top speed within a 1/4th revolution. Not many turntables can match that. "My
DJ you know 1200's he's using, I don't!" -- Schoolly D. (I don't like rock 'n roll [??])
2) (n) SP-1200 sampler, a top of the line product.
143

(n) The beeper code for "I love you": one, four and three characters. "You used to
blow my 2-way up with 143's" -- Smilez & Southstar (Tell Me [????])
1555
(n) The year the first slaveships arrived in America. "Sayin' 1555 how I'm livin'" -Public Enemy (Can't truss it [??]).
186
(n) Police term for a murder or homicide. To be on the lookout for someone who is
trying to kill you.
187
(n) Californian penal code number for homicide. The police in California uses the
penal code numbers as shorthand on the radio. Eg. in Oregon the code for homicide
is "163.005", different from California. "Try to set me up for a 211, fuck around and
get caught up in a 187" -- Dr. Dre (Let me ride [1992]).
2 to 4
(n) The duration of a imprisonement sentence, two to four years in jail. "Hit with a 2 to
4 is difficult" -- Mobb Deep (Survival of the fittest [1995]).
20
1) (n) See twenty sack. "I'm an addict for sneakers, 20's of buddah and bitches with
beepers" -- NAS (New York state of mind [1994]).
2) (n) 20 inch rims on car wheels. "Twenties, TVs, leather and wood" -- Lil Bow Wow
(Bounce with me [2000]).
21 & Lewis
(n) Streetcorner in Long Beach, California. "I hung a left at two-one and Lewis" -Warren G. (Regulate [1994]).
21 Cerritos
(n) Long Beach crip set. The Dogg Pound and Warren G have rumored association
with them. "But you don't really know about, you know, the Cerritos silly ho" -- Daz
(Who gotz some gangsta shit [1994]).
211
(n) Police code for armed robbery. "Try to set me up for a 211, fuck around and get
caught up in a 187" -- Dr. Dre (Let me ride [1992]).
212
(n) A New York area code.
213
1) (n) The name of a group with Snoop, Nate Dogg and Warren G. This group was
separated when they all got big. "Way back then 213 was the clique" -- Warren G (Do
you see [1994]).
2) (n) 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) (n) 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
(n) 22 caliber gun. "Twentytwo automatic on my person" -- Beastie Boys (Posse in
Effect [1986])
226
(n) Police code for drugs.
24

(n) 24 inch rims for SUV or truck wheels, one of the largest sizes rims one can buy
other than 26 or 28 inch. "Bouncin' on 24's" -- R. Kelly (Ignition [2003])
24/7, 24/7/365
(n) All the time, from 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
25 with an L
(n) 25 years to life sentence. "25 with an izL" -- Snoop Doggy Dog (Murder was the
case [1993]).
30
(n) A firearm of .30 calibre.
310
(n) The area code for Long Beach.
313
(n) 313 is the phone area code for Detroit, Michigan, home of Eminem. "And these
brothers representing the 313" - Eminem (Infinite LP [1996])
357
(n) A .357 Magnum pistol. ".357 break it on down" -- LL Cool J. (.357 Break it on
down [1987]).
36 chambers
1) (n) The 36 chambers a warrior has to go through to become a Shaolin. Every
chambers has a special task the warrior has to complete in order to be able to
continue to the next chamber. The RZA said in an interview with Billboard Magazine
that there are nine members in the Clan, and each member has four chambers in his
heart, which makes 9x4 = 36 chambers.
2) (n) There are 36 'death-points' on the body, each seperated from the other at 10
degree intervals, where the trained Wu expert can cause death at a single blow.
38
1) (n) 38 caliber pistol.
2) (n) "38 hot" means very angry.
380
(n) A .380 calibre handgun. "Unpacked and I grabbed my three eighty cause where
we stayin', niggaz look shady" -- Ice Cube (Summer Vacation [1991]).
4 pound
(n) 45 caliber (1 caliber = 1/100th inch) gun.
4-5-6
(n) See celo. See the song "456" by Kool G Rap.
4-9-3-11
(n) The numbers represent letters of the alphabet; 4 is D, 9 is I, and so on. These
numbers spell "dick". I be comin' through like the 4-9-3-11 tearing up the power-U" -Method Man (Meth vs Chef [1994]).
40
1) (n) A 40-ounce bottle of malt liquor. "Use to drink every day, straight 40's to the
head" -- Ice-T. (Ed [1991]).
2) (n) A 40 caliber gun "With my 40 and my 40 to the fucking dome".
411
(n) Information, from the US phone number for information.
4:20
(n) The time to smoke some marijuana.
50
1) (n) A police officer, from the series Hawaii Five-O. The word is used mainly in East
LA. "Five-O said 'freeze', and I got numb" -- Public Enemy (Bring the Noise).

2) (n) A 5.0 liter Ford Mustang, which is used as a police vehicle in some areas.
5 on it
(n) Five dollars on a sac of marijuana. "I got five on it" -- The Luniz (I got five on it
[1995]).
5% Nation
(n) 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
(n) 25 years ago, California had a vehicle code 502 for drunk driving. The current
code is 23152(a) vc. "Fuck the police and a 502" -- N.W.A. (8-ball [??]).
504
(n) New Orleans area code.
5150
(n) 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) (n) A 64-ounce bottle of malt liquor. "40's are no more because now I'm drinkin'
64s" -- Grand Puba (Three Men at Chung King)
2) (n) A 1964 Chevrolet Impala. "Jumped in the 64 with the diamond in the back,
sunroof top" -- N.W.A. (Gangsta, gangsta [1988]).
7-11
1) (n) All-night convenience store, which was originally open from 7am to 11pm when
other stores were closed. "He always has me open like a 7-11" -- Salt 'n Pepa (What
a man [??]).
2) (n) From the dice game called craps, rolling a 7 and then 11 wins. "Shake em up,
shake em, rollin with a couple of homies and watch me break em with a seven,
seven-eleven" -- Ice Cube (Today was a good day [1993]).
8-ball
1) (n) Old English 800, a popular beer in the hood.
2) (n) An eightball is literally, in drug terms, an eight of an ounce. There are twentyeight grams in an ounce, and hence, three and one half grams in an eightball. In

places where an eightball is less than three and a half grams, the laws of supply and
demand have constricted the quantity in favor of a popular price.
3) (n) On to it. Ie: "on the 8-ball", up with the play.
4) (n) The 8-ball is the last ball to pot in the billiards game of pool. If you accidentally
pot it before the end of the game, you lose. So, the 8-ball also represents chance.
808
1) (n) The bassdrum from a Roland TR-808 drum machine, which is now a popular
sample.
2) (n) The penal code for disturbing the peace. Refers to the sound of bass from
stereos.
85%
(n) 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
(n) A job where you work from 9:00 am till 5:00 pm. "While your were at your job
working nine to five, the Beastie Boys were at the garden cold kickin' it live!" -Beastie Boys (No sleep till Brooklyn [1986]).
9, 9mm
(n) 9 mm gun. "My nine is easy to load" -- L.L. Cool J. (Mama said knock you out
[1990])
911
(n) The US phone number for emergencies. "Now I dialed 911 a long time ago" -Public Enemy (911 is a joke).
917
(n) New York City area code where all the cellular phones and pagers are on.
950
(n) The Akai S-950, a widely used rackmount sampler. A nice piece of equipment that
allowed the producer to "stretch" the sound wave so that the sample could be sped
up or slowed down without changing the pitch. It was made popular by the Bomb
Squad who used them to stack samples thus giving their tracks the dope sound.
From the Alkaholiks (The next level [1994]).
97.1
(n) HOT 97, A CHR-turned-hip hop station in New York.
98 Oldsmobile
(n) A make of Oldsmobile, usually considered to be their best make of car, year after
year. A real status symbol. "My 98 is tough to chase" -- Public Enemy (You gonna get
yours [1987]).
98.7
(n) WRKS KISS FM, a NYC radio station that helped bring hip-hop to the radio.