Hip-Hop Slang Dictionary for All the References You Need

Since the inception of rap music, certain words have been associated with hip-hop and become increasingly popular in the genre. Sometimes, normal words take on new meanings and other times, artists make up their own slang. Right when you think you know it all, every so often, another word pops up that sends you to Google its definition. To make things easier XXL, created a slang dictionary that can be referenced the next time you hear something that doesn't immediately translate.

Though XXL doesn’t glorify any violence, modern day rappers who come from survive-or-die situations are quick to make some type of reference to guns. Take for example the noun nina, which is slang for a semi-automatic pistol. In Nicki Minaj’s Young Money 2021 track “Seeing Green,” Lil Wayne used the term. "I put you six-feet deep, I'm bein' socially distant/Nina Ross on the hip, the .44 is my mistress," he raps on the record.

Rappers specialize in painting pictures with descriptions. On the note of adjectives, the word fire finds its way into nearly every album and song. The description is used to describe something or someone that’s of high quality. "You got that fire and I'm not a liar/You had me down on my knees every day, had to talk with Messiah," Future raps on Drake's 2021 song "Desires." The word fire is also used to describe having guns on deck and potent marijuana.

There are plenty of verbs in rap lingo, too. Take for example straightenin’, which means getting something back on track. We can thank Migos for bringing the term to life. “There go a rocket, is Take' in it?/It's a problem with few then we straightenin' it,” Quavo raps on Migos' 2021 track “Straightenin.” The word flossin’ is a valid example as well, referring to flexing and stunting. “Red bottoms, I'm kicking shit, I'm flossing on you fools/Cameltoe big, I see the print inside her suit,” Young Thug spits on “Daddy’s Birthday” in 2017.

There’s plenty more where that comes from. Below, you can find a dictionary of rap slang used since the 2000s. And if you scroll down even further, you’ll peep some lingo from the 1990s as well.

A

Activis
noun
1. lean, drank

EXAMPLE: "Christian Louboutins, a walking mannequin, my Balmains full of blue Benjamins/Don't drink that shit just to be cool, I only sip Actavis ’cause it's my medicine"—Takeoff on Migos' “Trap Funk”

act up
phrase
1. to engage in foolish behavior.

EXAMPLE: "Act up, we gon' mask up, boy, I dare you/Brody catch a body, I'ma leave you in the rearview"—Lil Tjay's “F.N”

B

bag
noun
1. money

EXAMPLE: "You get the bag and fumble it/I get the bag and flip it and tumble it (Yeah),"—Quavo on Gucci Mane's "I Get the Bag" featuring Migos

bando
noun
1. an abandoned house, a trap house

EXAMPLE: "Fill the bando up with bags, give the lil' bro them a job/You can come get rich with us, you gon' eat or you gon' starve?"—Lil Baby's “On Me"

Barbz or Barbies
noun
1. Nicki Minaj's fan base

EXAMPLE: "Yeah, my money's so tall that my Barbies got to climb it/Hotter than a Middle Eastern climate, violent"—Nicki Minaj on Kanye West's “Monster"

bussin’
adjective
1. to let gun shots ring out
2. something that is very good

EXAMPLE: "Police-ass niggas with that cuffin'/Try to run up on us, we gon get to bussin'"—G Herbo's “Get 2 Bussin” featuring Lil Bibby

C

cake
noun
1. a big butt
2. money

EXAMPLE: "Mink coats make your woman wanna fornicate/Rozay and Drake, I'm getting cake, nothin' short of great"—Rick Ross on Drake's “Lord Know”

cap
noun
1. lying
2. the top of one's head
3. to take one's head off

EXAMPLE: "I've been had my way out here, yeah, know that's facts/You ain't livin' that shit you say, yeah, we know that's cap"—Meek Mill's “Going Bad” featuring Drake

chicken
noun
1. money

EXAMPLE: "I be gettin' to the chicken, countin' to the chicken/And all of my niggas gon' split it"—Desiigner's “Panda”

crack
adjective
1. something really good and addicting

EXAMPLE: "Florida BasedGod what it do? I'm back/One hundred grand show, man, dude, that's crack"—Lil B's “Bloggers Anthem”

D

dab
noun
1. dance move
2. fashion sense
3. a concentrated form of cannabis

EXAMPLE: "Took your hoe ’cause she gave me a boner/Look at my dab persona"—Quavo on Migos' "You Wanna See"

dat way
phrase
1. For real
2. To curve or swerve in a certain direction

EXAMPLE: "Nigga try Lil' Tay-K, it's gon' be his last day/If you not talkin' ’bout smoke, you could go dat way"—Tay-K's “Dat Way”

deadass
adverb
1. seriously

EXAMPLE: "When it comes to that paper, I be deadass serious/My driveway look like the Fast & the Furious (skrrt)"—Young Dolph's "Dead Ass Serious"

don
noun
1. A boss, the head of crew

EXAMPLE: "OG on the beat, OG Jordan 3s/When you the don, you understand and you oversee it"—Big Sean's “Offense” featuring Babyface Ray and 42 Dugg

drip
adjective
1. a cool outfit

EXAMPLE: "Keep my head above the water while I drown in wealth/I got that drip like Gunna, I may drip or drown myself"—Juice Wrld's “Stay High”

drill
verb
1. to kill someone, something

EXAMPLE: "The type of shit'll make me flip out and just kill somethin'/Drill somethin', get ill and fill ratchets with a lil' somethin'"—Kendrick Lamar's “Fear”

E

eater
noun
1. a person who performs a lot of oral sex

EXAMPLE: "Bad bitch from the woods, I think she a hunter/She a killer and an eater, she a Jeffrey Dahmer"—Juice Wrld's “Bandit” with YoungBoy Never Broke Again

F

fire
adjective
1. something that's amazing, pleasant and attractive
2. weapons and ammo

EXAMPLE: "My head game is fire, punani Dasani/It's goin' in dry and it's comin' out soggy"—Cardi B's “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion

fried

adjective
1. to be highly intoxicated

EXAMPLE: "In the function, and I'm fried, it's a strive, it's not a drive/When they open wide, it's a riot, riot"—Travis Scott's "No Bystanders" featuring Juice Wrld and Sheck Wes

flossin'
verb
1. showing off, stunting

EXAMPLE: "I don't need no one vouchin' for me/I be flossin', ain't talkin' 'bout my teeth"—Gunna's “ Who You Foolin"

flex
verb
1. to boast about possessions or money

EXAMPLE: "Natural born hustler, nigga, stuntin' is my strong suit/Flexin' with a hunnid cash, look at what these songs do"—Polo G's "Flex" featuring Juice Wrld

G

gas
adjective
1. high-grade marijuana
2. to hype someone

EXAMPLE: "I am smokin' on that gas, life should be on Cinemax/Movie, bought my boo bigger tits and a bigger ass"—2 Chainz's “No Lie” featuring Drake

goofy
noun
1. A lame, cornball

EXAMPLE: "I hate a goofy especially/They always dyin' to mention me"—Drake's “Hype”

H

hammer
noun
1. a gun

EXAMPLE: "Ayo, Eli, why they testin' me?/Like I don't always keep the hammer next to me"—Young M.A's “OOOUUU”

hard
noun
1. someone or something that is tough in manner

EXAMPLE: "I carved OF on it this morning with a glass shard/On my green mini ramp that I built in my backyard, that's hard"—Tyler, The Creator's “Colossus”

I

ice
noun
1. jewelry, diamonds

EXAMPLE: "Ice on my neck, cost me 10 times three/$30,000 for a nigga to get flee"—Lil Yachty on DRAM's “Broccoli”

irie
adjective
1. the state of feeling good
2. high, intoxicated

EXAMPLE: "I got dressed, I mixed the Tisa with Versace/I smoked a joint and took a bar, now I'm irie"—Ty Dolla $ign's “Irie” featuring Wiz Khalifa

J

jackin'
verb
1. not believing or thinking
2. stealing
3. claiming

EXAMPLE: "Now wildin', ready for all the violence/I don’t need a nigga jacking that he riding"—6ix9ine's "Kika”

jabroni
noun
1. a lame, cornball

EXAMPLE: "MAC-10 hungry, you pussies are baloneys/I been with your mummy ’cause your daddy a jabroni"—Young Thug's "Jumped Out The Window”

K

knock
verb
1. to play loudly

EXAMPLE: "Tint the windows by the doors, let the four ride/Speakers knockin', they can hear me in the north side"—Mac Miller's "Special”

kiss
verb
1. to kill

EXAMPLE: "Jada, MWAH, I'll kiss you, you bitch-ass nigga/Bet the hood won't miss you, you bitch-ass nigga"—Jadakiss' "We Gonna Make It” featuring Styles P

L

lick
noun
1. a way of making money
2. a drug fiend

EXAMPLE: "Bustin' all the bells out the box/I just hit a lick with the box"—Roddy Ricch's "The Box”

lit
adjective
1. something that's turned up
2. intoxicated

EXAMPLE: "30 for a walkthrough, man, we had that bitch lit/Had so many bottles, gave ugly girl a sip"—Post Malone's "Psycho” featuring Ty Dolla $ign

M

mop
noun
1. a firearm with a long clip
2. a wet mouth

EXAMPLE: "I got the mop, watch me wash ’em like detergent/And I'm ballin', that's why it's diamonds on my jersey"—Roddy Ricch on DaBaby's "Rockstar”

moola
noun
1. money, currency

EXAMPLE: "She know I get that moola, man trappin' is a habit/We ballin' every night, baby, woah Kemosabe"—Future on Dej Loaf's "Hey There”

N

Nina
noun
1. a handgun

EXAMPLE: "I bet a lot of niggas plottin' so you know I got that heater, bruh/Drive my side of Harlem, catch me ridin' with my Nina, bruh"—A$AP Rocky's "Excuse Me"

nice
adjective
1. skilled

EXAMPLE: "Pull up on them bikes, let the throttle pop/Niggas know I'm nice, and I got a lot"—Meek Mill's "Flexing"

no cap
adverb
1. to tell the truth
2. no lie

EXAMPLE: "Opp, I'll slap the shit out a nigga/No talkin', I don't like to argue with niggas (I don't)/Ain't gon' be no more laughin'/You see me whip out ’cause I'm gon' be done shot me a nigga (No cap)"—DaBaby's Suge

O

OD
adjective
1. past the limit
2. overdone

EXAMPLE: "Trips that you plan for the next whole week/Bands too long for a nigga so cheap/And your flex OD, and your sex OD"—Drake's "No Guidance" with Chris Brown

opp
noun
1. an enemy

EXAMPLE: "In New York I Milly Rock/Hide it in my sock/Running from an opp/And I shoot at opp"—Playboi Carti's "Magnolia"

P

noun
1. a positive thing

verb
1. player
2. keeping it real

EXAMPLE: "She let me squeeze, then she lеave ’cause she keep it P"—Gunna and Future's "pushin P" featuring Young Thug

pack
noun
1. a dead person or thing
2. to carry a weapon
3. a collection of drugs

EXAMPLE: "My nigga sell crack like it's back in the ’80s/Know a young nigga, he actin' so crazy/He serve a few packs and he jack a Mercedes/He shoot at the police, he clap at old ladies"—J. Cole's "KOD"

peon
noun
1. a soft, lame person

EXAMPLE: "These niggas groupies, they peons, mane/King of my city like Leon, mane"—Lil Uzi Vert's "Lo Mein"

Q

quickie
noun
1. a brief sexual act
2. to do something in a hurry

EXAMPLE: "Yung Miami, yeah, bitch, I'm from the city/I'm litty, diamonds drippy, eat my pussy, that's a quickie"—Yung Miami on City Girls' "Twerkulator"

quarter
noun
1. one fourth of one million dollars
2. one fourth of an ounce in drugs

EXAMPLE: "Earrings cost a quarter, certified by GIA/If it's ’bout my bae or ’bout some smoke, I'm on my way"—21 Savage on Travis Scott's "NC-17"

R

rat
noun
1. a snitch

EXAMPLE: "Stuart Little, heard these niggas some rats/Pockets full of cheese, bitch, I got racks"—21 Savage's "No Heart" with Metro Boomin

ratchet
adjective
1. out of pocket, unruly

EXAMPLE: "Not classy, I’m ratchet, if I twerk it, he gon’ smack it/Put money in my basket, I got some expensive habits"—Flo Milli's "My Attitude"

S

simp
noun
1. a desperate person, a person who does too much for someone they like

EXAMPLE: "Them whack hoes, y'all niggas simpin'/Them bad hoes, my niggas pimpin'"—Maxo Kream's “Hella Yellas”

slatt
phrase
1. slime love all the time

EXAMPLE: "In L.A., I smoke that gas/In L.A., I link with slatt"—Playboi Carti's “FlatBed Freestyle”

slime
noun
1. a homie, ride or die
2. to do someone dirty

EXAMPLE: "She slid her hand down my pants just to grab the torpedo/I had to go back and link with my slimes like I'm 13 and zero"—Travis Scott on Young Thug's “Hot” with Gunna

straightenin'
verb
1. getting things right

EXAMPLE: "Niggas act like somеthing been taken/Ain't nothing but a little bit of straightenin'"—Quavo on Migos' "Straightenin"

sucka
noun
1. a punk, chump

EXAMPLE: "I don't rap to suckas/God bless you all, I only talk special talk"—Jay-Z on DJ Khaled's "I Got The Keys" with Future

T

tech
noun
1. a semi-automatic pistol
2. lean, cough syrup

EXAMPLE: "Ayo, I walk through the valley of the shadow of death/Where niggas hold techs like they mad at the ref"—J. Cole's "Forbidden Fruit"

thot or thotty
noun
1. an overindulgent person when it comes to sex

EXAMPLE: "I see two twin opps, leave ’em on a banner/And I got two thick thots, wanna link the gang, yeah"—Lil Tecca's "Ransom"

U

up it
phrase
1. to raise weapons, shoot

EXAMPLE: "Hey, the beat go off?/I up it then my heat go off"—Chief Keef's "Earned It"

V

vamp
noun
1. someone who stays up all night
2. Playboi Carti's fan base

EXAMPLE: "When them vamps outside, lil' bitch, you better be ready/When them guns outside, lil' bitch, you better be ready"—Playboi Carti's "Vamp Anthem"

W

wetty
noun
1. an attractive woman
2. to be wet

EXAMPLE: "Fivio said she a wetty/I was sittin' at the trap house whippin' shit out the crocker like Betty"—Roddy Ricch's "Thailand"

WAP
phrase
1. an acronym for wet-ass pussy

EXAMPLE: "I'm talkin' WAP, WAP, WAP, that's some wet-ass pussy/Macaroni in a pot, that's some wet-ass pussy"—Cardi B's "WAP" with Megan Thee Stallion

X

Xanny
noun
1. Xanax

EXAMPLE: "She say I'm insane, yeah/I might blow my brain out/Xanny, help the pain, yeah/Please, Xanny, make it go away"—Lil Uzi Vert's "XO TOUR Llif3"

Y

yams
noun
1. a big butt

EXAMPLE: "I'm in the kitchen, yams everywhere/Just made a juug, I got bands everywhere"—2 Chainz's "Birthday Song"

YOLO
phrase
1. you only live once

EXAMPLE: "I'm screamin' out, 'YOLO,' yeah, that's still the motto/I know I be on some shit that they ain't thought of"—Lil Baby on Drake's "Wants and Needs"

Z

Zaza
noun
1. exotic, potent weed

EXAMPLE: "I smoke Zaza, I'm in La La off them trees/Took the T-tops off the ’Vette, I need a breeze"—Trippie Redd's "Weeeeee"

zooted
adjective
1. to be lit, highly intoxicated

EXAMPLE: "Popped me a Perc' and went ooh on her titties/Smokin' exotic, I'm zooted, I'm litty"—Lil Keed's "Tip Top"

—K.H.

1990's Dictionary

B

bangin’
noun
1. of extraordinary quality
2. attractive or desirable

EXAMPLE: "Goddamn, backyard's bangin’ like a Benzie/If I was jiggy, you'd be spotted like Spuds McKenzie"—Ghostface Killah's “Ice Cream”

big willie
noun
1. someone with a lot of money and luxury goods, usually acquired through hustling; one with extravagant taste and a penchant for flaunting their wealth.

EXAMPLE: “The crew is lampin’ Big Willie-style/Check the chip-toothed smile, plus I profile wild”—Nas' “The World is Yours”

bling
noun
1. jewelry made primarily of platinum or diamonds; characterized by distinct gleam emitted when hit by light

EXAMPLE: “All day my phone ringin' bling, bling, bling/Can see my earring from a mile, bling, bling”—B.G.'s “Bling, Bling”

’bout it
adj.
1. showing dedication; all about a particular topic or action
2. to be thorough in handling one’s business
3. down for any and everything
4. intrepidness; not showing fear

EXAMPLE: “’Cause I'm bout it, I mean I'm rowdy/I hang with these killas that everyone talk about”—Master P's “Bout it, Bout it”

C

cheddar
noun
1. currency; money, usually cash.

EXAMPLE: “See it's all about the cheddar, nobody do it better/Going back to Cali, strictly for the weather”—The Notorious B.I.G.'s “Going Back to Cali”

chillaxin’
verb
1. to chill and relax at the same time.

EXAMPLE: I'm just chillaxin'

coolio
adjective
1. remarkably cool or fresh

ADDITIONAL NOTES: The name of 1990’s rapper Coolio of “Gangsta’s Paradise” fame.

cream
noun
1. currency, usually signaling substantial, long-term wealth

EXAMPLE: “Cash rules everything around me/CREAM! Get the money, dolla, dolla bill y’all.”—Method Man's “C.R.E.A.M.”

D

da bomb or bomb
noun
1. something of surprisingly exceptional quality

verb
1. to be explosively good; mind-blowing.

EXAMPLE: “The pussy was da bomb, had a nigga on sprung”– Snoop Doggy Dogg's “Bitches Ain’t Shit”

doe or dough
noun
1. currency; quick means of exchange

EXAMPLE: "So think a little 'bout the people minus money/And when you get your dough, why don't you show some kindness, honey?"—Run-DMC's "Christmas Is"

drop it like it’s hot
verb
1. to drop one’s backside quickly to the rhythm of a song, catching it just before it touches the floor.

EXAMPLE: “After you back it up, then stop/Then wha, wha, what, drop drop it like it's hot”—Lil Wayne's “Back that Azz Up”

E

everything is everything
phrase
1. it’s all good; used to affirm or confirm that a situation is chill; all is right in the world.

EXAMPLE: “Everything is everything, what is meant to be will be”—Lauryn Hill's “Everything Is Everything”

G

groovy
adjective
1. cool; used to confirm that everything is OK; often uttered during the use of hallucinogenic or psychedelic drugs.

EXAMPLE: “Groovy dude, not to prove to be rude/But this stuff is like what you might put on movie food”—MF DOOM's “Great Day”

H

holla back
verb
1. to reply in order to continue a correspondence with a friend or new acquaintance.

EXAMPLE: "It's alright, you heard? It's alright, holla back"—Jay-Z's "It's Alright"

ADDITIONAL NOTES: officially died in 2005, after the release of Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl”

hooty hoo
noun
1. call used by hustlers to signal the presence of police.
2. tribal utterance acknowledging a friend.

EXAMPLE: “One for the playas at the crib, dank and dranks/And two is for the sound, Hootie Hoo that I make”—Big Boi's “Hootie Hoo”

J

jiggy
adj.
1. fly; dapper; exceptionally well-dressed and put together

EXAMPLE: “Let’s get the dough and stay real jiggy, uh huh/And sip the Cris and get pissy-pissy/Flow infinitely like the memory of my nigga Biggie, baby!”—Jay-Z's “Hard Knock Life”

K

keepin’ it real
verb
1. the act of staying true to one’s self or upbringing

EXAMPLE: “Keepin’ it real, packin’ steel, getting’ high/’Cause life’s a bitch and then ya die”—AZ's “Life’s a Bitch”

L

live
1. full of energy; exciting; lively
2. real, authentic

EXAMPLE: “From Bedford Stuyvesant, the livest one/Representin’ BK to the fullest”—The Notorious B.I.G.'s “Unbelievable”

M

maxin’
verb
1. to do a whole lot of nothing; relaxing without a care in the world.

EXAMPLE: “Chillin’ out, maxin’, relaxin’ all cool and, uh, shootin’ some b-ball outside of the school”—The Fresh Prince's “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Theme Song”

mo’ money, mo’ problems
phrase
1. the eternal conundrum of success; the more money you get, the more problems you have.

EXAMPLE: “I don’t know what they want from me/It’s like the more money we come about, the more problems we see”—The Notorious B.I.G.'s “Mo Money, Mo Problems”

N

no diggity
adj.
1. without a doubt; definite; used to show supreme confidence in something

EXAMPLE: “I like the players/No diggity, no doubt”—Blackstreet's “No Diggity”

S

slammin'
adj.
1. aggressively good; of a definitely superior quality

EXAMPLE: “My rap’s steady slammin’, I keep a heavy cannon/It’s a new sheriff in town, and it ain’t Reggie Hammond.”—Big L's “Put it On”

sneaks
noun
1. from the root word sneakers
2. tennis shoes; kicks; gym shoes

EXAMPLE: "Freaks be movin' in fly sneaks/Two finger rings and gold teeth and ain't afraid to hold heat"—Raekwon's "Ice Cream"

P

phat
adj.
1. used to describe something of considerable thickness or girth, usually a part of the female anatomy;
2. describing something particularly fulfilling; robust; can refer to one’s wealth.
3. acronym for pretty hot and tempting.

Note: Not to be confused with “fat.”

EXAMPLE: “Long as my mutherfuckin’ pockets was phat/I didn’t give a fuck where the bitch was at”—Dr. Dre's “Bitches Ain’t Shit”

W

word up
adj.
1. interjectional statement of the affirmative; shows that the user enthusiastically agrees with what was just said.

EXAMPLE: "Thug changes, and love changes/and best friends become strangers, word up"—Nas' "The Message"

Y

ya played yaself
verb
1. To overstep one’s bounds, unintentionally embarrassing one’s self; to misjudge or underestimate an opponent based on delusions of grandeur.

EXAMPLE: “So put a quarter in your ass, ’cause ya played yaself”—Big Daddy Kane's “The Symphony”—Calvin Stovall