Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post provides definitions of and information about certain African American Vernacular English words from certain viral contemporary Hip Hop dance songs.
Most of the dances that are mentioned in this post have been used in video dance challenges. This post includes lyrics for the portions of these songs that are used for dance challenges, but doesn't include descriptions of or instructions for these dances.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, linguistic, and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
WARNING: Although these songs/dances are or were very popular with children and preteens, some of them contain profanity, the "n word", sexually explicit references, and other content that I believe is inappropriate for those populations.
Pancocojams posts on a number of the songs/dances that are mentioned in this post can be found by clicking on the "African American Hip Hop" tag or other tags that are given below in this post.
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(PARTIAL) ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN AMERICAN HIP HOP DANCE VERNACULAR WORDS (with a video example)
BOUJEE
Entry #1:
From https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bougie
"bougie
In urban pop culture, the word bourgeoisie is shortened to "bougie." The word is often used by working class African Americans who accuse more successful black people of selling out.
Uncle Phil from the Fresh Prince, is so bougie!
#bougie#money#american#power#class"
by KLCW December 06, 2008
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Entry #2
From http://www.refinery29.com/2017/01/135407/migos-bad-boujee-meaning What It Actually Means To Be "Bad & Boujee", SESALI BOWEN. JANUARY 9, 2017
...“Also stylized as bougie, the word ["bougee] is derived from “bourgeois,” an elite demographic defined by a need for luxury and material items. Bougie is true to that definition in a lot of ways. Black bougie folks often pride themselves on going to the best schools and only engaging in activities associated with affluence and elegance. In the most simplistic terms, bougie is the material opposite of “ghetto.”
What makes Migos' song so magical is its insistence on embracing a “bougie” that relies on the group's already assumed exclusion from the world of the bourgeoisie. With their Atlanta dialects and multi-color locs, Migos isn't exactly a fixture at the posh country club.
But the guys practice refinement in other ways.
In the music video, you’ll notice that the “Bad and Boujee” girls don’t smile or dance. They take selfies and drink champagne with their microwaveable ramen. This is the paradox that Migos has built its entire brand on. The lure of a girl that’s “Bad and Boujee” is exclusivity. When a woman is unavailable to the advances of men, unfriendly, and generally unapproachable, she can be labeled bougie. Her standards, unrealistic or not, signify that the members of Migos themselves are insiders in the world of luxury, even as they remain true to their humbler roots. Boujee is about both affluence and attitude. Even their alternate spelling is a demand to define luxe [sic] on their own terms. I will forever love them for that."...
-snip-
In the context of Migos' "Bad & Boujee" song, "bad" has the African American Vernacular English meaning of "very good".
WARNING: This song/video contains a great deal of profanity and also includes "the n word".
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DAB
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dab_(dance) [retrieved July 9, 2017]
Dabbing, or the dab, is a simple dance move or playful gesture, in which a person drops their head into the bent crook of a slanted arm, while raising the opposite arm in a parallel direction but out straight. The move looks similar to someone sneezing into the "inside" of the elbow.[1][2]....
Origins
The dab has its origins in the Atlanta hip-hop scene, but there was initially disagreement about who originated the dance.[4]....
Popularity
In 2015, the dab rose to national prominence in the United States. As XXL magazine reported in August 2015, "What started as a regional down South adlib is quickly becoming a masterful maneuver in clubs and on street corners. It’s called dabbin’."....
The dab gained popularity in U.S. sports following an eight-second celebratory dab by Cam Newton, football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League, during a game against the Tennessee Titans on November 15, 2015.[10][11] According to a Sports Illustrated account of the incident, "[w]hen two Titans players confronted [Newton] about the celebration, he continued to dance in their faces, even as he backed away."[1] ....
-snip-
WARNING: Migos' "Dab" song includes a lot of profanity.
Here are partial lyrics from iHeartMemphis' song "Lean And Dab".
From http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/iheartmemphis/leananddabb.html
"Lean and dab, lean and dab
Lean and dab, lean and dab
Lean and dab, lean and dab
Lean and dab, lean and dab
[2x]
Wake up in the morning then I dab
Had to pull up on the block 'cause today I get to whip
And you know my top drop and my car's name is nae-nae
Had to hit the Quan 'cause today is a good day"...
-snip-
These lyrics include references to some other viral Hip Hop dance songs that are discussed in this post.
"Lean" refers to do a leaning back movement.
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DAB OF RANCH
Pancocojams Editor:
"Dab of Ranch" is a referent in Migos' song "Rolex". With regard to that song, "dab of ranch" probably refers to However, the earliest meaning of that phrase as it was used by the Hip Hop group Migos was "a small amount of ranch dressing". The second meaning of "dab" is "diamonds on the face of a Rolex watch or another expensive watch". This meaning is a play on the vernacular meaning of "dab" that is given above. When they dance to "Rolex", people do the "dab" movement on the line "a dab of ranch".
Here's a portion of the lyrics for the "Dab Of Ranch" song:
"Get your rap snacks with a dab of ranch
With a dab of ranch
With a dab of ranch
We can make it happen
Get your rap snacks
We can make it snappin'"
-snip-
Here's some information about "dab of ranch"
Entry #1:
From http://www.lipstickalley.com/showthread.php/1186756-What-does-Dab-of-Ranch-mean
05-29-2017, 11:03 AM #1
ban1o,
"What does Dab of Ranch mean
MY 14 year old brother is obsessed with this song that goes "All I want is a rollie rollie rollie with a dab of ranch" Is he saying? that wrong What does that mean?
Last edited by ban1o; 05-29-2017 at 12:02 PM.
05-29-2017, 11:07 AM #2
cmc1974
Re: What does Dab of Ranch mean
A small amount of ranch dressing?
05-29-2017, 11:19 AM #6
BRUHWHOCARES
Re: What does Dab of Ranch mean
it was a jingle made on accident by Migos while they were promoting their rap snacks
06-01-2017, 08:51 PM #14
Kim Possible
Re: What does Dab of Ranch mean
A Rolex with diamonds in the face"
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Entry #2:
From http://www.complex.com/music/2016/11/watch-migos-rap-snacks-sour-cream-with-dab-of-ranch-jingle "This Migos Rap Jingle for Rap Snacks Is Amazing" by Jessie Morris, NOV 30, 2016
"Migos might have just created the greatest jingle for Rap Snacks.
The rap trio are the face of the potato chip brand's latest flavor, Sour Cream With a Dab of Ranch, and decided to pay tribute to their favorite snack by spitting bars about its deliciousness. The video opens up with Takeoff showing off the chips before Quavo pops into the frame and to rap about their chips' flavor on beat with the music playing in the background. "With a dab of ranch, with a dab of ranch we can make it happen/Ooh, ooh, get ya Rap Snacks, aye, they make it snappin."
Rap Snacks were created back in 1994 when they were dubbed "The Official Snack of Hip Hop." The snacks were sold in convenience stores and always featured both known and up and coming rappers with a cartoon version of the rapper on the front and a biography about the artist on the back of the package.
Migos' flavor is one of three new flavors the snack brand launched this year including Fetty Wap's Honey Jalapeno and Romeo Miller, who is also a part-owner of the company, Bar-B-Quin With My Honey flavor.
Chance the Rapper's Kit-Kat jingle may no longer be the best hip-hop snack song out there anymore. Watch Migos dab for some ranch above and pick up some Rap Snacks Sour Cream With a Dab of Ranch at a trap store near you. You can also read up on the history of Rap Snacks right here. http://rapsnacks.net/
-snip-
The word "trap" here refers to "Trap music". Click http://runthetrap.com/what-is-trap-music/ for information about the trap music genre.
This "jingle" was later made into its own song. Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtavNowBjHY for a video of this song. That song only contains one instance of the mild curse word "damn".
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"HIT THE [DANCE NAME]"
In the context of contemporary African American Hip Hop dance songs, "hit the" means "do the ___ (dance).
Another word that is used in contemporary African American Vernacular English in the same way as "Hit the [dance name] is "Drop the [dance name].
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HIT THE QUAN
[This entry is quoted from this earlier pancocojams post: https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/08/what-hit-quan-really-means.html
" "Hit The Quan" is a Hip Hop dance/song. The song was written and performed by @iHeartMemphis as a tribute to the Flex ("Walk Thru") dance that Atlanta, Georgia Hip Hop artist Rich Homie Quan is known to perform during his shows.
The command to "hit the quan" means "Do the dance that was popularized by rapper Rich Homie Quan."
Rich Homie Quan's birth name is Dequantes Lamar. The word "Quan" in the song "Hit The Quan" refers to that rapper's dance. I don't know whether "Quan" is a nickname that that rapper had before he adopted "Rich Homie Quan" as his stagename. However, it seems likely that "Quan" could be a nickname for "Dequantes" and/or for other names that begin or end with the element "quan" such as "Daquan" and "Quantrell"."...
-snip-
Here's the portion of "Hit The Quan" that is usually used for dance challenges:
"Hit the Quan, hit the Quan, hit the Quan, hit the Quan
I said get down low and swing your arm
I said get down low and hit the Quan
I'm finna show you how to
Hit the Quan, hit the Quan, hit the Quan, hit the Quan
I said get down low and swing your arm
I said get down low and hit the Quan"
-snip-
"Finna" is a (usually Southern) African American term that means "getting ready to". "Finna" comes from the pronunciation "fixing to".
"Get down low" means to dance somewhat low to the floor.
-snip-
WARNING: The complete "Hit The Quan" song contains profanity and the four letter form of the n word. The shortened form of this song that is featured in dance challenges doesn't include that content.
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JUJU ON THE BEAT
In the context of this Hip Hop record, I believe that there are two possible definitions for the term "juju on the beat":
1. "Juju on the beat" means to do a certain Hip Hop dance move (or do certain Hip Hop dance moves) on the beat (to the record's beat)
I'm not sure whether there's any firm agreement on what dance move or moves are called "the juju" (or "juju on the beat").
Just as there's a specific dance that is done when the rapper says "Do the Running Man" - there may be a specific dance move or series of dance moves that dancers are supposed to do when the rapper says "juju on the beat".
2. Juju on the beat means to "be or act "turnt up" (i.e. to really give something all you’ve got, to go “all in”, to really go all out, to really get down, to "go wild" with just a few or with no inhibitions).
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Comments about Definition #1 & Definition #2:
[These comments were written by me for this earlier pancocojams post: https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/10/what-does-juju-on-that-beat-and-tm.html
"From watching a number of those videos and from reading many of the comments in those video's discussion threads, it seems to me that many of the dancers who post challenge dance videos for "Juju On The Beat (TZ Anthem) base their dance moves on those performed by the Fresh The Clown duo*. But those dancers and others still tend to substitute their own pantomime and dance moves for some of those that the Fresh The Clown duo perform. In the beginning of the routine for the command" (call to) "juju on the beat", the duo leaned forward and then leaned back while moving their shoulders up and down to the beat.
However, Zay Hilfiger's comment (given in Excerpt #3 below) indicates that he "started saying “JuJu” in 2014. Also read my transcription of Zay Hilfiger's response to television host Kelly Ripa's question "What does Juju On The Beat mean?". Zay said that ["juju on the beat" is] "my arch ego. It’s like I’m the height... turned up...I don’t care." That transcription is found after the video given as Example #5.
I believe those comments support the second definition that is given in this post for the term "juju on the beat". However, I think that this is an earlier meaning that Zay Hilfiger had for "juju" and not most often used definition for that word in the context of that Hip Hop record.
-snip-
If Fresh The Clown's video actually is the prototype for "juju on the beat" routines, the way that dance move appears to be performed isn't the say way that Zay Hilfiger, the primary creator of this record, performed it in a video that he published on YouTube on August 15, 2016. That video shows him and a female friend performing a dance routine to his record.
-snip-
My guess is that "TZ Anthem" means two Z's ("Zay Hilfiger and Zayion McCall)'s anthem. Or "t" might stand for "the" Z's (Zay and Zayion) anthem. **
-snip-
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M42JK7WQRsM for a video of Fresh The Clowns dancing to "Juju On The Beat".
-snip-
Here's the portion of "Juju On The Beat" that is usually used for that record's dance challenges:
[Verse 1: Zay Hilfiger]
"Walked in this party
And these girls lookin' at me
Skinny jeans on and you know my hair nappy
Hey, hey, hey
Okay, okay
I want y'all do it, do this dance now
[Hook: Zay Hilfiger]
JuJu on the beat
JuJu on that beat
JuJu on that, JuJu on that, JuJu on that beat
Now slide, drop
Hit dem folks, don't stop, aye
Don't stop, aye
Don't stop, aye
Running man on that beat, aye
Running man on that beat, aye
Running man on that beat, aye
Running man on that beat
Now do your dance, do your dance, do your dance, aye"
-snip-
"Nappy" means hair that many Black people have that isn't straightened by heat or chemicals. Its use in this song documents the fact that more African Americans are wearing their hair in natural hairstyles.
"Running man" is a late 1980s old school Hip Hop dance that is sometimes still done now, usually for playful, nostalgic purposes. Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Running_man_(dance) for information about "The Running Man" dance.
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NAE NAE
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nae_Nae*
"The Nae Nae is a hip-hop dance...[that] typically follows another move called "The Whip."
The Atlanta hip hop group We Are Toonz is credited for inventing the phrase with their hit song "Drop That NaeNae" in 2013.[3][4][5] The dance was based on a character from the 1990s sitcom Martin.[3][4] In the series, Martin Lawrence cross-dressed to play Sheneneh Jenkins, an exaggerated, sassy “ghetto girl”.[6] The group member CalLamar stated in an interview with Billboard, “It’s really just based on a ratchet girl in the club dancing kind of funny and the best girl to describe it is Sheneneh from Martin.”[3][4][5] In one interview, Martin Lawrence stated he was “flattered” by the dance.[7]
Throughout 2014, the song achieved widespread popularity on social media such as Vine, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.[3][5] It has also been performed as a celebratory dance at collegiate and professional sporting events.[3][8]"...
In 2015, American rapper Silentó released his debut single "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" which also included the Nae Nae along with other dance moves, appearing in viral videos and mainstream media.[6][9]...
-snip-
This article includes descriptions of these dances that may not be accurate.
-snip-
Here's an often quoted portion of Silento's "Watch Me" song:
From http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/silento/watchmewhipnaenae.html
..."Now watch me whip (Kill it!)
Watch me nae nae (Okay!)
Now watch me whip whip
Watch me nae nae (Can you do it?)
Now watch me"....
-snip-
That song also mentions three more African American originated dance moves the "stanky legs", the bop", and break your legs"
-snip-
Read the entry about the dance called "the Whip" below.
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ROLLIE
From https://genius.com/Migos-dab-of-ranch-lyrics
Asked by Fʀıeᴅ Chıcκeɴ, May 2017
"What does "Rollie" mean?
Rollie is slang for a Rolex, a watch brand from Switzerland associated with wealth due to its steep price point and status"
-snip-
The portion of the "Rolex" song that is used for dance challenges is
[Chorus: Teo]
"I just want a Rollie, Rollie, Rollie with a dab of ranch
I already got some designer to hold up my pants
I just want some ice on my wrist so I look better when I dance
Have you lookin' at it, put you in a trance"
-snip-
The line "I got some designer" probably means a designer brand belt.
"ice on my wrist" means diamonds on the face of the Rolex watch. This is the second meaning that was given to the phrase "with a dab of ranch".
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WHIP
[These quotes are included in this previous pancocojams post:https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/07/silentos-watch-me-whip-nae-nae-other.html]
SLANG MEANING FOR THE WORD "WHIP" (in the dance "Watch me (Whip/Nae Nae)
From http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Whip
"Whip
When the steering wheel was first put into use in automobiles, it was called the "whip". The whip is what you used to control the horses on a stagecoach, hence the analogy. Many years later, various hip hop artists noticed that the Mercedes-Benz logo resembled a steering wheel. They then proceeded to use the old term "whip" to describe any Mercedes-Benz vehicle. The term has now been generalized to classify any expensive automobile.
The new show "Unique Whips" on SpikeTV is obviously going to suck."
by dieselaj February 04, 2005
**
"whip
A whip has simply come to represent a car. It has been said that it was used a long time ago when a whip would be used to steer the horse-drawn carriages. It is used in hip-hop fashion, and it has come represent any car not neccesarily a really nice car.
"Yo, you want scoop me to scoop you up, I gotta whip"
#whip #whips #car #wip #wipe"
by kyle ramba October 20, 2006
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From http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=the%20whip
"The Whip
the term "whip" is referred to as a dance. The motion consists of lifting the knee opposite which ever arm you are using, then dropping it and moving you arm straight like you are driving a car. this dance move is associated closely with the nae nae and the song "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)
Can you do the whip
Yes! Watch me Whip *Ayyyee* Now watch me nae nae.
#dance #car #popular #nae nae #whipping""
by haysmith March 18, 2015"
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