The worst "rap" slang term that has been co-opted by the mainstream is "jiggy." I cringe when middle-aged white folk talk blissfully about "gettin' jiggy wit it" with no knowledge that the term is derived from "jiggaboo."
The worst "rap" slang term that has been co-opted by the mainstream is "jiggy." I cringe when middle-aged white folk talk blissfully about "gettin' jiggy wit it"
How naive am I that I have never felt "unsafe" in any neighborhood at any time??
[nosarcasm]can't tell if this is sarcastic or not. [/nosarcasm]
I'm pretty much in the same place on the matter. Unless there is a war or something else going on.
The only time I've ever really felt unsafe in a "hood" was this one time in the late 90's I was in Manhattan with some people parked outside the Sony headquarters and one of the dudes I was with (Who was a fairly well known label rep) got a brand new lincoln navagator given to him and he told me to watch his ride while he went in to do some paper work and if Parking Enforcement Officers showed up to drive the car around the block a few times. I started to sweat thinking about getting in an accident and him killing me crashing up his new car.
In all my travels, you always hear stories of area's you shouldn't go. Most of the time these things are all based on fears people get from hearing stories from others. I have no doubt bad things end up happening in certain area's. But the % of it happening to you is probably pretty low. You probably have just as much a chance of getting hit by a car in the nicest of "hoods".
Most recent thing that comes to mind was my travels in Brazil. The amount of things I heard before I went was a touch overwhelming. But the truth of the matter, the whole time there I felt pretty safe. Including my time in the favela's. Which, before going I heard sooo much stuff about. But the truth of the matter is, there were a huge portion of really great people there, with probably a couple of bad people in the mix. Just like everywhere else on the planet.
The worst "rap" slang term that has been co-opted by the mainstream is "jiggy." I cringe when middle-aged white folk talk blissfully about "gettin' jiggy wit it" with no knowledge that the term is derived from "jiggaboo."
The worst "rap" slang term that has been co-opted by the mainstream is "jiggy." I cringe when middle-aged white folk talk blissfully about "gettin' jiggy wit it" with no knowledge that the term is derived from "jiggaboo."
Source for claim re: derivation?
^^^^^ Apparently uses the phrase "gettin' jiggy wit it."
From wiki:
"Gettin' Jiggy wit It" is a single by Will Smith from his album Big Willie Style. Released in early 1998 and co-written by Nas, it was Smith's first hit produced by Poke & Tone, who replaced his long-time partner Jazzy Jeff, though the record-scratching techniques of Jazzy Jeff can be heard in the song.[1] It sampled the Sister Sledge song "He's the Greatest Dancer" and The Bar-Kays song "Sang and Dance". The record spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart from March 14, 1998. This song also won a Grammy Award in 1999 for the Best Rap Solo Performance.
Will Smith has attested in an interview[3] that his inspiration to alter the meaning for the purpose of the song came from his association of the term "jiggy" with "jigaboo", a derogatory term for African-Americans, which made the literal meaning of the title "getting African-American with it" and which was meant to reference the popular folk-myth of an innate sense of rhythm in black folks. The co-opting of a once offensive word also was racially empowering.[3][/b]
The worst "rap" slang term that has been co-opted by the mainstream is "jiggy." I cringe when middle-aged white folk talk blissfully about "gettin' jiggy wit it" with no knowledge that the term is derived from "jiggaboo."
Source for claim re: derivation?
^^^^^ Apparently uses the phrase "gettin' jiggy wit it."
From wiki:
"Gettin' Jiggy wit It" is a single by Will Smith from his album Big Willie Style. Released in early 1998 and co-written by Nas, it was Smith's first hit produced by Poke & Tone, who replaced his long-time partner Jazzy Jeff, though the record-scratching techniques of Jazzy Jeff can be heard in the song.[1] It sampled the Sister Sledge song "He's the Greatest Dancer" and The Bar-Kays song "Sang and Dance". The record spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart from March 14, 1998. This song also won a Grammy Award in 1999 for the Best Rap Solo Performance.
Will Smith has attested in an interview[3] that his inspiration to alter the meaning for the purpose of the song came from his association of the term "jiggy" with "jigaboo", a derogatory term for African-Americans, which made the literal meaning of the title "getting African-American with it" and which was meant to reference the popular folk-myth of an innate sense of rhythm in black folks. The co-opting of a once offensive word also was racially empowering.[3][/b]
Jiggy predates Will Smith's crossover/reinterpretation single.
The worst "rap" slang term that has been co-opted by the mainstream is "jiggy." I cringe when middle-aged white folk talk blissfully about "gettin' jiggy wit it" with no knowledge that the term is derived from "jiggaboo."
Source for claim re: derivation?
^^^^^ Apparently uses the phrase "gettin' jiggy wit it."
From wiki:
"Gettin' Jiggy wit It" is a single by Will Smith from his album Big Willie Style. Released in early 1998 and co-written by Nas, it was Smith's first hit produced by Poke & Tone, who replaced his long-time partner Jazzy Jeff, though the record-scratching techniques of Jazzy Jeff can be heard in the song.[1] It sampled the Sister Sledge song "He's the Greatest Dancer" and The Bar-Kays song "Sang and Dance". The record spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart from March 14, 1998. This song also won a Grammy Award in 1999 for the Best Rap Solo Performance.
Will Smith has attested in an interview[3] that his inspiration to alter the meaning for the purpose of the song came from his association of the term "jiggy" with "jigaboo", a derogatory term for African-Americans, which made the literal meaning of the title "getting African-American with it" and which was meant to reference the popular folk-myth of an innate sense of rhythm in black folks. The co-opting of a once offensive word also was racially empowering.[3][/b]
Interesting. That same wiki page offers up a dictionary definition, which traces the term back to the 1930s, where its meanings included: "wonderful and exciting, esp. because stylish." That doesn't sound much like anything you'd associate with a slur like "jigaboo" (which sounds more like a minstrel-era term).
Moreover, Smith's song came out in 1998. "Jiggy" as a slang term, predates Smith's song by at least 3 years - both Junior Mafia and Ghostface/Raekwon were using the term circa 1995 and back then, I always thought the term was a corruption of "gigantic" rather than "jigaboo."
How naive am I that I have never felt "unsafe" in any neighborhood at any time??
[nosarcasm]can't tell if this is sarcastic or not. [/nosarcasm]
I'm pretty much in the same place on the matter. Unless there is a war or something else going on.
The only time I've ever really felt unsafe in a "hood" was this one time in the late 90's I was in Manhattan with some people parked outside the Sony headquarters and one of the dudes I was with (Who was a fairly well known label rep) got a brand new lincoln navagator given to him and he told me to watch his ride while he went in to do some paper work and if Parking Enforcement Officers showed up to drive the car around the block a few times. I started to sweat thinking about getting in an accident and him killing me crashing up his new car.
In all my travels, you always hear stories of area's you shouldn't go. Most of the time these things are all based on fears people get from hearing stories from others. I have no doubt bad things end up happening in certain area's. But the % of it happening to you is probably pretty low. You probably have just as much a chance of getting hit by a car in the nicest of "hoods".
Most recent thing that comes to mind was my travels in Brazil. The amount of things I heard before I went was a touch overwhelming. But the truth of the matter, the whole time there I felt pretty safe. Including my time in the favela's. Which, before going I heard sooo much stuff about. But the truth of the matter is, there were a huge portion of really great people there, with probably a couple of bad people in the mix. Just like everywhere else on the planet.
yeah, i mean i'm with you & rock on this one.
but i can say for a fact that at least in New Orleans, where i'm at, a large percentage of folks (especially white, but definitely not only) are way too shook to do anything more than drive quickly through large swaths of the city.
Willie: I think Rock's point is that, much like Bone Crusher, he ain't never scared, nowhere.
That said, my original point holds: people who talk about "the hood" as shorthand to refer to an area of town they are fearful of, be it on the basis of class or race (or in most cases, both).
Willie: I think Rock's point is that, much like Bone Crusher, he ain't never scared, nowhere.
It's not that I'm claiming to be some tuff guy....I just think that if you don't go looking for trouble, can look anyone in the eye, stand 6:3/275 and am fugly....there's really no reason to "be ascared" of being anywhere.....especially in the U.S....and I never have.
Comments
Dave Chapelle skit where they swap husbands!!!
[nosarcasm]can't tell if this is sarcastic or not. [/nosarcasm]
Absolutely no sarcasm at all.
Where does this freak show take place??
I'm pretty much in the same place on the matter. Unless there is a war or something else going on.
The only time I've ever really felt unsafe in a "hood" was this one time in the late 90's I was in Manhattan with some people parked outside the Sony headquarters and one of the dudes I was with (Who was a fairly well known label rep) got a brand new lincoln navagator given to him and he told me to watch his ride while he went in to do some paper work and if Parking Enforcement Officers showed up to drive the car around the block a few times. I started to sweat thinking about getting in an accident and him killing me crashing up his new car.
In all my travels, you always hear stories of area's you shouldn't go. Most of the time these things are all based on fears people get from hearing stories from others. I have no doubt bad things end up happening in certain area's. But the % of it happening to you is probably pretty low. You probably have just as much a chance of getting hit by a car in the nicest of "hoods".
Most recent thing that comes to mind was my travels in Brazil. The amount of things I heard before I went was a touch overwhelming. But the truth of the matter, the whole time there I felt pretty safe. Including my time in the favela's. Which, before going I heard sooo much stuff about. But the truth of the matter is, there were a huge portion of really great people there, with probably a couple of bad people in the mix. Just like everywhere else on the planet.
Source for claim re: derivation?
^^^^^ Apparently uses the phrase "gettin' jiggy wit it."
From wiki:
"Gettin' Jiggy wit It" is a single by Will Smith from his album Big Willie Style. Released in early 1998 and co-written by Nas, it was Smith's first hit produced by Poke & Tone, who replaced his long-time partner Jazzy Jeff, though the record-scratching techniques of Jazzy Jeff can be heard in the song.[1] It sampled the Sister Sledge song "He's the Greatest Dancer" and The Bar-Kays song "Sang and Dance". The record spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart from March 14, 1998. This song also won a Grammy Award in 1999 for the Best Rap Solo Performance.
Will Smith has attested in an interview[3] that his inspiration to alter the meaning for the purpose of the song came from his association of the term "jiggy" with "jigaboo", a derogatory term for African-Americans, which made the literal meaning of the title "getting African-American with it" and which was meant to reference the popular folk-myth of an innate sense of rhythm in black folks. The co-opting of a once offensive word also was racially empowering.[3][/b]
Jiggy predates Will Smith's crossover/reinterpretation single.
Jiggy means Fly.
LEAVE HIP HOP ALONE!
On your mark ready set let's go
Dance floor pro I know you know
I go psycho when my new joint hit
Just can't sit
Gotta get jiggy wit it
He wasn't saying it from the 30's use of the word? Or from the jig dance term?
Jiggy
1.
nervous; active; excitedly energetic.
2.
wonderful and exciting, esp. because stylish.
He was saying "gotta get jiggaboo wit it"?
Interesting. That same wiki page offers up a dictionary definition, which traces the term back to the 1930s, where its meanings included: "wonderful and exciting, esp. because stylish." That doesn't sound much like anything you'd associate with a slur like "jigaboo" (which sounds more like a minstrel-era term).
Moreover, Smith's song came out in 1998. "Jiggy" as a slang term, predates Smith's song by at least 3 years - both Junior Mafia and Ghostface/Raekwon were using the term circa 1995 and back then, I always thought the term was a corruption of "gigantic" rather than "jigaboo."
yeah, i mean i'm with you & rock on this one.
but i can say for a fact that at least in New Orleans, where i'm at, a large percentage of folks (especially white, but definitely not only) are way too shook to do anything more than drive quickly through large swaths of the city.
That makes very little sense.
I'm getting the feeling that the "jiggy/jigaboo" connection is about as solid as the "picnic/pick-a-ni**er" meme: http://www.snopes.com/language/offense/picnic.asp
examples: cu l8r, h8r, lol, omfg.
That said, my original point holds: people who talk about "the hood" as shorthand to refer to an area of town they are fearful of, be it on the basis of class or race (or in most cases, both).
Blame Eazy E + the movie.
It's not that I'm claiming to be some tuff guy....I just think that if you don't go looking for trouble, can look anyone in the eye, stand 6:3/275 and am fugly....there's really no reason to "be ascared" of being anywhere.....especially in the U.S....and I never have.
Please tell us some more stories about how you 'handle your business' in 'the hood'...