Jigga What? - The Impact of Hip-Hop Culture on Today's Youth

Kids today. With their music, slang and clothing. Why can't they be more like ... actually kids today are pretty much the same are their parents and grandparents were when it comes to creating their own culture. Only now, instead of flappers, hippies or punks, we've got a generation of youths influenced by hip-hop culture.

It's hard to argue that the current domination of hip-hop in popular music has had a strong influence on the way American teens talk, dress and act. Hip-hop culture has affected a variety of young people, and its effects can be seen in myriad ways.

The Talk

The concept of American youths creating a "second language" is nothing new. Slang has been around forever. Peachy keen turned into groovy, which turned into cool, which turned into tight, which turned into...I don't know, I'm older and I'm kind of lame. The point is, kids always have - and always will - found ways to separate themselves from their older un-hip counterparts, and using slang has been an easy way to do it.

A lot of today's slang comes from hip-hop culture and/or lyrics to rap and hip-hop songs. Rapper/actor/entrepreneur Snoop Doggy Dogg has been a leader in this trend, inspiring the youth of the nation to add -izzle (or -izzey or -izzie) to the end of words. For example: "That was off the hizzle, fo' shizzle, my dizzle!" means "That was off the hook, for sure, my dog." (As far as what "off the hook" means and why anyone would refer to someone as a dog...well, we'll get to that in a minute.)

To help the older crowd grasp this further, here is a list of some slang terms you may hear young people using. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and some of the terms may already be out of style (again, old and lame, here), but it'll give you the idea.

Act a fool - To act up, do something stupid, or to get into trouble.

Baby Momma/Baby Daddy - The parent of your child. As in: "My baby momma is bringing my son over tonight."

Baller - Someone who has established himself. A player, if you will. One who has a lot of money and a way with the ladies.

Biscuit - Posterior. As in the Digital Underground song Doowutchyalike, "See a guy you like, just grab him in the biscuits...and doowutchyalike." (Yeah, I know that song is nearly 20 years old, but, one more time...old and lame.)

Bling-Bling - Slang for flashy jewelry, derived from the sound it makes. Also, to shine or sparkle like a diamond. Refers to diamonds themselves, but can also mean anything glamorous, glitzy or extravagant. Can also be a verb, as in: "We were just bling-blinging at that party!"

Boo - A term of endearment, like honey or baby.

Boo-Yaa - Totally dope (yet another term for "cool") and incredibly fine. Probably originated from the hip-hop group "Boo-Yaa Tribe." The term has recently been overused and ruined by ESPN's Stuart Scott.

Cheese - Money. See the Jay-Z song Big Pimpin' - "Big pimpin' spendin' cheese."

Chickenhead - Any dumb person (usually a woman) who clucks (speaks) a lot and wanders around aimlessly without a purpose, like a chicken with its head cut off. I'm trying to keep it clean here. Basically, it's a derogatory term for loose women.

Digits - Phone number. As in: "Did you get her digits?"

Dog - Or Dogg, it means a friend. Like it's predecessor, "Cat."

Down Low - Secret, covert, or low profile. For instance, you'd want to keep an extramarital affair on the "down low."

Drop it Like it's Hot - Referring to letting go of something that is burning your hand, it relates to dancing, as in bending down and making your knees touch your elbows.

Floss - To brag, boast or show off.

Front - Pretend to be that which you are not. Act and talk tough.

Ghost - Out of here; leave. As in: "After fifth period, I'm ghost."

Grill - Your face. "She was all up in my grill," meaning she was in my face. Also refers to a type of jewelry that's worn over the teeth.

Ice - Diamonds or jewelry with diamonds in or on it.

Live - Great. As in: "That party last night was live!"

Mad - An adjective meaning "a lot." "He's got mad game," means he can really talk to the ladies. "Mad skills" refers to a high level of skill.

Peep - Check this out. As in: "Peep this new album."

Phat - Really good, extremely well put together. Also can be an acronym for Pretty Hot And Tempting and some others that we won't get into here.

Off the Hook - Outstanding, crazy, wild or a lot of fun. As in: "That concert was off the hook!"

Shorty - Term of affection for a significant other or a younger sibling.

Snap - A form of verbal jestering. "Oh snap" is said if you just got picked on or insulted (snapped on). Can also mean, "oh shoot," as in "I didn't know," or "I forgot something."

Tight - Very cool, a state of mind, feeling really good at the moment. Interchangeable with cool, dope, straight, all good or fresh.

Tripping - Or trippin', it means literally making a misstep, or figuratively doing something wrong. Also, refers to responding to the effects of alcohol or narcotics, or freaking out or reacting in an irrational manner. As in: "Mandy is just my lab partner, but when Amy saw me talking to her, she started tripping."

Wack - Negative, crazy or weird.

Whip - A nice car.

Word - Also "word is bond" or "tru dat" (true that). Saying this means what you are saying is absolutely correct, and you don't have to put up money to prove it. Your word is your bond.

The Clothes

Another effect hip-hop culture has had on America's youth pertains to the way kids dress. Just like the short skirts of the flappers and the tie-dyes of the hippies, today's counter-culture has its own unique styles. Baggy clothes, sports jerseys, big coats, skullcaps, visors, "wife-beater" tank tops, head- and wristbands, and clothes adorned with flashy graphics are all common hip-hop threads. New York designer Karl Kani's FUBU (For Us, By Us) fashion line, launched in 1992, features many of these looks, a style that has become synonymous with the hip-hop genre.

Shoes are also very important to the hip-hop culture. Having the right "kicks" (shoes) is often crucial to maintaining your credibility or "street cred." This likely harkens back to hip-hop's origins on Bronx basketball courts. From Air Jordans to Jay-Z's line of footwear, shoes have been a key element to the hip-hop look.

The Attitude

With the clothes and the slang comes the hip-hop attitude. Questioning authority, acting ultra-cool and laid back, making loud and outlandish gestures, and having an unearned sense of entitlement are things many of today's youth do that make older people wonder: "What the hell is wrong with kids these days?"

The hip-hop attitude further widens the generational gap, giving today's youth their own identities and ways of life. Many of today's youth are loud, cocky and full of piss and vinegar. Often their attitudes are shaped by the brazen attitudes of many prominent pop-culture figures, and they way they do and say what they wish, when they want to do it. The dream of working hard to get a good job, a wife, kids and the house with the white picket fence has been replaced with dreams of get-rich-quick endeavors, a string or meaningless relationships, cars, yachts, mansions and jewelry.

Conclusion

Sure, kids today talk, dress and act differently. But, is this anything new?

A generation ago, today's grandparents were worried about what influence the Beatles and Elvis Presley would have on their children. Now, those same people who were "corrupted" by the music of their time have kids of their own who are being "corrupted" by hip-hop culture.

To put it all into perspective, consider this quote from the fifth century by Greek philosopher Socrates:

"Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority, they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers."

Sound familiar?

So, as hard as it may be for today's parents to understand the youth culture, it's not really much different to when the parents themselves were young. Bottom line, kids will always talk, act and carry themselves differently than the generation before them, if for no other reason than to distinguish themselves from the rest of the world and to make their voices heard.

The key here is not for parents to view their children as uncontrollable, unreadable and unrelatable. They are your own flesh and blood. Whether it's right there on the surface or buried in baggy clothes, parts of you are in your kids. The best thing to do is to take the time and initiative to try and understand your children. Ask them about the music, movies, television shows, clothes and hobbies they're into, and make a conscious effort to see what they think is so great about them. Then, you'll have a better grasp on who your kids are and where they're coming from. You'll finally "get" why they say and do the things they say and do.

We live in a constantly changing world. What once was not allowed or accepted may be perfectly normal today. So, when you question today's youth on their speech, clothing or attitudes, think about when you were a kid and thought how "square" your parents were. It may just put the whole hip-hop culture into perspective