The thing about rap is…it’s trendy. Actually, it sets most of the trends that the rest of the world follows. So when something catches on in Hip-Hop, it usually gets run through the ringer by the artists and fans first – right before the media puts it on auto-repeat, and then Corporate America bastardizes it in commercials with grandmas and little suburban kids. Remember “bling?” Sigh.
Rap lyrics these days are ripe with repeat references – some of them you know, and admit it, some of them have left you scratching your head. A common thread in these popular phrases is their connection to the “baller” lifestyle. That might be the reason the rest of us little people have to live vicariously through our favorite rappers when they spit new slang or name-drop new brands.
Because you wanna know, AllHipHop.com refers to its own encyclopedic knowledge of “all things cool in rap” to explain these Top 5 over-used words and phrases to you, our faithful readers. You’re welcome 🙂
1. BASQUIAT (proper noun)
: referring to the late Brooklyn-born graffiti and Neo-expressionist artist of Haitian descent, Jean-Michel Basquiat (pictured above), whose paintings are a necessary item to possess in order to be considered a member of the new Black Opulence in rap. Basquiat’s teenage runaway tale, starving artist world travels, and untimely death at age 27 are the stuff that makes for good Hip-Hop legend.
Usage:
“She said I care more about them Baquiones/
Basquiats, she learning/The new word is yacht…” – Kanye West, “That’s My B*tch”
2. MOLLY, DRANK, AND THAT BROWN OR THAT WHITE (proper nouns)
Now, these? We’re definitely not gonna go all out and co-sign them, because hey, there are kiddies reading and listening, too, but…
– Molly
: of or referring to the recreational usage of V##### or other anti-anxiety or sleep- or hallucinogen-inducing drugs (e.g. Ecstacy)
Usage:
“She on Molly, she with Mary/At the same damn time…” – Wale, “Same Damn Time Remix”
See also: Jae Millz ft. 2 Chainz – “Molly”
– Drank
: a newer model colloquialism for “lean” or “sizzurp,” composed of a promethazine/codeine cocktail and often sipped from a styrofoam cup
Usage:
Lil Wayne, Short Dawg, Kirko Bangz, Too Short, etc. etc.
“Syrup got me slow/like a turtle ‘round this hoe…” – Lil Wayne, “Watch My Shoes”
See also: Kirko Bangz featuring 2 Chainz and Juelz Santana – “Drank In My Cup Remix”
– That Brown or That White
: generally pertaining to heroin (brown) or cocaine (white); term commonly used in “trappin'” references (see #5 below) rather than direct substance abuse; also used to differentiate brown liquor (e.g. Hennessy) from white or clear liquor (e.g. Ciroc); and lastly, Black girls or White girls.
Usage:
“My partner on brown/and you know I’m on white/You know it’s going down/I can do this all night…” – Young Jeezy, “Way Too Gone”
3. PARIS 
(proper noun)
: the capital and largest city in the European country of France; known to be frequented as of late by Jay-Z, Kanye West, Ryan Leslie, and other American rap chaps; a locale denoting triumph for Black boys in every ‘hood. Magnifique’!
Definition Update: Wait! There were plenty of “n*ggas in Paris” way before now! In fact, legendary “Banana Dance” entertainer Josephine Baker thumbed her nose at American racism, deciding to move permanently to the city of Paris in the 1920s, a controversial but ballsy and ballerific move for a Black woman of her time.
Additional Usage:
“If you escaped what I escaped/You’d be in Paris gettin’ f*cked up, too…” – Jay-Z, “N*ggas In Paris”
4. LOTUS FLOWER BOMB (imaginary proper noun)
: NOT pertaining to a real brand of perfume, this smellish, descriptive phrase from last year is still in rotation, and was coined and popularized by the 2011 Wale and Miguel hit of the same name.
Usage:
The term was not originally coined by references made in Nelly’s 2011 remix by the same title. Although his usage was proper, it was possibly not as memorable.
5. TRAPPIN’ (present participle of ‘trap’ – verb)
: a slang term used in correlation with ballers who are still “’bout that life.” It is commonly applied as the act of marketing street pharmaceuticals from a non-residential domicile.
Usage:
“If I wasn’t rappin’/I be trappin’/If I wasn’t trappin’/I be pimpin'” – 2Chainz, “Beez In The Trap Remix”
See also: Us pondering whether a nice girl like Nicki Minaj actually “beez in the trap.”
*** BONUS: CAKE
: historically used for slang purposes to refer to large amounts of currency or cash, the term has now been modernized in song to include references to the female sexual anatomy
Usage:
“It’s not even my birthday/But he wanna lick the icing off/(he want that cake, cake, cake, cake…)” – Rihanna and Chris Brown, “Birthday Cake”
Additional Usage:
For true ballers, simply upgrade your song by combining two or more of the above terms, as in the case of the MMG general:
“Basquiat, boy!/Cake, cake, cake!” – Rick Ross, Rihanna, and Chris Brown, “Birthday Cake Remix”
Got a few over-used terms of your own to add the examples? Hit us up below!