Greek/Hip-hop glossary

This glossary was compiled by Brett Johnson, a former senior editor at Vibe, the Source and Time Out New York. His articles have appeared in Newsday, the Los Angeles Times, Essence, Complex and several other national publications. He lives in Brooklyn.

Abantes A people of ancient Greece known as fierce warriors in Homer's The Iliad.

AKs Shorthand term that refers to an AK-47, a gas-operated assault rifle designed during the 1940s
that still remains popular today.

Ali G The thick-headed, double-talking wannabe thug that British comic actor Sacha Baron Cohen
portrayed in HBO's Da Ali G Show.

Apollo (both meanings) 1. The son of supreme Greek god Zeus, Apollo is the Greek god of the sun.
His children include the enchanting singer Orpheus and Asklepios, the god of healing.
2. World famous Harlem concert hall known for its Wednesday Amateur Nights at the Apollo.

Atalanta In Greek mythology, she's the female athlete.

The Acropolis Typically known as the upper part of a town, the acropolis in Athens is the peak
on which the Greeks’ most famous buildings stand.

Athena The daughter of Greek supreme god Zeus, Athena is the goddess of wisdom, war,
industry, justice and skill.

Avant-garde Intellectuals who strive to develop experimental or iconoclastic work in the arts.

Badu (as in Erykah Badu) Dallas-bred R&B singer whose sultry voice has often been compared
to Billie Holiday.

Bling-bling This term was popularized in the song "Bling Bling" by New Orleans rapper BG
of the Cash Money Millionaires to describe diamond-flooded, platinum jewelry or especially
ostentatious style.

Caddy - Or Cadillac This luxury sedan was considered the Mercedes Benz for Black folks during
its popular heyday during the 1970s.

Chiron This centaur-part horse body, part human torso-was respected as a profound oracle, healer
and astrologer who taught Achilles and Theseus among others.

Crunk 1. Crunk music-Literally a fusion of "crazy" and "drunk," the term refers to an extreme good
time. ("This party is so crunk!") 2. Southern-based rap music popularized by Lil Jon & the Eastside
Boyz and performed by many groups from Georgia.

Cyprus (the Island and Cypress Hill the group) 1. Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, love, sex and
passion, was born here. 2. Weed-loving California rap trio enjoyed huge success through the '90s
with hits "How I Could Just Kill a Man" and "Insane in the Membrane."

Drachma Greek currency used throughout Alexander the Great's empire.

Eurydice Love interest of Orpheus who was killed by a serpent's bite and descended into Hades's
underworld.

Fatima (Robinson, hip hop choreographer) Dancer responsible for creating the moves for Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time" video as well as in music clips from Mary J. Blige, Nelly, the
Backstreet Boys and a recent Gap ad campaign.

G, G-d, Gs 1. Shorthand for "gangsta" but can be used to describe someone with notorious
street status. 2. To have casual sex (i.e., "I G'd that girl last night.")

Goldie The name of the pimp played by Max Julien in the 1973 blaxploitation film, The Mack.

Gully Term used to describe someone or something from the streets, or a poor background. Also used
to describe ghetto behavior (i.e., “We keep it gully.")

Hades The lord of the dead and the underworld. His brothers Zeus and Poseidon ruled the upperworld
and the sea, respectively.

Hanoi Capital city of Vietnam.

Homer (the poet and the cartoon) 1. Author of epic poems The Iliad and The Odysssey. 2. Bumbling
father on long running cartoon on Fox, The Simpsons.

Langston Hughes (1902-1967) Prolific poet and writer of the 1920s Harlem Renaissance whose
Montage of a Dream Deferred inspired the title of Lorraine Hansberry's play, A Raisin in the Sun.

Hydraulics System of pumps and cylinders used to adjust the height of cars enough to make them
hop or even roll on two or three wheels.

Ithaca (the Island and the U.S. city) 1. The home of Odysseus of Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey.
2. Home city of Cornell University in central New York State.

Jason and the Golden Fleece Jason is a hero in Greek mythology who traveled with the
Argonauts - a band of 10 other heroes including Orpheus and Atalanta-to capture the golden fleece
from King Aeetes of Colchis. The king's daughter Medea helped Jason retrieve the invaluable ram.

Jay-Z Multi-platinum selling Brooklyn rapper (born Shawn Carter) who's dropped seven solo studio albums, hawked his own clothing line (Roc-a-Wear) and retired last year to become president of
Def Jam Records. See also: Boyfriend of R&B singer Beyoncé.

Mack, Mack Daddy, Baby Mack 1. A pimp; or a man who is popular with the ladies. 2. Baby mack
is a young man, perhaps a teenager, who from an early age is the subject of many ladies' attention.

M.C.s Acronym for Master of Ceremonies, or microphone controller; a term that rappers use to describe themselves.

Method Man This Staten Island rapper (born Clifford Smith) first shot to stardom as a member of the Wu-Tang Clan in the mid-90s. He later enjoyed solo rap success as well as starring in buddy comedies on TV and in film with New Jersey rapper Redman.

Metrosexual An urban man who is preoccupied with his grooming and has an aesthetic sense that is more evolved than the average male.

Minotaur In Greek mythology, this creature is part human, part bull and lived in the labyrinth. He was eventually killed by Theseus, a legendary king of Athens.

Neptune(s) 1. The Roman god of water is often compared to Poseidon, the god of the sea, protector of all waters in Greek mythology. 2. The Virginia beatmaking duo of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo has produced major hits for Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake among many
others.

Nigger, nigga 1. Perhaps the most offensive racial slur word used to express hatred against black people. 2a. Used by blacks, "nigga" can also have a negative connotation when used to offend or degrade (i.e., "Nigga, you ain't shit." Or "You're just a nigga like me.") 2b. In hip-hop parlance, "nigga" can also be a way to express friendship or closeness (i.e., "What's up, my nigga!")

Notorious B.I.G. (1972-1997) Born Christopher Wallace, this Brooklyn-bred rapper only completed two studio albums (Ready to Die and Life After Death) before his untimely murder in 1997. Despite past East Coast-West Coast beef, his rotund charm has immortalized him as a hip-hop icon.

Nuyorican 1. A fusion of the terms "New York" and "Puerto Rican" to describe New Yorkers of Puerto Rican ancestry. 2. Shorthand for the Nuyorican Poets' Café, a well known venue for spoken word poets and musicians in New York City's Lower East Side.

O.G. An acronym for Original Gangsta, this term refers generally to veterans of a certain school of thought, and specifically to the pioneers of West Coast gang culture.

Orpheus/ Black Orpheus 1. As Greek mythology's greatest musician and poet, Orpheus's sweet tunes brought his wife Eurydice back from the clutches of Hades, the lord of the dead. 2. Orfeu Negro is a 1959 film based on the same myth set amid Rio de Janeiro's Carnival.

Patra Sporting long braids and an elastic waistline, this queen of the dancehall ruled the reggae scene during the mid-90s.

Parthenon Built between 447 and 438 BC, this temple which stands on the top of Greece's Acropolis hill is the most significant monument of ancient Greek civilization. It's dedicated to Athena Parthenos, the goddess of Athens.

Peloponnese This expansive peninsula in southern Greece was controlled by Pelops, son of King
Tantalus and Dione.

Phat Farm This popular clothing line of urban preppie mens and ladieswear is headed by Def Jam Records founder Russell Simmons.

Playa hater A person who finds fault in the success and ambition of another.

Play Station Video game console manufactured by Sony.

Poseidon Greek god of the sea.

Rhodes (the Island and the piano) 1. The easternmost Greek island in the Aegean Sea is known as
the home of the Colossus of Rhodes, a towering statue of the sun god Helios, which is considered
one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. 2. An electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes in
the 1940s and used by musicians through the years such as Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, Radiohead
and D'Angelo.

Sophocles A Greek dramatist whose most famous tragedy Oedipus Rex told the legend of Oedipus,
the King of Thebes who kills his father, weds his mother with whom he unwittingly has two sons,
Eteocles and Polynices, and two daughters, Antigone and Ismene.

The Sphinx In Greek mythology often represented as a winged lion with a woman's head, she sits
outside Thebes and kills passersby who can't correctly answer the riddle: "Which creature in the
morning goes on four feet, at noon on two and in the evening upon three?" Oedipus solves the query
by responding "Man"- the only being who crawls on all fours as a baby, on two feet as an adult and
with a cane in old age. Consequently, the sphinx kills herself.

Piri Thomas Major voice from the Nuyorican Movement of the '60s, this Puerto Rican-Cuban poet
and writer is best known for his 1967 autobiography, Down These Mean Streets.

Trojan (the soldier/citizen and the condom) 1. A citizens of the city of Troy. 2. "American's most
trusted condom."

Troy This ancient Greek city was the scene of the Trojan War described in Homer's The Iliad.

Wanksta Conflation of the terms "weak" and "gangsta" that Queens rapper 50 Cent used to describe wannabe thugs and rival MC Ja Rule in the song, "Wanksta" off his 2003 debut disc, Get Rich or Die Tryin'.

Saul Williams This actor-poet-singer debuted in the 1998 film Slam and later recorded two albums,
2001's Amethyst Rock Star and 2004's eponymous disc.

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