Hip-hop is high art. If you don’t understand that, you’re missing out on some of the best poetry being created today. Grant talks about the new book by English professor Adam Bradley called Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip-Hop.
graffer n.— «There’s been an explosion of graffiti in the downtown district in New Haven this summer. To the trained eye, it’s not just an part of the urban landscape. Police say, it is often a reflection of what’s going on in the streets...
twist (someone’s) cap v. phr. 1. to amaze, astonish, or enlighten. 2. (in hip-hop) to kill someone; to beat, outwit, or get the better of someone. Also twist (someone’s) cap back. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
make it rain v. phr.— «From time to time, patrons flung plumes of cash toward the rafters, letting the dollar bills flutter where they may—a ritual known as “making it rain.” It began as a flashy way for big-timers to tip the...
ghetto pass n.— «House nigga scum/Give something back to the place where you made it from/Before you end up broke/Fuck around and get your ghetto pass revoked.» —“True to the Game” by Ice Cube Death...
ghetto pass n.— «It’s like Ice Cube says: “You’re going to get your ghetto pass revoked.”» —“Open-Field Hits: Cox Tackles Tough Subjects” by Vahe Gregorian St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Mo.) June 14...