Beyond the braggadocio and lascivious lyrics, the Hip Hop genre deserves credit for launching new language. According to David Crystal, a British language writer, “all living languages change.”
Never static, the trajectory of language is catapulted by the adoption of new social norms. An article in today’s NYT defines social norms as the “often-unspoken rules of a group” that drive behavior and attitudes.
Coined to connote the conspicuous consumption of ostentatious jewelry in the 90s, bling-bling remains my all-time favorite. Given its traction, bling-bling has since blown Cash Money’s hip hop coup in its travels to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
In citing the need for language change to accompany something invented, Crystal nails the origin of “crunk.” ‘Lil Jon, the self-professed southern King of Crunk, spawned the hip hop classification, however, “crunk” is also the modern day equivalent to what Pop Papa Prince called crazy. Though fading from the fringes of cool, a Memphis-based marketing CEO tweeted this week: “BBQ gonna be crunk.”
In citing the need for language change to accompany something invented, Crystal nails the origin of “crunk.” ‘Lil Jon, the self-professed southern King of Crunk, spawned the hip hop classification, however, “crunk” is also the modern day equivalent to what Pop Papa Prince called crazy. Though fading from the fringes of cool, a Memphis-based marketing CEO tweeted this week: “BBQ gonna be crunk.”
Fast forward to 2010 and what has emerged in frequent rotation is the word “convo,” an abbreviation for conversation. Although the word has yet to meet a Merriam-Webster page, Trey Songz’ “Say Ahh” prompted my introduction: “I got a table waiting, what you think about a convo? If you like it baby, we can take it to the condo.” Earlier, that same marketing executive blared "social" amplifies convos…” in Twitterdom.
Repetition is contagious and ahh, how language continues to transcend the demographic from which it was derived.
Every generation, music genre, culture, and industry contributes to the changing vocabulary of mankind.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting your comment. You're absolutely right; however, I've not known those contributions to go "mainstream extreme."
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