New Teacher Network’s Hip-Hop Dictionary
Teachers are always searching for ways to make connections with their students. The easiest
way for me was always sports talk. But I also read all of the Harry Potter novels and the Hunger
Games trilogy and saw the movies. I have even been known to rap in class. Some of the
members of the New Teachers Network play with hip-hop language and suggested I include a
hip-hop dictionary. Shout out to Jackie Anner, who recommends http://urbandictionary.com as a
helpful source. When you master hip-hop you might hear your students proclaim, “Yo, that
teacher got the cake!”
“Beast” or “Beastin’” can be used in either a positive or negative sense to express that
something is hard or someone is doing something to the extreme. For example, “That homework
was beast last night, I couldn't even read the directions” or “Did you see the Jets game last night?
Darrelle Revis was beastin’ on the Dolphins.”
“Cuffin’ season” means a lot of students are starting to date or getting “wifed up.”
“Cuttin’” refers to someone making fun of someone else. It is sometimes used like this: “Oh
snap, look at that kid’s hair, it looks like her mom did it.” A response might be, “Why you cuttin’
on her?"
“Deadass” means “very,” as in “you’re deadass serious.”
“Feenin’” could mean either hungry or upset, as in “I'm feenin’ for some Popeyes [fried
chicken] right now” or “why you feenin’, mista?”
“Tight” means upset, as in “why you so tight, mista?”
“Violatin’” is short for “violating” and means you crossed the line. When you nag a student
about homework, he or she might say, “Yo, why you violatin’ me, mista?”