Hip-hop culture and slang: b-boy, b-girl, MC, DJ, fresh, wack and the rest

If you have just walked into your first battle and half of what is being shouted makes no sense, that is normal. Hip-hop has its own language. Here is a starter guide for parents, kids and the curious.

Note: slang shifts by city and generation, and the meanings below are the ones most commonly used in the community. If a crew or city uses a different sense, that is part of the culture.

The four elements of hip-hop

Hip-hop took shape in the Bronx in the 1970s and is usually described through four elements: MCing (rap), DJing, breaking and graffiti. Afrika Bambaataa, founder of the Universal Zulu Nation, also spoke of a fifth, knowledge: knowing where the culture comes from and respecting it. Breaking is the first dance of this culture.

Who is who

• B-boy / b-girl: a breaking dancer. The “B” stands for break, the instrumental section of a track, and for dancing to the break. The terms were coined around DJ Kool Herc and his parties. Today you also hear breaker, and “bboy” or “bgirl” is often written as one word.
• DJ: the person who plays and mixes the music and makes the transitions. In breaking, the DJ picks and extends breaks and drives the energy of a battle. Kool Herc did it with two identical records, the Merry-Go-Round technique.
• MC (master of ceremonies): the one holding the microphone. At a party or battle the MC introduces, hypes the crowd and announces rounds. In rap, the MC is also the artist who rhymes.
• Crew: the group you train with, travel to battles with and represent a name with. Many dancers stay in a crew for years.
• Cypher: a circle of people dancing in turns, with no judges, for energy and respect.
• Battle: a contest between two dancers or two teams, scored by judges.

Words you will hear

• Fresh: new, original, well done. A big compliment for style.
• Wack: weak, unoriginal or without attitude. The opposite of fresh.
• Dope: very good, impressive.
• Biting: copying. If you took someone else’s move or style, you “bit” it. No biting means “don’t copy”: show your own voice. Inspiration is fine, copying is not.
• “I smoked you”: “I clearly beat you”, “I outshone you”. Said jokingly after a battle, usually between friends, and with respect rather than to humiliate.
• Props: respect, credit. “Give him props” means to acknowledge what he did.
• Throw down: to give it everything, to go in seriously in a battle or cypher.
• OG: original gangster, a first-generation figure or someone who built the scene. In breaking it is a mark of respect for pioneers.
• Freestyle: improvisation, no pre-planned set.

Move names

Move names come from the movement itself or from who invented it. A few examples: 6-step (six steps on the floor), windmill (rolling rotation on the back), swipe, backspin, headspin, flare, freeze. Among the first Bronx moves are the ones associated with the two-step toprock, the Legendary Twins’ footwork and the “Zulu Spins”. Every dancer adds their own variations, and sometimes a move ends up carrying the name of the person who made it famous.

How b-boys and b-girls pick their names

A stage name is a calling card. It is rarely something you decide in one evening; it usually comes from something that describes you. The most common sources are:

• a trait of your style (fast, weird, smooth, powerful);
• a story or nickname given by friends or your crew;
• a play on words or a reference that represents you;
• a personal idea, something you want to become.

Practical tip: pick a name you can carry for years and won’t be embarrassed to hear an MC shout in front of a packed room. Check it isn’t already used by a dancer in your scene. Many people receive their name from a coach or crew rather than choosing it themselves, and that is part of the tradition.

Etiquette: do’s and don’ts

• Show respect to your opponent, even if you lost. Shake hands, dap, say thanks.
• Don’t bite. Take inspiration, then make it yours.
• Don’t jump into a cypher without watching, listening and waiting for your moment.
• Recognise those before you: pioneers, coaches, crews.

Want to hear all of this live? Come to an event. The events page lists upcoming battles and cyphers, and at the breaking school you learn the language yourself, right on the floor.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Breakdancing
• Red Bull: The history of breaking

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. If you spot a mistake, write to us and we will fix it.

Keep reading

• The history of Breaking: from the Bronx to the world
• How breaking reached the Olympics: the road, the judging and the work behind it