We have all probably heard the slang term swag, and we have all probably heard it referring to certain way of walking, behaving, or even a style that gives the semblance of extreme confidence in oneself. Swag usually suggests something that is cool, trendy or immediately brings one image to our heads, a person wearing a side-ways hat, pants half way down and a loose t-shirt. A clearer definition of the use that we give to this word can be found in contemporary hip-hop songs. “Take 'swag.' As a noun ('Check out my swag, yo / I walk like a ballplayer' -- Jay Z), a verb ('I smash this verse / and I swag and surf'' -- Lil Wayne), an adjective ('I got ya slippin' on my swag juice' -- Eminem), and even as an interjection ('Say hello to falsetto in three, two, swag' -- Justin Bieber)” (Stamper A19(L)) The formal definition found on the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is: “sway; something (as a decoration) hanging in a curve between two points: festoon; a suspended cluster (as of evergreen branches); goods acquired by unlawful means: loot, spoils, profits; a depression in the earth; chiefly Australian: a pack of personal belongings.” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online) What happens to words over time that enables people to change their meanings so radically, and how are different generations that have …show more content…
On many occasions the term has been mentioned in phrases like a bag full of swag, and this makes reference to goods that were stolen such as weapons or jewelry. Swag didn’t use to reference money, but as it evolved over time it included this and other types of criminal assets. Swag has different but similar origins that, combined, might suggest the evolution of the term to this definition of stolen goods. This definition also shows us how swag comes and goes out of fashion, in a sense, as it was later replaced by haul in the 18th century. (Green
As Complex stated on LL’s trademark style “LL represented a distinctly younger, rowdier style (he was only 18 at the time, after all), with track suits, his signature Kangol bucket hat and four-finger rings, which would go on to become the rap fashion standard for much of the ‘80s (Complex).” This look was very cool and when LL Cool J first came out this look was for B-boys but he definitely showed his fans anybody could wear this combination of clothing. Many people in the 80’s took on this trend, especially the bucket hat. This fashion trended spread across the world from tv shows, to other artist, to regular civilians, this style was very popular. Later on in the rap game LL’s fashion influenced Rappers like Eminem and Rick Ross, who began wearing the Kangol bucket hats (Tha Plug). Another trend that LL started from his fashion was the sprayed painted sweatshirt from the Shirt Kings (Fresh Dressed). This trend was set before LL’s sweatshirt blew up because a lot of artists were going to the shop and getting air sprayed for any type of clothing. When LL gotten himself airbrushed on a shirt it hit the magazines and the popularity begin to increase. Giving the artist company who had done his shirt popularity and everyone started getting airbrushed shirts. About every rapper and everyone had an airbrushed shirt, jacket, pants, or anything that you could wear. In Kanye West Yeezy
American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) differentiates from its competitors because it’s a leading global specialty retailer offering latest trends that are high-quality and affordable. The source of competitive advantage is the quality of their clothes and their environmentally friendly fabrics. American Eagle Outfitters is a high-quality and inexpensive brand of their two competitors Aéropostal and Abercrombie and Fitch. AEO centers in every category of purchaser such as kids, tweens, teens, and adults. American Eagle Outfitters has further stores open globally and their product line is more assorted than its competitors and its name brand and logo is known world-wide.
The term hipster is a difficult, and contested term with dynamic and often ambiguous connotations. According to Ferrier (2014), what was once an umbrella term for a counter-culture of young creative types morphed into a pejorative term for people who looked, lived and acted a certain way. The Urban Dictionary
Hip-Hop is in todays times is considered to be a cultural movement in todays generation. The five elements of Hip-Hop starting off with the beat boxer, Deejay, next is the Master of ceremonies also known as the MC or Rapper, break dancing, graffiti, and knowledge and style. Recognizing myself as an African American male growing up in the suburbs I was always a sight for sore eyes, not in a sense for being ugly or due to my pigment of skin it was do to the pigment of my skin but how I dressed compared to the other kids growing up. Noticing the brands that I wore were different in Style from the predominantly white school population, clearly showing that we shopped in different stores. Style Defined by Webster’s Dictionary is a particular way
It made a dramatic shift from songs with topics such as people 's rights, riots, and the desire for social change, to songs about wealth, drugs, and the power that artists have today. In songs such as “Versace” “Blase” and “Bling Bling” artists Migos, Ty Dolla $ign, and Lil Wayne rap about their fantasy lifestyles that are in some respect, unattainable to the average person. In his song, “Versace”, Migos says “King of Versace, Medusa my wallet my car is Versace, tiger stripes on my Mazi I 'm dressing so nice, they can 't even copy you think I 'm Egyptian, this gold on my body”. By stating this, Migos makes it evident that he possesses expensive and luxurious items such as cars and jewelry and he is bragging about living a life that most individuals dream of. (Introduce this) Soerensen says that, “some [rap music is] definitely about violence, clothes, cars and women, but Kweli says that his music for instance is more used as a social activism tool” (Soerensen). In the 21st century we see more of Soerensen’s view and prior to 2001 social activism rap was more popular. In Ty Dolla $ign’s “Blase”, he states, “ I’m young and I’m rich,” and “ Need a benz like Blasé, Blasé, Blasé, Blasé Whiping Maserati” (Ty Dolla $ign). Similar to Migos, Ty Dolla $ign makes it clear that he is wealthy by bragging about his expensive cars. When Lil Wayne states “Bling bling, pinky ring worth about fifty Bling bling,
The term hipster was coined during the jazz age (1940s), when the term hip emerged as an adjective to describe enthusiasts of the growing music scene. The modern hipster is a composite of individuals with a certain bohemian, new-thinking lifestyle, as he or she rejects mainstream norms, and embraces and contributes to unconventional culture. Hipsters are a subculture of people that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and music, creativity, and intelligence. There are two sects of hipster: the authentic, indifferent hipster and the consumeristic hipster. One of the most prevalent ways of analyzing hipster, bohemian, and artistic identities is through consumeristic habits and ideologies.
So I decide to look deeper into the language of the subculture. What I found was a language that was so divergent to anything else I have heard before. The language of hip hop was almost backwards from the English language. I found that words were interchangeable with other words, for the soul purpose of making them mean other things. For example the word dope could actually mean something cool or awesome, but in the literal sense the word dope actually refers to drugs (Baldwin, James). When first researching this I wasn’t surprised at all because I too use this form of language amongst my friends. I also found that within hip hop culture, people do have the tendency to use explicit language as well, for instance the use of the “F” word is very common but not with everyone in the subculture. The style of rapping is different with each individual and is looked at as something that identifies you in the
...trend, no matter how much it had deviated from the norm, in order to gain and display wealth.
some word(s) could be different compared to how the words are used in the 21st century. In
In Yankovic’s version, the clothes worn by Weird Al are nearly identical to those worn in Chamillionaire’s video; Weird Al is making fun of the way gangsters dress by wearing oversized sweatshirts with big graphic letters, thick chains, and bandanas. The video portrays Weird Al attempting to rap in
The paradox of "cool hunting" is that it kills what it finds. In America, as well as across the globe, trends are consistently changing and the trend spotters are trying to keep up with the ever changing ideas of today’s teenagers. Every big-city scene-kid or bored teenager in the suburbs stays connected to the moment's hot clubs, restaurants, hobbies and clothing. Trend Spotters travel the world, watch people shop, eat, and mingle, videotape and photograph them, study census data, examine online journals, chat online with tens of thousands of potential customers, and devour every slice of pop culture in order to keep up with the trends.
By corporating the airwaves with message, serve as a blueprint for our youth to self-destruct by creating a large army of pants-sagging, Blunt-smoking, tattooed-up, uneducated, STD-infected, impoverished thugs. Hip Hop is defined as: “subculture especially of inner-city youths who are typically devotees of Rap music, graffiti, break dancing, and DJing”. If one asks a fan of Hip Hop what the definition is to them, then one might get something deeper. Some fans define Hip Hop as a culture that consists of many of its own subcultures and its knowledge of the history and principles of Hip Hop. Hip Hop can also be defined as an expression of the relationship between urban youth and their environment....
The word “wealth” derives from the Old English words weal defined as “well-being” and th meaning “condition
This shows people rejecting who they are, simply because of the mainstream views of the current culture. Back in the 1940s when the term was created, we saw people opposing important problems in society and people standing out from their common culture. The hipster culture continues to change through the years, and more people are beginning to leave the trend. Why are people hopping off the bandwagon? Some may deny it so they don’t seem mainstream, and others may realize it is not who they truly are.
Not only is hip-hop a way of expressing ones feelings or views, but it is a part of the urban culture and can be used as a communication tool. Slang originally came from hip-hop music and has become a very popular use in today’s society, especially the urban parts. Hip-hop is a standout amongst the most compelling musical sorts on the globe. There are rappers everywhere that know what amount of an impact their music can have. Some entertainers attempt to utilize that force of impact to do great (Ruiz INT).