: hip-hop music with lyrics explicitly portraying the violence and drug use of American inner-city gang life
gangsta rapper
noun
: a performer of gangsta rap
Examples of gangsta rap in a Sentence
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Judy Berman, Time, 12 Feb. 2026
West’s victory marked a major shift in mainstream hip-hop—Glock-toting gangsta rap was out, euphoric genre-blending was in—but the face-off between West and 50 Cent may be most remembered as one of the last album-promotional events of its kind.
—Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2026
At a time when Southern rap catered to clubs and car speakers, and gangsta rap reveled in transgression, We Can’t Be Stopped played to the psyche.
—Pitchfork, 30 Sep. 2025
The others include the Eminem-starrer 8 Mile, and Straight Outta Compton traced the roots of the seminal rap group N.W.A and its rise to become one of the most influential acts of the gangsta rap and West Coast hip hop subgenres.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 9 June 2025
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Noun
The music is more romantic and sophisticated than the grunge, nu metal, gangsta rap, and teen pop that dominated the radio throughout the decade: Mazzy Star, Björk, Sade.
—Judy Berman, Time, 12 Feb. 2026
West’s victory marked a major shift in mainstream hip-hop—Glock-toting gangsta rap was out, euphoric genre-blending was in—but the face-off between West and 50 Cent may be most remembered as one of the last album-promotional events of its kind.
—Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2026
At a time when Southern rap catered to clubs and car speakers, and gangsta rap reveled in transgression, We Can’t Be Stopped played to the psyche.
—Pitchfork, 30 Sep. 2025
The others include the Eminem-starrer 8 Mile, and Straight Outta Compton traced the roots of the seminal rap group N.W.A and its rise to become one of the most influential acts of the gangsta rap and West Coast hip hop subgenres.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for gangsta rap
Cite this Entry
“Gangsta rap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gangsta%20rap. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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