gangsta rap

noun

: hip-hop music with lyrics explicitly portraying the violence and drug use of American inner-city gang life
gangsta rapper noun

Examples of gangsta rap in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Dre began his career as a founding member of gangsta rap group N.W.A. and later was a central figure in West Coast G-funk hip hop. Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2024 The trio had taken a break after 1993’s Down With the King, since gangsta rap was on the rise, but had recommitted themselves in 2001 with a new album, Crown Royal, and songs produced by Kid Rock, Jermaine Dupri, Stephan Jenkins, and, of course, Jam Master Jay, among others. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 27 Feb. 2024 This is the real birth of gangsta rap because many listeners bought into it. Armond White, National Review, 15 Nov. 2023 Through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Conway the Machine at 9:30 Club Like 50 Cent before him, Conway the Machine has an origin story worthy of a gangsta rap superhero: a 2012 shooting that left him with Bell’s palsy, facial paralysis, a slur and a new sense of purpose. Chris Richards, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2023 Hints of Atlanta trap, Houston gangsta rap, Chicago drill, and Detroit street rap are in the mix, along with the offbeat Southern blues of Baton Rouge and the Bay Area’s chip-on-the-shoulder spirit. Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 21 Aug. 2023 While Kane was setting a template for future generations of sweet-talking lyricists, his efforts eventually clashed with those of gangsta rap’s emerging stars like N.W.A., Snoop Dogg, and Ice Cube, who appealed to the genre’s most hyper-masculine sensibilities. Clover Hope, Pitchfork, 6 Sep. 2023 Like 50 Cent before him, Conway the Machine has an origin story worthy of a gangsta rap superhero: a 2012 shooting that left him with Bell’s palsy, facial paralysis, a slur and a new sense of purpose. Chris Kelly, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2023 Since then, hip-hop has spawned a mass of subgenres – gangsta rap, crunk and trap among them. Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 11 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gangsta rap.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1989, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gangsta rap was in 1989

Dictionary Entries Near gangsta rap

Cite this Entry

“Gangsta rap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gangsta%20rap. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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