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Ratchet is a slang term in American hip hop culture that, in its original sense, [1] was a derogatory term used to refer to an uncouth woman, and may be a Louisianan dialect form of the word "wretched".
In the 2000s–2010s, the word became loosely connotative of denoting confidence, defiance, fervidity, or otherwise being descriptive of actions displaying boisterous and unruly behavior (similar to that of the male archetype "bad boy") when attributed to a person. It is primarily used in street slang and is popular among African American women. [2] Depending on if such actions are purposeful or not, the term may be positive or derogatory, respectively. [3]
When attributed to an object, it may also be used to describe a handgun. [4]
Ever since the late 1990's, rappers from Shreveport, Louisiana have used the term in their songs. Usage of the term is recorded early as 1992 by Pimp C of UGK, in the song "I'm So Bad" from the album Too Hard To Swallow . [5] It was used again in 1998 in rapper E-40's "Lieutenant Roast a Botch" track from his album The Element of Surprise. [6] The word also appears in publication in 1999, with the song "Do the Ratchet" on the album Ratchet Fight in the Ghetto by Anthony Mandigo from Shreveport, Louisiana. [7] Mandigo reportedly learned the term from his grandmother. [7] In 2004, Lil' Boosie in conjunction with Mandigo, recorded a new version of "Do the Ratchet". The CD liner notes define ratchet as: "n., pron., v, adv., 1. To be ghetto, real, gutter, nasty. 2. It's whatever, bout it." [8]
In its original US sense, [9] the term referred to an uncouth woman, and may be a Louisianan dialect form of the word "wretched". [10] The term has since been extended to have broader meanings and connotations and is no longer strictly bound by race or gender. [11] [12] [7]
The term gained popularity in 2012 through music artists and celebrities. [11] [12] [7] It has been used in ways similar to the word "ghetto". [13] "Ratchet" can be used as an adjective, noun, or verb. [11]
The word has evolved to have many different meanings, and it can have either a positive or negative connotation. [7] [13] Some African-American women have reappropriated the word and embraced the meaning, including to describe ratchet feminism, whereas others point to how the term reinforces the negative portrayal of African-American women in the media. [7] [14] [15] The term has also been reappropriated to describe a mode of intersectional analysis associated with African-American LGBT culture. [16]
In the UK, it is used as a variation on the word "ratshit" to mean something very bad. [17]
Numerous musicians have used the term "ratchet" in their songs. In November 2012, LL Cool J released a single called "Ratchet". [7] In December 2012, Beyoncé posted a picture of herself wearing earrings that contained the word "ratchet". [7] Juicy J, Lil Debbie, Cam'ron, Future, and Lil' Boosie are some other artists who have also used the term in their music. [14] Miley Cyrus had been criticized by some as appropriating ratchet culture. [14] [13] [18] The term and concept of ratchet was displayed in the 2013 YouTube video by Emmanuel and Phillip Hudson, "Ratchet Girl Anthem- SHE RACHEEET!". [19] [20] Lil Peep with producer Diplo made the record "RATCHETS" featuring Lil Tracy. [21] The day that Lil Peep died, Lil Tracy uploaded a song to SoundCloud called "Ratchet Bitches Cocaina" and removed it shortly afterwards. [21] Megan Thee Stallion used the term in the chorus of her 2020 viral hit, "Savage". [22] Lizzo used the term in the chorus of her 2021 single, "Rumors", which features Cardi B. [23]
Rapping is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and [commonly] street vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The components of rap include "content", "flow", and "delivery". Rap differs from spoken-word poetry in that it is usually performed off-time to musical accompaniment. It also differs from singing, which varies in pitch and does not always include words. Because they do not rely on pitch inflection, some rap artists may play with timbre or other vocal qualities. Rap is a primary ingredient of hip hop music, and so commonly associated with that genre that it is sometimes called "rap music".
Bitch is a pejorative slang word for a person, usually a woman. When applied to a woman or girl, it means someone who is belligerent, unreasonable, malicious, controlling, aggressive, or dominant. When applied to a man or boy, bitch reverses its meaning and is a derogatory term for being subordinate, weak, or cowardly. In gay speech the word bitch can refer approvingly to a man who is unusually assertive or has the characteristics used pejoratively of a woman.
Southern hip hop, also known as Southern rap, South Coast hip hop, or dirty south, is a blanket term for a regional genre of American hip hop music that emerged in the Southern United States, especially in Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, Memphis, and Miami—five cities which constitute the "Southern Network" in rap music.
UGK was an American hip hop duo from Port Arthur, Texas, formed in 1987, by Chad "Pimp C" Butler and Bernard "Bun B" Freeman. They released their first major-label album, Too Hard to Swallow, in 1992, followed by several other albums charting on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, including the self-titled Underground Kingz album, which contained their single "International Players Anthem " and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, in August 2007. The duo has also been featured on hit singles by several other artists, such as "Big Pimpin'" by Jay-Z and "Sippin' on Some Syrup" by Three 6 Mafia. Pimp C founded UGK Records in late 2005. On December 4, 2007, Pimp C died in his West Hollywood, California hotel room.
Bernard James Freeman, known professionally as Bun B, is an American rapper. He is best known as one half of the southern rap duo UGK, a group he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C. Aside from his work with UGK, Bun B has released five solo albums, including 2010's Trill OG, which received the rare 5-mic rating from The Source.
Country rap is a fusion genre of popular music, blending country music with hip hop–style singing or rapping.
Webster Gradney Jr. who performs under the mononym Webbie, is an American rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He's been signed to the independent Trill Entertainment label since 2003. In 2005 he came into the hip hop scene with "Gimme That" featuring Bun B. His songs "Bad Bitch" and "Swerve" were featured on Gangsta Musik, his 2003 group album with Lil Boosie, and in the 2005 movie Hustle & Flow. Webbie's second album, Savage Life 2, was released in early 2008 with the hit single "Independent" featuring Lil Boosie and Lil Phat.
Torence Ivy Hatch Jr., better known by his stage name Boosie BadAzz or simply Boosie, is an American rapper. Hatch began rapping in the 1990s as a member of the Southern hip hop collective Concentration Camp, eventually pursuing a solo career in 2000 with the release of his debut album Youngest of da Camp. After leaving the label the following year, he signed with Pimp C's Trill Entertainment to release his second studio album, For My Thugz (2002). One of the most prominent figures of Southern hip hop, Hatch has gone on to release thirteen solo studio albums, as well as seven collaborative albums and 44 mixtapes.
Christopher Jerrod Dooley Jr., known professionally as Hurricane Chris, is an American rapper from Shreveport, Louisiana. He is best known for his 2007 debut single "A Bay Bay", which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. The song preceded the release of his debut studio album 51/50 Ratchet (2007), which saw moderate commercial reception. His second album, Unleashed (2009) failed to chart, although it reached moderate success from its lead single, "Halle Berry ".
"Wipe Me Down" is a song by American rapper Foxx, included as a song on the Trill Entertainment compilation album Trill Entertainment Presents: Survival of the Fittest (2007). The song's backing track was composed by American record producer Mouse On Tha Track. A remixed version, featuring additional vocals from fellow rappers Lil Boosie and Webbie, was released as a single in 2007, with Lil Boosie listed as the lead artist. There is another remixed version featuring UGK, Foxx has different vocals than the other remix version along with vocals from Pimp C & Bun B.
Thug Disease is a compilation presented by American rapper Spice 1. It was released December 17, 2002 on Rap Classics, and also separately on Lovin' Paper Music Group. The album features guest performances by Kurupt, Bad Azz, Juvenile, MJG, Roscoe, Brotha Lynch Hung and UGK.
Trap is a subgenre of hip hop music that originated in the Southern United States, with lyrical references to trap starting in 1991 but the modern sound of trap appearing in 1999. The genre gets its name from the Atlanta slang term "trap house", a house used exclusively to sell drugs. Trap music uses synthesized drums and is characterized by complex hi-hat patterns, snare drums, bass drums, some tuned with a long decay to emit a bass frequency, and lyrical content that often focuses on drug use and urban violence.
Twerking is a type of dance that emerged from the bounce music scene of New Orleans in 1990, which has a broader origin among other types of dancing found among the African diaspora that derives from Bantu-speaking Africans of Central Africa. Individually performed chiefly but not exclusively by women, performers dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving throwing or thrusting their hips back or shaking their buttocks, often in a low squatting stance. Twerking is part of a larger set of characteristic moves unique to the New Orleans style of hip-hop known as "bounce". Moves include "mixing", "exercising", the "bend over", the "shoulder hustle", "clapping", "booty clapping", "booty poppin", "the sleeper" and "the wild wood"—all recognized as booty shaking or bounce. Twerking is one among other types of choreographic gestures within bounce.
"23" is a song by American record producer Mike Will Made It featuring American singer Miley Cyrus and American rappers Wiz Khalifa & Juicy J; released on September 10, 2013, by Interscope Records. The song was written by Mike Will Made It alongside the rappers, Pierre Ramon Slaughter, and Rock City. It is set to a midtempo beat and lyrically references Air Jordan sneakers and recreational drug use.
"Real and True" is a song written and performed by American rapper Future and American singer Miley Cyrus featuring English singer Mr Hudson. It was released as a single on November 5, 2013, by A1 Records, Freebandz, and Epic Records. Produced by the artists' frequent collaborator Mike Will Made It, the song is a pop and R&B track, the lyrics of which describe an everlasting love.
The discography of Boosie Badazz, an American rapper, consists of 13 studio albums, 7 collaboration albums, 44 mixtapes, 3 compilation albums, 1 extended play, 26 singles, and 33 music videos.
Raunch aesthetics is a term in feminist theory which describes the ways in which women in hip hop express their sexuality through the performance of lyrics, choreography, and staging. These aesthetics are performed by artists such as Rihanna, Beyoncé, Ciara, Nicki Minaj, Megan Thee Stallion and Miley Cyrus with the intention to embrace and take control over their own bodies and sexual identities through verbal and physical expression.
Emo rap is a fusion genre of hip hop and emo music. Originating in the SoundCloud rap scene in the mid-2010s, the genre fuses characteristics of hip hop music, such as beats and rapping, with the lyrical themes, instrumentals, and vocals commonly found in emo music. Lil Peep, XXXTentacion, and Juice Wrld are some of the most notable musicians in the genre.
Zoe Jeanneau Canto, also known as La Zowi, is a Spanish Latin trap musician.
Ratchet feminism emerged in the United States from hip hop culture in the early 2000s, largely as a critique of, and a response to, respectability politics. It is distinct from black feminism, womanism, and hip hop feminism. Ratchet feminism coopts the derogatory term (ratchet). Other terms used to describe this concept include ratchet womanism as used by Georgia Tech professor Joycelyn Wilson or ratchet radicalism used by Rutgers professor Brittney Cooper. Ratchet is an identity embraced by many millennials and Gen Z black women and girls. The idea of ratchetness as empowering, or of ratchet feminism, has been articulated by artists and celebrities like Nicki Minaj, City Girls, Amber Rose, and Junglepussy, scholars like Brittney Cooper and Mikki Kendall, and through events like Amber Rose's SlutWalk. Many view ratchet feminism as a form of female empowerment that doesn't adhere to respectability politics.