Killer Mike, who has always represented the South to the fullest, has revealed his favorite slang terms that originated in Georgia.
During a chat with Billboard posted on Tuesday (July 25), the 48-year-old MC was asked about his top colloquialisms from his native state. He went on to pick three, adding sentence examples to put their proper usage in context.
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“Shawty,” he began. “Because that can mean so many things. It could mean, ‘I saw a pretty girl, and man, was she pretty — Shawty.’ It could mean your buddy did something dumb: “Man, did he wreck your car? Shawty!” It could mean you just hit the lottery: ‘You hit the lotto?! Shawty!’”
“Hellyoutalmbout,” Mike went with next. “’Man I heard you lost your house — Hellyoutalmbout, boy! I’m financially stable. I’m good. I’m in Greenwood man.’ It could be a very, very, very bad thing too. Like, people say, ‘Man, I heard your house burnt down — Hellyoutalmbout.”
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“Playa,” he said last. “I think that’s an old one we don’t use as much. But I liked it, man. I liked when Atlanta and Georgia kept it player, man, so to me, whether it’s OutKast music, Goodyie Mob tunes or the way you see Thug or Baby. They really keep it playa. Future biggest playa of all time! And shouts out to all the playas out there.”
He concluded with an honorable mention: “And I just want to follow up on ‘Jawnin,’ and that just means to tease someone. I know people from D.C. thought they created that, but all your grandparents came from the South. So we’ve been jawnin’ a long time.”
On the political side of things, Mike recently came to the defense of Ice Cube after fans criticized the latter over a picture with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dennis Kucinich.
Under a recent post shared on Instagram by HipHopDX, the outspoken Atlanta rapper/activist shared his admiration for the N.W.A legend and reminded critics how much his influence has impacted Hip Hop.
“@icecube helped my generation gain knowledge of self and be fiercely proud of being black in AmeriKKKa while providing an example of what self motivation and determination can do from Music to movies to the Big 3,” Mike wrote. “He is an example of ‘A black man can.’ I admire love and respect. Thank U Cube.”
Ice Cube’s political moves caused a stir when he he met up with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of the late politician Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of former president John F. Kennedy, and ex-Mayor of Cleveland, Dennis Kucinich.
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“@Dennis_Kucinich and I spent a wonderful evening with one of our country’s most influential and outspoken civil rights leaders @icecube!” Kennedy Jr. wrote on Twitter in early July while sharing a photo of the three of them flashing smiles for the camera.
Like Cube, RFK Jr. is a noted anti-vaxxer and has been heavily criticized in recent years for peddling misinformation and propaganda about the COVID-19 vaccine.
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The 69-year-old is also hoping to follow in his uncle’s footsteps and land the Democratic nomination in the 2024 presidential election having formally launched his candidacy this past April.
