Hip Hoptionary TM: The Dictionary of Hip Hop Terminology [Paperback]

Alonzo Westbrook (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2002

The bumpin’ book for hip-hop disciples (a.k.a. fiends), songwriters, all other writers, pop culture fans, linguists, and parents who are just trying to figure out what their kids are saying.

The inventive sounds of hip-hop (which became America’s number two music genre in 2001, outselling country) have echoed far from their Bronx beginnings of twenty years ago. Making its way from Compton sidewalks to suburban malls, garnering commentary from The Wall Street Journal alongside Vibe, hip-hop by definition delivers its messages in the most creative language possible. Celebrating hip-hop’s boon to the realm of self-expression, Hip Hoptionary™ translates dozens of phrases like “marinating in the rizzi with your road dawg” (relaxing in your car with your friend), including:

• Big bodies: SUVs or luxury vehicles
• Government handle: registered birth name
• 411: the latest scoop or information
• Bling-bling: diamonds, big money, flash and cash
• Brick City: Newark, New Jersey
• 1812: war, fight (as in War of 1812)

In addition to the lexicon of idioms and beeper codes, Hip Hoptionary™ also features lists of hip-hop fashion labels, books, mixed drinks, and brief bios of America’s famous rappers, making this the ultimate guide for a Double H (hip-hop) nation.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-This useful source of definitions for contemporary urban slang also contains plenty of old-fashioned words and phrases that predate hip-hop culture by decades. Some examples of the latter include "ego-trippin," "grapevine," "cancer sticks," and "wallflowers." For readers who are unfamiliar with hip-hop icons and artists, this book provides quick and convenient biographical sketches in alphabetical order of singers, rappers, and others. A list of standard English terms translated into "Slanguage" follows the main body of definitions. Next comes "Folk in the Know," an alphabetical list of pop- and hip-hop-related celebrities. However, this list does not include definitions or biographical information, and therefore its purpose is not clear. Overall, the book can be fun and informative-especially for students studying English as a second language. Native speakers of English who are isolated from hip-hop culture, yet want to better understand rap, R & B, and other black-youth-oriented art and media, will also enjoy this book.
Joyce Fay Fletcher, Rippon Middle School, Prince William County, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Aiming to create a work that "capture[s] the language and preserve[s] the culture of hip-hop, [while also serving] as a tool for education," New York City-based journalist Westbrook here offers a "hoptionary" defining roughly 2500 terms. The book is divided into three sections: slang to standard English, standard English to slang (both thumb-indexed), and a list of hip-hop artists. While there is a need for a well-written reference on hip-hop, this book does not fit the bill. Numerous spelling errors appearing throughout the final proof include "Introductiory," "tims," "permance," "omone," and "Fflorida." Many of these errors are close enough to the correct spelling for the reader to guess the intended word, but some apparent errors add to the reader's puzzlement. For instance, "waze out" is defined as "syke," a word this reviewer was unable to define even after checking two standard dictionaries, two slang dictionaries, www. dictionary.com, www.1000dictionaries.com, and several of the web sites listed on page 69 and talking to some teens familiar with hip-hop. Searching for phrases is hampered by the pagination, which is limited to odd numbers found on the right-hand pages, and the cross-referencing is inconsistent. For instance, "smell me" is cross-referenced to "feed me," a phrase that does not appear in the dictionary. In addition, of the 24 hip-hop web sites listed, two were inaccessible. Finally, the author's selection criteria are unclear, as many of the words found here can also be found in one or more of the established dictionaries with the same definitions. Examples include "B.E.T.," "wallflowers," "copyright," "cronies," "hot flashes," "young'uns," "coochie," and "swag," which this reviewer checked against The Random House Dictionary of the English Language (1987. 2d ed. unabridged), The American Heritage Concise Dictionary (Houghton, 1994. 3d ed.), The New Dictionary of American Slang (1986), and A Concise Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (1989). Of limited use, this book is further restricted by its seeming to address the black community only, though hip-hop culture crosses color and ethnic lines. Not recommended.
Laurie Selwyn, Grayson Cty. Law Lib., Sherman, TX
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Broadway (October 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767909240
• ISBN-13: 978-0767909242
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.6 x 7.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #570,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars How did this book get published?, May 16, 2005

By 

Eric Beaumont (Milwaukee, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hip Hoptionary TM: The Dictionary of Hip Hop Terminology (Paperback)

Disregarding word type (you know -- noun, verb, adjective, and whatnot), full of errors, misspellings, and antiquated expressions, this book is easily the worst hip-hop cash-in I've ever seen. Herein you will find many superfluous definitions of pre-hip-hop parlance such as 'boob tube,' 'nips,' ('Asians: offensive') and 'ticked off.' Absent are such basic expressions as 'acting the fool,' 'be-be kids,' and 'big up.' In just one of many appalling errors, the book defines 'baby daddy' as 'the mother of a man's child.' Avoid!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Funny, but not in a good way., February 11, 2005

By 

Andrea B. Magenheimer "Andi Mags" (East Village, NYC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hip Hoptionary TM: The Dictionary of Hip Hop Terminology (Paperback)

There are numerous problems with this book.
To start, it is DEFINITELY outdated.
There are many terms which are missapplied. For example, "coconut" is a term that applies to people of West Indian descent who "act white." In the book, it simply says "hispanic." Another problem with this one is that it is not labeled as being an offensive term, which it most definitely is.
This is not an isolated incident. There are words all throughout this book that have definitions very different from what is written.
There are words which are related to each other in definition and/or derivation, but are not noted as such.
The problems go on.
Do I, a 20 year old white girl (I will not say caucasion because my descent is not from the Caucus Mountains), know more about the origins of words and phrases in hip hop culture than the writer of this book? Probably not, but I've still been correcting my own copy with what limited knowledge I have.
Oh, and guess what? My black friends are pissed off that I even payed for it. After reading it, I am too.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I thoroughly and immensely enjoyed it!, December 22, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Hip Hoptionary TM: The Dictionary of Hip Hop Terminology (Paperback)

I have a 14 year old white daughter who is into hip hop, and quite frankly I can't relate to her. (Ok, maybe when i grew up in e 70's with Wayne Newton and the Carpenters, being "phat" was being a bit on the pudgy side!) At any rate, I can't understand anything that my angel says, so I figured...."What the heck", I'll purchase this lexicon and ultimately get back into the good graces of my first born. Well, did I ever!!!!! We're starting our own hip hop band called "Allison and the fat, bald father", and let me tell you, I won't be the only "phat" part of this equation. We're already counting the dead presidents!!!! Thanks Alonzo for bringing my little girl back to me.