Meaningless Precision: Hip-hop and Social Media Subculture
Placed here for convenience
This essay placed here for a certain Physicist’s convenience and that of his friend group. Original writing was last May. This is not a “rigorous” work. This is sheer polemical panegyrics.
What is above all needed is to let the meaning choose the word, and not the other way about. In prose, the worst thing one can do with words is to surrender to them. When you think of a concrete object, you think wordlessly, and then, if you want to describe the thing you have been visualising, you probably hunt about till you find the exact words that seem to fit it. When you think of something abstract you are more inclined to use words from the start, and unless you make a conscious effort to prevent it, the existing dialect will come rushing in and do the job for you, at the expense of blurring or even changing your meaning. [emphasis added]
George Orwell, Politics and the English Language
America and African Rhythms
While formed from a disparate band of peoples, the United States shows one of the few multi-ethnic revolutions that not only achieved any success, but saw ethnogenesis—the forming of a new people. To wit, Pereniallist philosophers have praised the role that American Indians played in this ethnogenesis, these peoples having “style, dignity, sensitivity, and religiosity.” English puritanism and Protestantism, in contrast, brought negative Jewish influences from “fetishistic insistence on the Old Testament.” Some will contest how wide-reaching an ethnogenesis happened. After all, the American South remained Scots-Irish an English provincial, while the North saw city-dwelling English, Dutch, and Scandinavians prevail. What more, Irish and Italian immigrants remained unassimilated for a century. Nonetheless, the United States' core citizens remain bound to one another in common culture and heritage, regardless of their origins. The “American Experiment” proved stable till relatively recently. As late as 1946, Pope Pius XII would remark that “Into the hands of America, God has placed the destinies of afflicted humanity.” (Collier's Weekly, Issue 5 Jan 1946).
However, Julius Evola warned of the United States entering a reign of quantity that mistakes bigness for greatness. Here, material greatness replaces spiritual greatness, what pleases the eyes replaces what pleases the soul, spectacle acts a poor substitute for substance, and the primitive is upheld as progressive. Evola blames these trends on African cultural influence. Regarding American music tastes, Evola notes that
The phenomenon represented by easy-listening music and dance is even more conspicuous. We cannot say that Fitzgerald is wrong when he notes that, under one of its principle aspects, American civilisation can be called a jazz civilisation, that is, of a music and dance of African origin. In this domain, very singular “elective affinities” have brought America, through a process of regression and of return to the primitive, to inspire itself precisely from the Africans, as though, in its search for frenetic rhythms and forms as a possible justifiable compensation for the soulless nature of mechanic and material modern civilisation, numerous European sources could not have offered something much better... But America has made its choice, on the basis of the Africans and Afro-Cuban rhythms, and the infection, from there on, has steadily spread to many other countries.
While jazz filled that role in Evola’s time, hip-hop has become the premier example of African-influenced musical tastes in the United States. Hence why rappers swagger jewelry and accessories, and why rappers project images of their wealth and influence. Rap music itself began from rhythmic West African poetry declaimed over drums and sparse accompaniment. These styles joined West African slaves to the United States, where they mixed with other African styles like blues and jazz. One last mutation involved “playing the dozens”, a game of insults between slaves. As an oppressed class, black slaves could not respond in kind against their owners. Thus, friends and neighbors had to bear the brunt, who in turn responded in kind to other friends and neighbors. Womanly verbal jousting instead of the old European tradition of fisticuffs became the norm in these communities in a subversion of norms: to be civilized—to be in society—was to fight each other with wordplay rather than the enemy with combat.
One easily sees how these practices influenced modern society and its terminal Liberalism. Consumerism has made people value shows of wealth and influence more over real wealth and influence. The friend-enemy distinction, which holds that communities are held together by violence against the outside, is inverted: society is now strung up from citizens ever bickering with each other, their words the main battlefield. However, not even Liberalism could have invented these practices on its own, and in such parodic corruptions of Liberalism's original intents.
The Theatre Kids' Spiral Downwards
In the 1990s, hip-hop became dominant among the nascent millennials. This generation of “theatre kids”, more involved in arts and creative pursuits, naturally found an outlet for anti Baby Boomer rebellion in a vulgar genre. Hip-hop's flashy aesthetics, its showmanship, and its also found natural compatibility with a generation obsessed with attention and self-absorption. What Millennials call “self-expression” as they suffered oh-so painful sufferings in their middle class lifestyles saw hip-hop go full circle from its origins in African slaves airing their grievances for themselves and at each other. Those in Generation Z, raised in rootless cosmopolitanism, had nothing to follow but the Millennial spiral downwards.
The theatre kid mindset among millennials, the ceaseless want for novelty and attention, the want to be class clowns and to follow high school cliques but on a societal level, all these have made English words change meaning. These words otherwise should have clear and precise meanings that everyone should understand. The argument brought up here is that social media has developed a linguistic subculture whose origins lay in hip-hop practices. These origins are studied as Conceptual History: we claim that the way words were used in hip-hop affected the language used in social media.
For those not in the know, Conceptual History means the study of how meanings behind words changed over time (the study of “semantic change”). To give one example, the word gay used to mean happy or merry. This usage goes back to 13th century Middle English. By 1637, the word had the double meaning of one sexually immoral-whether prostitutes or the promiscuous. This usage can be seen in the song Dixieland, where the singer touches on a “gay deceiver”. By 1897, the word could mean “hobo”, especially a young one in the company of an older one. Only in 1935 did the word start to mean “homosexual”—and only in prison slang. In fact, the word would have one more change in meaning in slang to mean anything simply bad in quality, this usage coming from the previous one itself.
In any other time period, these changes in meaning would be nothing but youthful slang - see how “OK” came from the misspelling “oll korrekt” from an American fad, which itself would be abbreviated in yet another fad. (Allen Walker. “The folklore of “OK”.” American Speech 39, no. 1 (1964): 5-25.). However, today's situation has turned what would have been playful silliness into a global disaster.
...the legitimacy of advisory rhetoric and rhetoric in general has its justification in one extraordinary ability that under lies all the others mentioned above—our ability to reason to opposite conclusions. This ability is so unusual that it goes beyond not only animal instinct but also most of the human arts. According to Aristotle dialectic is the only other art with this ability, which is the reason why rhetoric is said to be analogous to it... For rhetoric to be fully exercised, there has to be a place where individuals can be taken out of their narrow and private domain and placed with others who are like them. It is here that the crucial role of politics becomes apparent: It is only in the city that people meet one an other as equals (as citizens)... In a properly functioning public assembly, all members are equal, physical strength plays no role, both the future of the city and the private interests at hand are discussed, and decisions will affect both others and oneself. To move other members on any given issue, one has to be able to present what he sees as the alternatives and opposites, the reasons and justifications that lead to each, and how they are related to the common interest as well as to one’s own. It is only in the city, therefore, that rhetoric as a uniquely human activity can be fully at work. It is then reasonable to say that if nature does nothing in vain and she endows human beings with the power of speech to disclose advantage and harm, and if an important part of rhetoric (advisory rhetoric) is aimed at such disclosures, then the city is the place where nature’s work comes to full fruition. Without the city, nature would have done something in vain.
Lijun Gu, Introduction to Aristotle's Politics
No one can deny that social media has become a vehicle for political discussion and debate among citizens—residents of a city. There should have been nothing wrong with this. On paper, social media should have done nothing more but make finding friends and connections, spreading information, and communication easier. Instead, it has infected the psyche of a good section of English-speaking human civilization with a mimetic disease. The infection and contagion have grown so bad that one may mistake someone trying to find friends and connections as a Baby Boomer—as yours truly experienced himself. One may object that we shouldn't mind the words being used as long as we understand the meanings, but Nigel Carlsbad begs to differ.
19th century American politics is full of colorful idioms related to party disputes: “Locofocos” for Jacksonian Democrats, “Barnburners” and “Hunkers” for antislavery and proslavery sections of the Democratic Party in New York in the 1850s, “Mugwumps” for pro-civil service reform Republicans in the 1880s (preceded by “Stalwarts”), etc. etc. It is very enticing for an analyst to just dismiss these historical terms as accidents and instead agglomerate all of them into some ideal type of his choice which he perceives to be the “essence.” The good conceptual historian ought to always remember to be faithful to the Quellensprache (language of the sources) and avoid this temptation. Because for contemporaries these terms were the lenses through which they interpreted events. Pure substances without accidents exist only in the perfect realm of forms; without these individuating accidents it’s not the same thing at all. We’re not concerned with the thing, but with this thing.
Basic Historical Concepts of the Mass Democratic Age
Man is an animal meant for the city, and cities must be full of like-minded men. The public square has value in so far as everyone there understands what the other means in saying something. If citizens are separated by a common language, then public discussion has lost all meaning. Politics—the art and excellence of mingling with your fellow man in the city—devolves into might makes right, into the need for those isolated and abandoned to form their own private spheres separate from society. And when the private overcomes the public, the city falls into chaos.
Politics, being focused on particulars instead of generalities, then must ever mind the gap between the concrete and abstract. If everyone in a city is not of same mind about a particular issue, nothing can be done about said issue. The corruption of language on social media has ruined its potential in letting the city come together even when far away. Tracing this happening's origins will let us never repeat this mistake.
Sources for this section
Carlsbad, Nigel. “Basic Historical Concepts of the Mass Democratic Age.” Substack, 2022.
Clay, Andreana. “The Hip-Hop Generation Fights Back: Youth Activism and Post-Civil Rights Politics.” NYU Press, 2012.
Schneider, Rebecca. “Performing Remains: Art and War in Times of Theatrical Reenactment.” Routledge, 2011.
Watkins, S. Craig. “Hip Hop Matters: Politics, Pop Culture, and the Struggle for the Soul of a Movement.” Beacon Press, 2005
Conceptual Histories
Reader beware: yours truly had ChatGPT write these sections out to prevent brain damage. Additions and edits are my own.
Cancel
“Cancel” in the traditional sense
The traditional use of “cancel” was to make something void or ineffective, often by striking it out or drawing lines through it. This meaning can be applied to various contexts, including legal and financial documents, plans, and events.
The hip-hop corruption
The cancellation of hip-hop artists' contracts marked the first significant shift in the meaning of “cancel.” Artists who faced backlash over their controversial actions or statements would sometimes find their contracts terminated by their record labels. This phenomenon demonstrated the power dynamics within the music industry, as well as the consequences of artists' actions and words on their careers.
The social media abstraction
As social media became more pervasive, the concept of “canceling” evolved further. The first abstraction in social media involved internet users targeting individuals by contacting their employers or other relevant parties to hold them accountable for their controversial actions or statements. This form of cancel culture often aimed to bring about real-world consequences for the targeted individuals, such as job loss or public shaming. The term “cancel” in this context began to signify a collective effort to ostracize or punish someone for their perceived transgressions. The effort to remove the friend-enemy distinction had only accelerated its presence in public consciousness.
The second abstraction of “cancel” in social media usage has only diluted its meaning further. In this context, the term now refers to a more general phenomenon of social media users becoming angry or upset over something, often leading to a barrage of criticism, boycotts, or other forms of backlash. This broader usage of “cancel” has become pervasive in online discourse, now no different from mob-like behavior. Not even a decade ago, internet users becoming angry was treated as a normal affair. Now, it even needs its own fake scientific language to describe.
Associate
“Associate” in the traditional sense
In its most basic form, the term “associate” refers to the act of connecting or joining together two or more things, ideas, or people. This connections takes place in a well-defined group. The traditional concept of association is deeply rooted in human history and social organization, as people have always sought to form connections and alliances with others for various reasons, such as mutual protection, shared resources, or the exchange of knowledge and ideas. The right of voluntary association, found in many philosophies from Catholic teaching to Libertarianism to Aristotelian philosophy, retains the word's original semantics. Eventually, only terms of art like that may hold the original meaning after semantic shifts.
The hip-hop corruption
With hip-hop's lucrative success, the word “associate” took its first semantic shift. In the hip-hop world, an artist's “associates” are those connected to or involved with a particular artist or group, either professionally or personally. They are typically seen as an extension of the artist themselves, and their actions and behavior can reflect on the artist's reputation and standing within the community. An artist may be looked on badly for having eaten with controversial figures or groups. A perceived guilt by association, potentially damaging an artist's credibility and standing within the community. The word can refer now to connections between individuals or groups no matter how loose, downplaying the importance of genuine relationships and fostering superficial connections. This deviation from the original meaning of “associate” has introduced a sense of ambiguity and detachment, weakening the concept of collaboration and partnership that was once central to the term's meaning.
The social media abstraction
Hip-hop's influence on social media subculture led to the word “associate” taking on one last mutation. In this context, the term has become even more diluted, with people using it to describe any connection or interaction with others, no matter how insignificant. “Associates” now include followers, friends of friends, and even random individuals who have done anything with a person's content or profile. This ambiguity has led to the word “associate” no longer giving a clear sense of the depth or significance of a relationship, the term's significance now taken down.
This degradation of “associate” has negatively affected communication, as the term has strayed from its original meaning, which emphasized being part of the same group. The evolution of “associate” in both hip-hop and social media subcultures has contributed to the decline of genuine relationships and the rise of superficial connections, making it difficult for individuals to discern the true nature and depth of their associations. The loss of clarity in the term's meaning can lead to misunderstandings and hinder effective communication, further exacerbating the already complex nature of social interactions in the digital age.
Attack
“Attack” in the traditional sense
Traditionally, “attack” refers to a physical or verbal act of aggression, often aimed at causing harm or asserting dominance. It could encompass everything from physical altercations to verbal confrontations in a variety of settings, such as politics or personal disputes.
The hip-hop corruption
In the context of hip-hop culture, “attack” has taken on a different meaning. Rather than being focused on physical aggression, it often refers to verbal confrontations between artists, usually in the form of rap battles or diss tracks. These lyrical “attacks” showcase the artists' verbal skills, creativity, and ability to engage in a competitive, yet mostly nonviolent, manner. This evolution of the term within hip-hop culture emphasizes the importance of verbal prowess and the competitive spirit that drives many artists in the genre. It also shifts the focus from physical aggression to more creative and skill-based confrontations, which can be seen as a precursor to the semantic changes observed in social media subculture. This semantic shift came directly from “playing the dozens”.
The social media abstraction
As social media has become an integral part of modern communication, the meaning of “attack” has further evolved, influenced by the hip-hop subculture's corruption of the term. In this context, “attack” can refer to online harassment or cyberbullying, which can include targeted insults, threats, or other aggressive behavior directed at individuals through various digital platforms. This abstraction of “attack” mirrors the hip-hop corruption in that it emphasizes verbal rather than physical aggression, but the term's meaning has become even more diluted.
The hip-hop subculture's emphasis on verbal confrontations and creative competition has, in part, contributed to the way “attack” is used in social media subculture. It has normalized the idea of verbal conflict, which has translated into the digital realm. However, the broader usage of “attack” in social media has resulted in ambiguity, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish between genuine acts of aggression and instances where the term is used more casually or hyperbolically. This semantic corruption has led to confusion and misunderstanding in online communication, where the term “attack” might be used to describe anything from a harmless joke to a severe act of harassment. The culture that surrounded African music finds its greatest fulfillment here. Simultaneously, the friend-enemy distinction is treated as archaic, and citizens oppressed by the therapeutic state vent their frustration in a show of verbal wit.
Distance
“Distance” in the traditional sense
Traditionally, “distance” refers to the amount of space between two points or objects. It is a straightforward term that measures the physical separation between two entities, leaving little room for ambiguity.
The hip-hop corruption
Within the hip-hop subculture, “distance” has taken on a more abstract meaning. It now refers to an emotional or psychological separation between individuals, often resulting from disagreements, rivalries, or a desire to maintain one's individuality and independence. This deviation from the traditional meaning of “distance” has introduced ambiguity and confusion, diluting the term's clarity and making it harder to understand the intended meaning in conversations.
The social media abstraction
The corruption of “distance” within hip-hop subculture has further spilled over into social media subculture. In this context, the term now encompasses not only physical and emotional separations but also ideological and social divides. People may claim to “distance” themselves from certain ideas, opinions, or groups, further muddying the meaning of the term.
This corruption of has negatively impacted communication, as the term has strayed from its original, clear meaning. The evolution of “distance” in both hip-hop and social media subcultures has resulted in a lack of precision in its usage, making it increasingly difficult for individuals to understand the intended meaning when the term is employed in various contexts. The loss of clarity leads to misunderstandings and hinder effective communication, which is especially concerning in an age where digital communication plays such a vital role in our daily lives.
Platform
“Platform” in the traditional sense
Traditionally, a “platform” refers to a raised surface or stage from which a person can speak, perform, or present. It can also refer to a set of principles or policies that guide an organization or individual's actions and beliefs.
The hip-hop corruption
In the context of hip-hop culture, the term “platform” shifted to represent an opportunity for artists to advertise themselves, often without regard for the content or message they conveyed. This shift in meaning facilitated a focus on fame and success rather than the original purpose of sharing ideas and values through music. As a result, the concept of “platform” became associated with self-advertisement and commercialism rather than a means to communicate important details.
The social media abstraction
The influence of hip-hop culture on social media led to further dilution of the meaning of “platform.” In this context, the term now represents not only a means for artists to advertise themselves, but also a space for users to express opinions and share information. This shift in meaning has led to a culture where attention-seeking and showmanship are prioritized over dealing in meaningful discourse or presenting well thought-out ideas. The original purpose of physical platforms as spaces for sharing ideas and fostering discussion has been lost. To show how bad the linguistic corruption is, take the construction “de-platform”. This word somehow displaced the traditional word “censorship” for many English speakers. Do we dare question whether it's because the construction lets the masses bellyfeel the concept better when regime enemies are censored? We leave that to the reader.
Support
“Support” in the traditional sense
Traditionally, “support” refers to the act of providing assistance, encouragement, or backing to someone or something. It can encompass a range of actions, from emotional encouragement to financial aid, all aimed at helping someone or something succeed or overcome challenges. Notice how real, concrete, tangible aid is being given here.
The hip-hop linguistic corruption
Within the hip-hop subculture, the term “support” has experienced a semantic shift as well. In this context, “support” often takes on a more superficial meaning, focusing on public displays of advertisement, such as advertising an artist's work or attending their concerts, rather than on genuine, meaningful assistance. This shift has introduced an element of self-interest into the concept of support, as individuals and groups may “support” artists or projects primarily to gain recognition, social capital, or other benefits for themselves, rather than genuinely wanting to help the artist or cause.
The social media abstraction
The linguistic corruption of “support” within hip-hop culture has further carried over into social media subculture. In this context, the term has become even more diluted, encompassing a wide array of actions, from liking or sharing a post to leaving a positive comment. While some of these actions may represent genuine support, many others are driven by self-interest or a desire for attention and validation, rather than a sincere intention to help or uplift others. This shift has led to a culture where superficial gestures are often mistaken for genuine support, making it difficult for individuals to discern the true nature and depth of their relationships or connections.
The corruption of “support” has negatively impacted communication and relationships, as the term has strayed from its original meaning, which emphasized providing assistance, encouragement, or backing to someone or something.
Signal
“Signal” in the traditional sense
Despite being prevalent in social media, signal is ironically the word that remains closest to its original meaning. The word simply means anything that relayed information. Flags, symbols, signs, even words and speaking all acted as signals from the start of history. Unlike previous entries on this list, signal never had its meaning corrupted by hip-hop per se. What makes the word stand out, however, is how undue its importance had become.
The social media abstraction
Just as rappers brandish jewelry and women, so too do many modern English-speakers brandish signals. These include likes, so-called “engagement”, followers, and the like. Just as rappers do so in vain and empty shows of their worth, so too with these modern English-speakers. A petition is powerful because it has many signers, not because it actually accomplished what it set out to do. One is excellent for he joins rallies and protests, not because he convinces a politician (whether by words or bribery) to do something. This meaning used to have another word: slacktivism - the appearance of doing things by doing such pithy actions that have no consequence on the larger state of things. Just a couple of decades ago, slacktivism was denounced as infantile Millennial behavior, done by youths in awe of “adulting”, who were “contributing to society” by planting a tree or signing a petition or joining a protest, just as what they had learned in their civics classes.
Somehow, however, slacktivism became a highly valued form of participation “in the city”. We may point to the friend-enemy distinction's reverse-engineering to be the culprit: with no stable norms or customs in deciding friend or foe, slacktivism has become the prime way. However, hip-hop's influence can never be discounted. Remember: rappers brandish empty shows of wealth and influence to cover up their empty lives of pleasure and opulence. Those who uphold slacktivism as excellence have lost all touch of what matters, and have no proper ordering of priorities. The very construction “counter-signal” is a prime example: it makes no sense in any sense of the word. Whenever competing signals are received, all you get is interference - noise. Nothing of value is produced, just useless information that needs to be filtered out. Then again, there may lie the construction's truth in a bit of irony.
Criticism
“Criticism” in the traditional sense
Traditionally, “criticism” refers to the act of evaluating, analyzing, or judging something, often with the intent of providing constructive feedback or expressing an opinion. It can be applied to various subjects, such as art, literature, or an individual's actions and behavior. It is near synonymous with critique.
The social media abstraction
Like with “signal”, “criticism” has undergone a semantic shift not necessarily catalyzed, yet influenced by hip-hop. Its meaning has evolved to become more subjective and focused on individual tastes and preferences. Instead of objective, well-reasoned analysis and evaluation, criticism in this context often reflects personal opinions and biases. Compare this with hip-hop artists not liking how another artist composed his work, giving “criticism” about how it should resemble his work more.
As a result, the original meaning of “criticism,” which emphasized constructive feedback and objective evaluation, has been diluted, making it difficult to distinguish between genuine, constructive feedback and subjective opinions that are not grounded in objective evaluation. Over time, this dilution only continued. Arguably, the term now encompasses a wide range of feedback, from well-reasoned, insightful analysis to harsh, aggressive comments aimed at demeaning others based on personal preferences or tastes. The loss of clarity in the term's meaning can lead to misunderstandings and hinder effective communication, making it increasingly challenging for individuals to engage in productive, meaningful discussions.
Parting words
The corruption of language forms part of the Progressive March through Institutions in its bid to subvert society and culture. Man, an animal meant for the city, must speak to bare his mind to his fellow city dwellers. When even this very instrument stops him by subverted meanings, society necessarily teeters on collapse. Was hip-hop's corruption of English-speaking man's psyche directed from above? Semiogogue seems to agree.
Linguistics departments were military investments from the perspective of unrestricted warfare. They tell us linguistic change is as inevitable as 'progress'. There's nothing you can do about it. It just happens. Like migration. And it's a good thing. They call linguistic conservatives ‘grammar nazis’. Must be a coincidence. It suits them to frame their ceaseless ‘innovations’ as emergent, as natural as the seasons, inalterable. They demand free rein in the most important of their areas of operation. And we ape sophistication in explaining why there's nothing to be done about it. Pay no mind to the changes; the next follows the last as the night does day, groundlings! Meanwhile people feign keenness to restore our cultures & traditions yet can’t even be bothered to stop blubbering stupidities like ‘morph’ and ‘impactful’. It's all such a repulsive farce.
Semiogogue
What we have discussed covers only the corruption of words and their meanings. This is only a symptom of a larger mimetic contagion that afflicts much of the English speaking population. Entire norms and practices have infected the afflicted's psyche, and by dopaminergic conditioning have changed them into something less than human. Their condition dealt with, one must conclude that the friend-enemy distinction must apply to the afflicted.
Politics is theology, and heresy cannot be tolerated. Those who color their lenses with hip-hop terminology and practices must be considered reprobate and unelect, with total depravity so corrupted that they are predestined not to see in clear vision. The city must expel the infected, and it must treat them as worse than lepers. Their proper place is with snakes and vipers, for they make one duplicitous brood. They are to be treated as less than human, with the rules of civilization and civil society not applying to them at all. These who take after the styles of rappers and hip-hop artists in their daily lives are to be placed in ghettos and gulags, their entire existence reduced to slave labor and forced soldiery. Until they have shown themselves to be free enough from the contagion, they shall have no usual rights or privileges afforded by society to its members.
Appendix: More words
Disavow
Original usage
Used by governments to deny any involvement in operations abroad.
Hip-hop corruption
Rappers break friendships by “addressing” on “platforms” that they are no longer friends/“associates”.
Social media abstraction
Same as the hip-hop corruption.
Try-hard/Trying too hard
Original usage
Someone exerting too much effort to achieve their goals than what should be necessary. A case of inefficient allocation of time, energy, and possibly resources. Especially noticeable in those without institutional support.
Hip-hop corruption
Rappers engage in games of insults, and thus disparage efforts of their rivals to have better wordplay and creativity in insulting someone.
Social media abstraction
Used in conjunction with “signal” above.
Address
Original usage
Writing letters needed to place the recipient’s address on the envelope, hence a letter is “addressed” to someone.
Hip-hop corruption
Rappers address crowds from their platforms about matters concerning them. When rappers insult (“attack”) each other, they “address” their insults to other rappers.
Social media abstraction
Same as hip-hop corruption, used in conjunction with “criticism” above.
Misrepresent
Original usage
Paintings, stories, or other narratives which poorly resemble real events.
Hip-hop corruption
Hip-hop lyrics which don’t portray rival rappers properly.
Social media abstraction
Used to mean either the hip-hop corruption or as synonyms for “misunderstand” or “uncharitably interpret” (“charitable” itself is another word used in hip-hop and social media, coming from its welfare state trappings).
Dope
Original usage
A slang word for marijuana, similar to weed.
Hip-hop corruption
Rappers love taking drugs, so they say good things are like unto marijuana.
Social media abstraction
Coincident with greater societal acceptance of drug-usage, marijuana is held as a good thing, and good things are held as like unto marijuana.