Who Started Saying “Opps” In Hip-Hop? | Genius News

When it comes to beef, hip-hop is a war of words and nowadays almost everyone says "

opps

." “Opp” is an abbreviation for “opposition” which is basically defined as the people you are up against. Cool data shows that the root word, opposition, has been showing up in rap for decades, dating back to the mid-1980s with New York rapper LL Cool J's “Rock The Bells.” Plus California's Dr. Dre in 1995. But the appearance of "opp" in rap lyrics is actually relatively new. From 2011 to 2015, annual mentions of 'opp' remained in the dozens, but skyrocketed to the hundreds after 2016. Why? Well, the data yields a plausible reason: the influence of Chicago's Drill music scene.

The first lyrical mention of 'opp' came in 2011 on Chicago rapper Chief Keef's cut "John Madden." Here's another Chief Keef cut from 2012. Plus Lil Reese's "Us" from his debut mixtape, "Do n't Like." From 2012 to 2014, Chicago rappers almost exclusively used the word "opp." The first lyrical mention of an artist outside of Illinois came in 2013 from Houston's Maxo Kream. Genius has covered the influence of the Chicago rap scene and specifically Chief Keef in the past. The data shows that it's fair to attribute the prevalence of "opp" to the Windy City. Since the boom of 2016, "

opps

" has gone on the run, and everyone is

saying

it, from Lil Uzi Vert... to Kendrick Lamar's surprise appearance in 2019's "Revenge of the Dreamers III." But leaving Slang aside, in some cases, the "opps" weren't just haters on the Internet.

He changed the way he felt about music because he was seeing the real cost of some of this violence. That's Josh McGhee, reporter for the Chicago Reporter. He has written dozens of stories about young people murdered during the city's current gang crisis, notably this article about rapper LA Capone, one of the first artists to use 'opp.' Josh told us what it was like talking to Capone's mother after the rapper's death. . I saw her throw away a birthday cake that she had just bought him. She will never recover from the loss of her son, even if her music lasts forever.

Genius discovered that of the many Chi-town rappers who were among the first to use 'opp,' many of them died in the ongoing gang crisis in Chicago, a seemingly endless cycle of petty disputes, violence, and sometimes retaliation. exacerbated by music. . From Lil Jojo, shot to death in September 2012... To the most recent, Lil Mister, shot to death in March 2019... In fact, the city recently had its most violent weekend of 2019. Indeed, for these 'opps' artists were people in their own neighborhoods, not some haters on the internet. But Josh believes the blame for Chicago's problems goes beyond slang and drill.

There has been massive disinvestment on the South and West Side that has been going on for decades. More than 50 schools have been closed in the South and West, anti-violence programs have been ended, and social services have been cut in Illinois. But there are people who are trying to change things, like Chicago community activist Paris “Tree” Brown. In the 7 years I have been in this wheelchair, I have lost 14 friends. In 2012, Tree was shot while in a car on Chicago's West Side. The bullets left him paralyzed below the waist. He told us how difficult it was not to seek retaliation.

I feel like, I want to kill and nothing and all that, I realized as a man that I need to let this go... so I let it go and

started

living my life after that. Tree works with Good Kids Maad City, an organization whose work ranges from teaching children firearms first aid to restorative justice. Restorative justice can help young people learn how to solve problems and repair harm without harming others in the process. But as Joshua said before, unless the system is fixed, it will be difficult to find a solution. When you leave us with little or nothing and I can get a gun faster than I can get a job, what will be the result?

As for "Opp", well, Tree doesn't like its use. They were really talking about people who felt in his heart and soul that they were his enemies. While these Chicago artists often rhymed about personal rivals in their own neighborhoods, like any slang, it has grown beyond its birthplace. Opps are hating people and I don't even know them. And while Chicago isn't the only music scene plagued by violence, it's fair to say that the term has become a reflection of a culture with real-life consequences. I'm Jacques Morel from Genius News and I bring you the meaning and knowledge behind the music.

Peace!