gangsta rap

[ gang-stuh-rap ]

/ ˈgæŋ stə ˌræp /

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noun

a type of rap music whose lyrics feature violence, sexual exploits, and the like.

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Also gang·ster rap

[gang-ster rap], /ˈgæŋ stər ˌræp/, gangsta .

Origin of gangsta rap

First recorded in 1985–90; see origin at gangsta, rap music

Words nearby gangsta rap

gang rape, gangrel, gangrene, gang saw, gangsta, gangsta rap, gangster, gangster chic, gangsterism, gang switch, Gangtok

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gangsta rap in a sentence

A generation later, the hair metal and synthpop of the ’80s gave way to the grunge and gangsta rap of the ’90s.
Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry Is a Mostly Fascinating Portrait of an Apocalyptic Teen Pop Star|Judy Berman|February 26, 2021|Time
Pitchfork called him a “a rap-obsessed misfit from a summer camp who freestyles poorly” who is “ridiculous without knowing it.”
The Cult of Yung Lean: ‘I’m Building An Anarchistic Society From the Ground Up’|Marlow Stern|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“Poor Steve Scalise is getting a bad rap,” Knight, a long-time aide to former KKK leader David Duke, told The Daily Beast.
GOP Boss Gets Help From ‘White Hate’ Pal|Tim Mak|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And there are those who still have misgivings about exactly what “Christian rap” means.
Down With the King: Christianity Isn’t Hiding in Rap’s Closet|Stereo Williams|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The Communist Party of China gets a bad rap for cracking down on religion.
The Buddhist Business of Poaching Animals for Good Karma|Brendon Hong|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They joined forces to form the rap supergroup Run the Jewels.
The 10 Best Albums of 2014: Taylor Swift, Sia, Run the Jewels, and More|Marlow Stern|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was in the midst of his reflections when there came a rap at his door, which the next moment was flung open.
Confidence|Henry James
"All they can rap and run for" is the more frequent colloquial version of this quaint phrase.
Notes and Queries, Number 177, March 19, 1853|Various
He gave to every syllable the value of a rap and certain words he terminated with an audible snap of his teeth.
Dope|Sax Rohmer
Another rap, louder and more importunate, echoed through the large room.
The World Before Them|Susanna Moodie
Old Adam wanted two thousand dollars, they say, if he could only get them; but he could not, not a rap.
Skipper Worse|Alexander Lange Kielland

British Dictionary definitions for gangsta rap

gangsta rap

/ (ˈɡæŋstə) /

noun

a style of rap music, usually characterized by lyrics about Black street gangs in the US, often with violent, nihilistic, and misogynistic themes

Derived forms of gangsta rap

gangsta rapper, noun

Word Origin for gangsta rap

C20: phonetic rendering of gangster

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012