gangsta rap

American  

[gang-stuh rap] / ˈgæŋ stə ˌræp /

Also gangster rap

noun

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

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gangsta rap British  

/ ˈɡæŋstə /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• gangsta rapper
  noun

Etymology

Origin of gangsta rap

First recorded in 1985–90; see origin at gangsta ( def. ), rap music ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gangsta rap

Following the 1960s Black Arts Movement and ‘90s gangsta rap, jerkin’ joins the ranks as one of the most influential art movements to come out of the city.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025

When no one is around, the doleful ex-judge listens to Italian gangsta rap, and sometimes even raps along with it, suggesting he isn’t quite the stereotype others assume him to be.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025

Her tastes were eclectic - picking Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus as her favourite piece on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs - but also later speaking of her liking for gangsta rap.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2025

She added: “It’s exciting, it kicks you in the butt. Good gangsta rap makes me feel like I just parachuted out of a plane.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2024

Most Americans only come to “know” about the people cycling in and out of prisons through fictional police dramas, music videos, gangsta rap, and “true” accounts of ghetto experience on the evening news.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander