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

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Etymology

Origin of gangsta rap

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gangsta rap

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

And we meet Tupac, who was murdered in 1996 at 25, as a bright, sensitive teenager with a gift for words who would go on to become synonymous with West Coast gangsta rap.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 26, 2024

Meanwhile, across America, Los Angeles was coming into its own as the capital of gangsta rap, led by menacing mogul Suge Knight's Death Row Records, which had Dr Dre and Tupac.

From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2024

The gangsta rap legend has released 21 studio albums and received 20 Grammy nominations.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2024

None of these places was new to me, but I saw them all differently with a soundtrack playing as I passed them by: an 1800s white-washed bunkhouse with a caved-in roof set to gangsta rap.

From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth

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