the ragga

lingo

FREQUENTLY USED TERMS & EXPRESSIONS

FREQUENTLY USED TERMS & EXPRESSIONS

Consider this to be the RAGGAMUFFIN dictionary, a list of frequently used terms and expressions. They are what make up the RAGGA LINGO, the vocabulary that shapes the RAGGA perspective.

The definitions are carefully detailed below to give a clearer sense of the RAGGAMUFFIN mindset. They are inspired from a collection of literary works, and personal observations and reflections.

  • (to) big up

    big•up

    /big/ /ǝp/

    verb

    1. Jamaican patois term.

    2. to encourage, congratulate, celebrate.

    example: “Gwan! Big up yuhself!”

  • Black

    Black

    /blak/

    1. a collective identity, more so than an individual one (although not mutually exclusive).

    2. purposefully used in a broad and (quasi) neutral sense, to refer to anything relating to the African diaspora.

    3. for more context, check out Candid.

  • Black cultural network(s)

    Black cul•tur•al net•work

    /blak/ /’kǝlCH(ǝ)rǝl/ /’net wǝrk/

    noun

    1. used in tandem with the term “Black Atlantic”.

    2. referring to the symbiotic exchange and linkages that exist throughout the African diaspora.

  • black musical culture(s)

    Black mu•si•cal cul•ture(s)

    /blak/ /’myōōzǝk(ǝ)l/ /kǝlCHǝrz/

    noun

    beyond just the music genre itself, the set of aesthetics, codes, and cultural practices that emerge from Black music genres.

    example: the graffiti art, breakdancing, and DJ-ing that came along with the birth of Hip-hop in the late-1970s.

  • Hyperlocal

    hy•per•lo•cal

    /’hīpǝr, lōkǝl/

    adjective, or noun

    1. relates to the urban space.

    2. a magnified look into the local space; a concentrated look at communities within a given area.

    3. where most (if not all) of the Black musical culture(s) emerged.

  • Overstand

    o•ver•stand

    /’ōvǝr/ /stand/

    verb

    1. expression used in Rastafarian speech.

    2. replaces “understand”; refers to the principle that one should not “stand under an idea” but rather use ideas to help elevate one’s consciousness.

  • raggamuffin

    rag•a•muf•fin

    /’ragǝ mǝfǝn/

    noun

    diminutive: ragga

    1. a reference to the Jamaican term describing someone who is “street smart/tough”, and to the Dancehall sub-genre of the 1980s.

    2. someone who marches to the beat of their own drum and stands firmly in what they believe in; a rebel.

  • (s)

    1. found at the end of words like: “culture”, “network”, “people”, etc.

    2. done deliberately to highlight the multifaceted nature of the terms listed above.

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