DISSING

(Redirected from Diss track)

'Dissing' is a slang term derived from the word ''disrespecting''. The verb "to ''dis''" originated in African American Vernacular English, though its use has become widespread among people of many racial and social backgrounds. A diss can occur by either spoken word or song lyric.

Contents

Spelling

History

Songs

See also

Spelling

There is some confusion on the spelling of the word. It is usually spelled "diss" and "dissing" (compare ), but some consider "dis" and "dising" to be correct due to the word's slang origin. 'Diss' is the more conventional spelling in English orthography.

History

The first recorded use of "dis" occurred in the lyrics of a 1985 song "I Can't Live Without My Radio" by LL Cool J:
Claims that the word "dis" had origins as early as 1970 are not apparently backed by evidence of usage.
The term was used for humorous effect in Weezer's first hit single "Buddy Holly" (1995), whose lyrics include: "What's with these homies dissin' my girl; why do they gotta front."

Songs

In the hip-hop genre, a 'diss song' or 'diss track' is that which is primarily intended to verbally assault and insult a person or a group of people. Diss songs are usually the by-product of heated rivalries between two or more rap artists (e.g. Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G., Eazy-E and Dr.Dre, Nas and Jay-Z, Eminem and many artists, particuarly Benzino, or G-Unit vs. The Game feud). One of the earliest examples of this particular type of song is "The Bridge is Over" by Boogie Down Productions.
In some cases, the diss song may be a parody of another song. One example of this is "No Pigeons" by Sporty Thievz, which parodied the TLC hit, "No Scrubs", "Brooklyn High" by Jay-Z, which parodied "We Fly High" by Jim Jones, and "I'm Sorry Miss Jackson (50 Cent Diss)" by Jadakiss ft. Styles P, which parodied "Ms. Jackson" by OutKast.

See also

★ Trash-talk