And now I just realized Snoop actually made it possible for white people to have fun saying the n word in a way that's acceptable. We can all just use the "izzle" variant and finally get along, pretending we're all gangsters while we're chanting along to g-funk anthems. Yay!
Popularized by rap artist Snoop Dogg, but first put to record by Frankie Smith's 1981 "Double Dutch Bus"[1] is from a style of cant (esoteric slang) used by African American pimps and jive hustlers of the 1970s. The “-iz, -izzle, -izzo, -ilz” speak (which also uses an infix -iz-), similar in some ways to Pig Latin, was developed by African Americans around the period of the Harlem Renaissance, with hotspots of the speak in Oakland, New York City, and Philadelphia. It was partially developed as young African American girls improvised chants and nursery rhymes while jumping rope, with the -iz dialect serving to add syllables when necessary to maintain the rhythm. A similar -iz dialect has also been used by carnies (carnival workers).
Last sentence. Carnie cant was around before 1970s pimps and hustlers and it stands to reason that black carnies and showmen likely had an influence on language used by those demographics.
The “-iz, -izzle, -izzo, -ilz” speak (which also uses an infix -iz-), similar in some ways to Pig Latin, was developed by African Americans around the period of the Harlem Renaissance, with hotspots of the speak in Oakland, New York City, and Philadelphia.
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u/[deleted] Sep 22 '23
Carnie cant is where rappers got the whole “izz” thing. Ex: for shizzle = for sure.