What Does AP Mean In Rap? (Helpful Content!)

AP can mean a couple of different things in rap. It can simply refer to one’s “assistant producer” in the process of producing their music. On the other hand, it can be a term used to refer to Audemars Piguet, a brand of luxury watches which some rappers like to use as a status symbol.

The most likely meaning of this term when used in rap is generally the second one.

Many rappers use this abbreviation to refer to these luxury watches, and that is certainly a lot more likely than that they would use it as an abbreviation for their assistant producer—at least when it comes as the actual lyrics of a song.

Let’s find out more.

What does AP stand for in rap?

AP can stand for a couple of different things in rap, but the most common way it is used is in reference to Audemars Piguet, a brand of luxury watches made in Switzerland.

These watches are widely recognized for their quality and for the security of the brand, so they have become like Rolex and Omega in their level of brand recognition.

For this reason, they have become important to the rap community as status symbols, and many rappers use this abbreviation not only to indicate their luxury watches, but to only do so to those who are “In the know” about what the abbreviation means.

Such “insider knowledge” is very often a key part of rap, whether intentionally or not.

Many disparate rap scenes employ specific, regional and idiomatic slang to help build a specific brand and identity and help their fans feel as though they are part of a more intimate community.

The abbreviation APs is one way this is done, while at the same time being a reference to the luxury the rappers are able to afford due to the success of their music.

In that way, there is a level of egotism to the abbreviation.

However, the term can potentially have other meanings depending on the context.

Sometimes, though usually in much rarer cases, AP can mean “assistant producer”.

Many of us on the outside can often forget that music is very much a joint effort, even when only a single artist is the figurehead of the brand.

Rap in particular makes use of many producers for help in mixing and promoting music, so it can sometimes be an endearing reference to a rapper’s assistant producer in this way.

Where does this term come from, then?

Where does AP come from in rap?

It’s not really clear where this term originally came from.

It’s not clear who was the first person to use it or how it caught on.

As we’ll see, many rappers have ended up using the term in the same way to refer to their watches, so it’s harder to trace who was the first person to specifically use this abbreviation for this meaning.

That said, it’s not really heard much before the 2010s, so it is definitely a more recent invention.

“Bling” like expensive, luxury watches has always been an important part of some rap subcultures, but it seems that this specific brand of watches being so central a part of that is certainly a more recent thing.

More than that, we can’t really say about its origin.

Abbreviating the brand name to AP is certainly a logical move—it can be more than a bit of a mouthful to pronounce Audemars Piguet for an English speaking person, so shortening it down in like this was the only way it would ever fit lyrically into rap music.

Who uses the term, then?

Who uses AP in rap?

A number of different rappers have used the term AP over the last decade or so.

Rich the Kid is one of them, and he has used the term a number of times.

Migos has also used the abbreviation AP in his rap songs.

Future is another example and has used it multiple times.

Post Malone is perhaps the most well-known example of a rapper using this phrase.

If anyone is likely to have popularized it, it’s Post Malone—though again this does not mean he was the first to use it.

It probably predated the first time it was used by Post Malone.

Does AP mean anything else in rap?

As mentioned, the other primary meaning of AP is “assistant producer”, though this is far less common.

In any case, you should quite easily be able to deduce from context whether the abbreviation is referring to a watch or to an assistant producer.

It’s usually going to be the watch option, and if anything the assistant producer meaning is more likely to be used outside of an actual song, in social media posts, for example.

The term doesn’t really have any other established meanings, though some claim it refers to “Asian porn”.

This is not really seen in any actual songs, though.

So, it can have one or two meanings, but it is most commonly referring to a brand of luxury watches.

As it always has been, wealth is a particular status symbol in rap, and a rapper’s wealth is very often a big part of their personal brand.

Watches, equally, have for a very long time also been a status symbol, since they are highly visible and can be extremely expensive.

Not only that, but brand recognition as with Rolex or Omega has also been a huge part of watches in general in society.

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