What Does Slime Mean In Rap? (Explained!)


“Slime” in rap is a slang term often used in place of “friend”. It’s often used between males and is roughly equivalent words like “homie” or “bro”. It can more generally just be used as a term meaning someone who is a very close friend and like family to you. It simply implies a close relationship.

It can seem like a strange idiom to non-English speakers—and even to English speakers, depending on where you’re from.

The word is most commonly used in the United States but is also very common in the UK, too.

Let’s look at this unusual slang term in a bit more detail.

What Does Slime Mean In Rap?

 

What is the meaning of “slime” in rap?

When you hear someone say something along the lines of “my slime” in rap, it typically means “my friend” or something along these lines.

Its senses can vary depending on the context and the user, but in general, the meaning is going to orbit “friend”.

Given that it is used in rap, it is perhaps most helpfully compared to the word “homie” or “homeboy”.

Naturally, these words are overused in rap parody and begin to lose their original sense due to this, but many still use this word in earnest.

It refers not just to your friend, but to someone you’ve perhaps known for a very long time, or at least someone with whom you have a very deep connection.

That said, it’s important to note that while this is perhaps the only way you could strictly define the term, just like any other term that means “friend” it does have a wider application than this.

It can be used in more casual settings, for example when you are addressing someone who might be serving you in a shop or restaurant.

Just as you might call them “pal” or “mate” in Britain, you could call them “slime”—but this doesn’t mean they are literally one of your closest friends, of course.

The term is primarily used in the U.S. and this is where it originated, but it is also widely used in Britain, too.

There’s certainly an extent to which the term is meant in humor and not completely in earnest.

This is not to say that those who use it are not addressing very close friends of theirs, but rather simply that the word itself is meant to be a bit less serious than other terms.

It’s definitely a bit more complex than it sounds, then—but in essence, it just means friend, and if that’s your only takeaway, you’ll be fine!

 

Where does “slime” come from in rap?

It’s pretty widely agreed that the person who first used the term “slime” in this sense was the rapper N.O.R.E., as in a music video of his from way back in 1999, he can be heard calling an owner of Chinese restaurant “slime”.

It didn’t really gain a whole lot of popularity until the 2010s, and this period of time is often credited with the widespread adoption of the term.

Many other rappers began using the term over this period, and many point to one of N.O.R.E.’s tweets from 2009 which revived the popularity of the term.

Indeed, N.O.R.E essentially claims the slang as his own.

After that initial appearance of the term in 1999, he went on to release multiple tracks that included the word “slime” meaning “my friend”.

It is very often used in this construction, as “my slime”.

It’s gained such widespread use and popularity that many have no idea it was a single person who started using the term.

 

What does slime mean to a girl?

There are often a lot of questions about whether you can call a girl “slime” or “my slime”.

The simple answer is yes you can and it means the same thing to a girl as it would to a man.

There’s nothing gender-specific about it—it just so happens to have arisen in a male-dominated context.

There’s no reason you can’t call a girl “slime” just to mean that you are their friend, in exactly the same way you would use it with a male.

That said, whether male or female, you should consider whether the person is likely to take your proper meaning.

If they are not familiar with the slang term for one reason or another, then they may not take it in the intended way. Just be sure of who you are saying it to!

 

What is a “slime” in UK slang?

Though it is not as widely used in the U.K. as it is in the U.S., it has the same meaning when it is used in Britain.

It means a close friend, a brother, and it is perhaps most often used in parts of London.

However, due to the popularity of American rap across the country, many younger people do tend to be at least somewhat familiar with the term.

Again, it does have the kind of “jokey” edge that the word possesses in the U.S.

 

So, the simplest way to think of this word is essentially as a stand in for the word “friend”.

It can have varying meanings depending on the context in which it is used, but in general it does just mean a friend.

Usually it implies a particularly close relationship, and yet at the same time it can also be applied in a general, friendly way to someone you don’t know very well.

 

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  • Polly Webster

    Founder - @PollyWebster

    Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

    Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

    Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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