-izzle  

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A slang suffix to form hip-hop-sounding words, which replaces the word with the first letter or letters of the word followed by -izzle.

Etymology

Popularized by rap artist Template:W, but first put to record by Frankie Smith's 1981 "Double Dutch Bus" 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 Template:M), similar in some ways to Template:W, was developed by African Americans around the period of the Template:W, 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).




Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "-izzle" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

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