[HOST] When it comes to beef, Hip-Hop is a war of words and today almost everyone is
saying ‘opps.’
[HOST] “Opp” is an abbreviation for “opposition” basically defined as the people you’re going
up against.
[HOST] Genius data shows that the root word, opposition, has been appearing in rap for
decades going back to as early as the mid 1980s with New York rapper LL Cool J’s “Rock
The Bells.”
[HOST] As well as California’s Dr. Dre in 1995.
[HOST] But ‘opp’ appearing in rap lyrics is actually relatively new.
[HOST] From 2011 until 2015 ‘opp’s’ yearly mentions remained in the dozens but
exploded into the hundreds after 2016.
[HOST] Why?
Well, the data yields one plausible reason - the influence of Chicago’s Drill music
scene.
[HOST] The first lyrical mention of 'opp' came in 2011 from Chicago rapper Chief Keef’s cut “John
Madden.”
[HOST] Here is another Chief Keef cut from
2012.
[HOST] As well as Lil Reese’s “Us” off of his debut mixtape, “Don’t Like.”
[HOST] From 2012 to 2014 ‘opp’ was used almost exclusively by Chicago rappers.
[HOST] The first lyrical mention by a non-Illinois artist came in 2013 from
Houston’s Maxo Kream.
[HOST] Genius has covered the influence of Chicago’s rap scene and specifically Chief
Keef in the past.
The data shows that it’s fair to ascribe the prevalence of ‘opp’ to the Windy City.
[HOST] From the boom in 2016 “opps” was off to the races - with everyone saying it
- from Lil Uzi Vert...
[HOST] To Kendrick Lamar’s surprise appearance on 2019’s “Revenge of the Dreamers III.”
[HOST] But lingo aside, in some cases, the ‘opps’ weren’t just people hating on
the internet.
[JOSH] It changed the way the music felt to me because I was seeing the real cost of some
of this violence.
[HOST] That’s Josh McGhee, a journalist for the Chicago Reporter.
[HOST] He’s written dozens of stories about slain young men during the city’s ongoing
gang crisis - notably this piece on rapper LA Capone - one of the earliest artists to
use ‘opp.’
[HOST] Josh told us what is was like speaking with Capone’s mother after the rappers death.
[JOSH ]I watched her throw away a birthday cake she had just purchased for him.
She’s never going to recover from the loss of her son even if his music lasts forever.
[HOST] Genius found that of the many Chi-town rappers who were amongst the first to use
‘opp,’ a lot of them have died in Chicago’s ongoing gang crisis - a seemingly endless
cycle of small feuds, violence and retribution - sometimes exacerbated by the music.
[HOST] From Lil Jojo, gunned down in September 2012...
[HOST] To most recently, Lil Mister shot dead in March 2019...
[HOST] In fact, the city recently had its most violent weekend of 2019.
[HOST] Effectively, for these artists the ‘opps’ were people in their own neighborhoods
- not some folks hating on the internet.
[HOST] But Josh believes that the blame for Chicago’s struggles stretches further than
slang and Drill.
[JOSH] There has been a massive disinvestment on the south and west side that’s been happening
over decades.
There’s been the closing of more than 50 schools on the south and westside, there's
been the ending of anti violence programs and the cutting of social services to Illinois.
[HOST] But there are people who are trying to change things - like Chicago community
activist Paris “Tree” Brown.
[TREE] In the 7 year period of me being in this wheelchair I’ve lost 14 friends.
[HOST] In 2012, Tree was shot while in a car in Chicago’s West Side.
The bullets left him paralyzed below the waist.
He told us how much of a struggle it was to not seek retribution.
[TREE] Me feeling like awh, I wanna kill and nothin' and all that, I just realized like
man I need to let this go...so I let it go and started living my life after that.
[HOST] Tree works with Good Kids Maad City, an organization whose work runs the gamut
from teaching gunshot first aid to children to restorative justice.
[TREE] Restorative justice can help youth learn how to resolve issues and fix harm without
actually harming others in the process.
[HOST] But like Joshua said earlier, unless the system is fixed, finding a solution will
be difficult.
[TREE] When you leave us with little to nothing, and I can get a gun quicker than I can get
a job, what’s the outcome going to be?
[HOST] As for “Opp,” well, Tree isn’t a fan of it’s usage.
[TREE] They were really speaking on people who they felt in their heart and soul were
their enemies.
[HOST] While these Chicago artists were often rhyming about personal rivals in their own
neighborhoods, like any slang, it's grown beyond its birthplace.
[TECCA] Opps is people that be hatin’ and I don’t even know them.
[HOST] And while Chicago isn’t the only music scene fraught with violence, it’s
fair to say that the term has become a reflection of a culture with real life consequences.
[HOST] I’m Jacques Morel with Genius News, bringing you the meaning and the knowledge
behind the music.
Peace!