I tried researching this for a while, but reading all those rap lyrics
made my brain hurt. Nevertheless, I am posting my findings, hoping
that the enlightenment of the many will be worth the headache of the
one. ;-)
A wonderful online source of info on current slang is the Urban
Dictionary. I've posted excerpts from a couple of U.D. definitions
below.
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The midfix -izz- is used as an embellishment to add syllables to
words, perhaps for purposes of meter. It is added after the initial
consonant, or if the word begins with a vowel, at the very beginning.
When context allows, sometimes the remainder of the word is actually
omitted.
Urban Dictionary
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=izz
An example of my own coinage:
Oldspeak: "Google Answers really satisfies you."
Rapspeak: "Gizzoogle Izzanswers rizzeally sizzatisfies yizzou."
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izzo... from Jay-Z's song "H to the Izzo"... chorus lyrics are as
follows: "H to the Izzo, V to the Izzay..." which is an extended form
H to the O, V to the A... standing for H.O.V.A. -- some gangster place
I don't know of. Izzo means O. Put "izz" in front of any letter and it
means that letter.
Urban Dictionary
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=izzo
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From what I've read, the fad of inserting "izz" into words may be
credited to the popularity of Snoop Dogg, although the original usage
almost certainly predates him. The insertion of "izz" into words is
very similar to children's nonsense "code languages" such as
Double-Dutch, Ubbi-Dubbi, and -- the most famous -- Pig Latin.
More on code languages:
Wikipedia
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibberish
Linguist List
http://www.linguistlist.org/issues/8/8-1208.html
The Kith
http://www.kith.org/logos/words/lower/u.comments.html
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Here are some newsgroup threads that you may find interesting
(WARNING: there are some vulgarisms and obscenities herein):
Thread from rec.music.hip-hop newsgroup
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&safe=off&th=6ec019bcf14e149c&rnum=2
Thread from alt.rap newsgroup
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&safe=off&th=c3eb15eb7f6e3fa5&rnum=14
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Google search strategy:
Google Web Search: "izz" + "words" + "rap"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=izz+words+rap
Google Groups Search: "izz" + "words" + "rap"
://www.google.com/grphp?hl=en&tab=wg&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=izz+words+rap
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I hope this has been helpful. I now thizzink I have a fairly good
grasp of this aspect of rap slang, but I am still waiting for somebody
to tell me what "diddy wah diddy" means.
Bizzest wizzishes,
pizzinkfreud |