When I walked by this truck this afternoon, I began laughing so hard I couldn’t stop. And all my hip hop fans out there know why. I’m from New Jersey and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told people that and their response has been some variation of the phrase “Oh yeah, dun son” or “You from Jersey, son dun.” Madness. In case you are unfamiliar with this phrase/greeting, I’ve included a definition from one of our generation’s most unimpeachable resources, the Urban Dictionary:
1. dun son
Originally rooted from the word “dun”, meaning “son”, dun son is an extension of it’s root. Usually in reference to entering or exiting, never used during conversation. A Greeting.
“Yo whas da deal dun son?” or “Yo I’ma holla at you lata dun son”
HA! A little off subject but also hilarious to me, I heard Rick Ross on the Rickey Smiley Morning Show maybe last month or earlier this month and he called 50 Cent his “son.” They are/were beefing over something utterly ridiculous I’m sure, who can keep up?… Listen to the whole clip for completely ignorant hilarity or FF to the 1:30 mark to get right to it.
Alright, so I don’t have the time to go into a complete explanation of the manifold meanings of dun, son, dun son, etc., but if you feel as if you need more background information on any of these “words” or just a general overview of Hip-Hop-bonics in general, please feel free to visit any of these free resources:
The Dunn Language Wikipedia Page (explains the origin of “Dun Language”)
Urban Dictionary
This classic track from the late, great Big L (FF to the 2:05 mark for “son” reference ;):
You’re welcome.
