Photo by Trinecia
1.
New York drill is steadily taking over the world, and so is the slang attached to it. If there’s one thing that Ice Spice’s viral hit “Munch” taught us, it’s that NY drill artists have the ability to create their own lingo that sounds completely foreign to anyone outside the scene. Terms like “munch,” “matta,” and “smoochie” are all modern New York drill slang that either already existed in current New York slang, or were completely invented for the sake of a bar and entered colloquial language afterward. Songs like Fivio Foreign’s “Wetty,” Ice Spice’s “Munch,” Shawny Binladen’s “Whole Lotta Wickery” and more have been pivotal in helping popularize New York slang because of how prevalent it is in NY drill.
The rise of “Munch,” from being included in Cardi’s viral song with Glorilla, “Tomorrow 2,” to spawning several viral TikTok trends, is a reminder that people will vibe to a track even if they aren’t aware of what’s being said. Lil Yachty’s “Poland” and “pushin P” are other examples of that.
2.
With Ice Spice’s latest track “Bikini Bottom” already making social media buzz, below we lend a hand to break down the definitions of some of the other popular slang commonly used in New York drill and the city at large. You don’t have to incorporate these words into your daily vocab, but at least you might use more discretion before casually calling your friend an eater.
3.Munch /mən(t)SH/
Adjective
Song Reference: Ice Spice, “Munch”
Definition: A person who is obsessed with someone else and often expresses it by wanting to give them oral sex.
“You thought I was feeling you? That nigga a munch.”
Popularized by Bronx drill rapper Ice Spice, the term “munch” has effectively taken over the globe, along with Spice’s song of the same name. To put it simply, a munch is someone who desires someone else, but the feeling is often not reciprocated. Similar to an “eater,” a munch also only seeks to please the other person. As the song makes clear, a munch isn’t something you want to be.
4.Eater /ˈēdər/
Noun
Song Reference: Ice Spice, “Munch”
Definition: A person who only seeks to provide oral sex without gaining anything in return.
“Nigga a eater, he ate it for lunch.”
As the name implies, to be an eater means that your sole desire during sex is to… well, eat (or perform oral). Although it’s not necessarily a bad thing, the drill scene uses the term in an unfavorable way.
5.A Bean /A bEEn/
Verb
Song Reference: Ice Spice, “Munch”
Definition: To be completely honest about something.
“Bitches ain’t bad, let’s keep it a bean.”
We’re cheating with this one, because “keeping it a bean” is a phrase that originated in Philly, and then made its way up Jersey and into New York rap slang. A bean is just another way to say that someone is being completely truthful, like “keeping it a stack” or “100” about something.
6.Smoochie /smooCHie/
Adjective
Song Reference: Ice Spice, “On The Radar” Freestyle
Definition: Someone who changes intimate partners frequently.
“I’m a smoochie, like you cannot change me.”
Smoochie is a newer term in the New York rap slang sphere. It references someone with multiple sexual partners. Unlike being called a treesh, however, smoochie is a label that has become more embraced and has less of a negative connotation.
7.Ooter /OO-TUH/
Adjective
Song Reference: Shawny Binladen, “Georgia”
Definition: A very loyal companion.
“Free all the ooters, man.”
A New York variant of “shooters,” ooters are ride-or-die friends and companions who you regularly associate yourself with. There’s a funny trend in New York slang where words either get a “sh” added (e.g., “shneaky), or dropped off, like here.
8.Treesh /trēSH/
Adjective
Song Reference: Shawny Binladen f/ Bizzy Banks, “Wockhardt”
Definition: A derogatory term referring to someone with multiple sexual partners.
“Your girl a treesh, better go through her archive.”
Treesh has steadily become a genderless term that simply refers to someone who has several casual sexual partners. “Treesha” and “Treeshy” are variants of the same word, and have basically replaced words like “thot” in the current NY rap slang-sphere.
9.Shneaky /ˈsnēkē/
Adjective
Song Reference: Rah Swish, “Double Cup”
Definition: Operating with extreme discretion.
“They’re moving wild shneaky.”
Shneaky is literally just sneaky with an “h” for extra discretion and some added spice. If someone is moving shneaky, they do not want their business to be known by others. Shneaky can alternatively be used in place of “lowkey,” depending on the context of the conversation.
10.Matta /MAH-tuh/
Noun / Verb
Song Reference: CJ, “Whoopty”
Definition: Referencing a person’s head or oral sex.
“Smokin the zaza, it go straight to the matta.”
“I’m in the hood and I’m still moving zaza/She wanna fuck but I just want the matta.”
Referring to either one’s literal head or receiving oral sex, matta is often used interchangeably between those two meanings—sometimes even in the same song, like in CJ’s “Whoopty.” Interestingly though, the Bangla word “matha” is pronounced the same and translates to head, so how the word made its way into New York drill slang is a mystery.
11.Wetty /wet-EE/
Adjective
Song Reference: Fivio Foreign, “Wetty”
Definition: A sexually aroused woman.
“I met lil mama at the deli/She was a wetty.”
Fivio Foreign’s 2020 song “Wetty” is basically a prototype “Munch,” all the way down to the new out of pocket lingo Fivio coined in it. A wetty refers to a woman who is easily aroused. Thankfully, wetty didn’t really reach casual lingo the way that munch has, despite it being one of Foreign’s first viral songs.
12.Shiesty /shyst-EE/
Noun
Song Reference: Pooh Shiesty f/ Lil Durk, “Back in Blood” (used differently in this song)
Definition: A ski mask (often Nike tech) worn over one’s face.
“I pull up with my shiesty on.”
When Memphis rapper Pooh Shiesty burst onto the rap scene in 2020, he quickly became known for the black ski mask he would often wear during public appearances. Like the rest of the hip-hop scene, New York rap heavily adopted the new fashion trend and began calling the masks shiestys, paying homage to the 22-year-old rapper. Shiesty is commonly used when referring to someone being sneaky or distrustful, but in New York, it’s something you wear with pride.