Where it sits
Slaps is near the top. "Slaps hard" goes all the way.
Tell it apart
| Aspect | Slaps | Bop |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | Verb | Noun |
| Praises | Impact, quality | Catchiness |
| Used beyond music? | Often | Rarely |
A bop is a catchy, feel-good song. A song that slaps hits harder: it's excellent, often with a heavy beat. Plenty of songs are both.
What it really means
Slaps is what a good song does. "This track slaps." The word suggests impact, something that hits you, which is why it suits music with a heavy beat so well, though a great meal or a great jacket can slap too.
It has older roots than you might expect. Dictionary.com notes that "slap" was used as an adjective meaning "first-rate" as far back as the mid-1800s. The modern verb grew up in hip-hop: Dictionary.com finds it in use by the early 2000s and says the musical sense is often credited to Bay Area hip-hop slang, and Wiktionary labels the sense African American Vernacular English.
By 2019 it was common enough in music writing for Wiktionary to collect several citations from a single year. Its stock phrases followed: an old album "still slaps", a soundtrack "slaps harder than the film".
Slaps sits alongside a family of praise words with their own defaults. A meal is bussin. A person, or a sandwich, is goated. A song that catches you at the right moment hits different. And a song that's simply, reliably excellent slaps.
Where it comes from
a sharp blow; also old slang for first-rate
Dictionary.com notes "slap" was used for "first-rate" in the mid-1800s. The modern sense fits a song with a hard-hitting beat.
- Mid-1800s
"Slap" is used as an adjective meaning "first-rate" (Dictionary.com).
- By the early 2000s
Used to celebrate everything from great music to good food; the musical sense is often credited to Bay Area hip-hop slang (Dictionary.com).
- 2019
Wiktionary's earliest print citations, all about music.
In real life
- Text: "just found this album from 2009 and it still slaps"
- Text: "the playlist for the drive slaps, who made it?"
- Text: "honestly the soundtrack slaps harder than the film"
Questions
Q01What does slaps mean?
That something is excellent, especially a song. "This track slaps" means it's really good, often with a strong beat.
Q02Where does slaps come from?
Dictionary.com notes that "slap" meant "first-rate" as far back as the mid-1800s, that slaps was in use by the early 2000s, and that the musical sense is often credited to Bay Area hip-hop slang. Wiktionary labels it African American Vernacular English.
Q03Can food or other things slap?
Yes. Music is the default, but a meal, a film or a jacket can slap too.