Who Invented SWAG?

Sound so soulful don’t you agree

I invented swag

Poppin’ bottles, puttin’ supermodels in the cab, proof

I guess I got my swagger back, truth

New watch alert, Hublot’s

Or the big face Rollie I got two of those

Arm out the window through the city I maneuver slow

Cock back, snap back

See me cut through the holes…. Jay-Z & Kanye (Otis)

Ok people; Let Me Get Focused…

Back to the topic at hand, it seems that every few years or so a new slang reigns supreme amongst people from all walks of life. A few popular ones that immediately come to mind are terms or catch phrases like Po Po, Biatch, Fo’ Shizzle, That’s Hot, It is what It is, Crunk, Cuddie, Mean Muggin and the classic DMV all time favorite YUN! But by far the number one leader of the pack in the clubhouse right now is the term SWAG aka SWAGGER. I mean everybody and their mama has used this slang at some point in the past year, young/old, white/black/purple, rich/poor, entertainer/professional I mean ERRR-body.

What I don’t know and am dying to find out is who coined the term in the first place? Was it cool a** Sidney Potier in his “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” epic film, Billy Dee Williams and his Colt 45’s, Denzel Washington and his killer B-Boy Stance, Michael Jackson Moon-walking on the stage at Motown 25, Michael Jordan on the Basketball court dunking over his opponents, Deion Sanders high stepping on the football field on his punt and interceptions return for touchdowns, the Dusaki Beer man or was it my old man S.O.? Yes, the man that coined the infamous “I have been flashy before you were born”. Yup, my old man is officially SWAGGED out.

So when I actually heard Jay-Z recently proclaim himself to be the originator and leader of SWAG nation, all that came to mind was Hold on Playa! Why “Hov” acting like he never been to Nigeria before? Us Nigerians are born with three blood types X, Y, & S and the S is for SWAGGIN!   

Little do people know that term SWAG has been around since the 70s. In some parts SWAG is used to describe bad hashish or weed. What if I were to tell you that William Shakesphere was the first to coin the term in an English publication? (You can look it up yourself).

The truth is black people and people of color have perfected the art of playing on words and turning and giving it a new meaning. Folks; SWAG simply represents CONFIDENCE and a STATE OF MIND. And trust and believe me when I say I got a mean lineup of candidates male or female with killer SWAG!

Step your game up…

Hit the cut below for my All-Star Team "KOOL KEEDZ" SWAG!