What 'izz' the Latest Word in Hip-hop? Lizzten Clo

[Crenshaw_blvd]

"H to the izzo, V to the izza/I'm not guilty y'all got to feel me." -- Jay-Z.

As it turns out, he was guilty (of stabbing a record producer at a Manhattan nightclub), but what the heck was he saying in the first part? Basically, he was using something we'll call Izz Latin to spell "H.O.V.A." Pop the first letter in his name in front of that and you get J-Hova (aka Jehovah, or God).

This business of sticking izz-es (and variations thereof) in the middle of words and phrases started a few years ago and was probably made most famous by none other than Snoop Dogg with "Tha Shiznit" back in 1993. He even spelled his name out with a zee sound tucked in: "S-N-double-O-P D-O-double-giz-ee / D-O-double-giz-ee / D-O-double-giz-ee." Note, this is when he was Snoop Doggy Dogg, not just Snoop Dogg.

Where does all this izz-ing come from?

The predominant theory seems to be that it comes from the Cuzz (sometimes "Cuz") branch of the Los Angeles-based gang, the Crips.

The Cuzzes took to using zz's in place of s's, and then the z's started crezzeeping into the middle of the wozzurds. For example, "chronic" -- a slang term for marijuana -- became crazzonic.

And guess who used to be a Crip until it got his bony backside into prison? That's right, Snoop himself.

But this Izz Latin, has gone places Snoop never imagined it would go. A recent episode of "The Ellen Show" made reference to keepin' it "rizeal."

Ellen aside, rap and hip-hop fans have taken a shine to the new lingo.

Check out these lines from "Whizut?" by amateur rapper OB:

"I'm kizickin' the rizeal, this is hizow I fizeel/yiziyes y'izall, I'm pizackin' my stizeal/I'm gonna bizuck buck some fizools right quizick/if they even trizy to stizep to my shizit/"

Got that?

Good.

All right. Now try it yourselves. Take a sample phrase you might find useful. Add the z's where you see fit (think after the first vowel in each word), and add z-heavy flourishes here and there (like "fo' shizzle" which means "for sure," and "off tha yellzabob," or "out of this world, unreal") and you're there.

Don't blame us if you sound laughably unhip -- in our experience, only rappers can (sort of) get away with throwing this lingo around.