What Does OPP Stand For In Slang? The Hip-Hop History Behind The Phrase

Source: Paul Archuleta / GettyIf you listen to Hip-Hop long enough — especially drill, trap or street rap — you’re eventually going to hear somebody mention “the opps.” In modern slang, an opp is essentially an opponent, enemy or rival: somebody who is on the other side of a conflict. “Opps,” the plural version, can refer to a rival group, crew, neighborhood or simply anybody viewed as working against you. Depending on the context, that could mean anything from a serious real-world enemy to somebody you just don’t get along with. The word is generally understood as a shortened version of “opposition” or “opponent,” and its modern usage became heavily associated with Chicago’s drill scene during the early 2010s. Artists from that movement regularly used “opp” and “opps” when referring to rival crews and people connected to opposing neighborhoods. As drill exploded beyond Chicago, the language traveled with it, becoming part of the larger vocabulary of Hip-Hop in cities across the country and eventually around the world. That history is important because an “opp” originally carried considerably more weight than the way the term is sometimes used online today. Within street and drill ...