So, I had a chance to attend work the Dirty Awards this year. While I won’t be giving you a run down of the night’s events, I will tell you that I don’t really foresee a need for another show like this for reasons that I’ve expressed in a previous blog.
Overall, I guess the show was decent. I can apreciate it for knowing that the people involved put alot of work and planning into it, but as a music fan and writer, yeah…whatever.
By the end of the night when me and my crew had to break down our set up, we started joking about the stereotypes that we saw and heard throughout the night. One of the many was the overuse of the word “grindin’.”
Much like how Bernie Mac declared the word “muthafucka” a noun, the words “grind” or “grindin’” is verb. But alot of people really don’t know what it means, thus they use it way too often.
Its to the point that people can’t even answer simple questions without using the word.
“What’s Up Man?”
“Grindin’”
“What you been up too?”
“Grindin’”
“How’s your family?”
“Shid, grindin’”
“You wanna grab a bite to eat?”
“Nah, grindin’”
“Damn! She got a phat ass!”
“Yeah, she be grindin’”
“Man, that {insert rapper name} album was wack.”
“Stop hatin, that nigga be grindin’”
It also seems like people like to apply this word to any action that doesn’t involve sleeping. As if, you are automatically considered to be “on your grind” if you aren’t in the bed, and considered to be “not on your grind” if you are in bed, trying to get some rest after a long day of “grindin’.” People love to say things like “we was up until 4 a.m. looking at porn, surfing myspace, reading blogs, smoking weed, watching ESPN GRINDIN’ my nigga!”
“Grindin’” also get applied to the most mundane of tasks. For instance, when I have conversations with independent artists myspace rappers, they insist that they are “grindin’” when they send out gramatically incorrect bulletins begging you to check out their music. They also feel that they are “grindin’” when they leave big ass picture comments all over your page. Bruh, that shit ain’t grinding…that shit is annoying.
A couple of years ago I was a panelist at the Ozone Awards and Slim Thug sat on a panel as well. He told the aspiring artists in the crowd something that they needed to hear, but probably didn’t listen to. He told all of the rappers that were just handing out mixtapes and flyers without introducing themselves or simply throwing stacks of flyers on the ground that “you ain’t grindin’.” I was glad that he said that, because cats swore that they were. If you caught them throwing shit on the ground and asked what they were doing, they were almost guaranteed to respond with “shied nigga, grindin’, tryin’ ta’ get it!”
“Grindin’” is so over used that I’m starting to forget what it actually meant. I used to think it meant working hard, sacrificing, planning or focusing on your goals. But now I think it just means throwing paper on the ground and imposing your will upon people on the internet.
One of the cats I was working with at the Dirty Awards suggested that “Grindin’” be put to death and laid right alongside “Bling,” and I have to agree with him. Granted, that word has brought us some great songs, albums and even crews, but damn. It doesn’t deserve to be used by everybody.
I actually get a sour taste in my mouth when I slip up and say it, so I have to find a new word to use. Mainly because I don’t want to consider what I do for a living to be the equivalent of throwing paper on the ground or just being awake for the hell of it.
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November 27th, 2007
at 1:59 pm
Double D says:
That blog was grindin’… y’know I had to do it.
Was very dope tho’, I am with you all the way.
Reply
November 28th, 2007
at 11:22 am
jae-one says:
Once again you hit it on the nose bro. Another consequence of being in an industry with no “entry requirements”. cats just wake up, decide they wanna rap, record a few songs and whalah! ..”Now they are in the game” what a joke.. Sometimes I feel like there should be some type of training program you have to go through before you can become an artist.
Reply
November 27th, 2007
at 2:09 pm
N.O. 4 life says:
shid im grindin just by readin this post…good post
Reply
November 27th, 2007
at 2:42 pm
nick says:
hahahaha tooo funny
so true, tho
Reply
November 27th, 2007
at 2:34 pm
Timbo says:
Very funny, well written post that actually makes a fair point. That’s why XXL rules this hip-hop blog shit.
Reply
November 27th, 2007
at 2:37 pm
nickyj says:
hahahahahaha DEAD ON!
great post.
Reply
November 27th, 2007
at 2:45 pm
ATL = All Trannies Live says:
RIP Grindin
Reply
November 27th, 2007
at 2:45 pm
bongolock says:
amen bro. glad u tacked on ‘bling’ too. i cringe everytime i hear it uttered by the wrong people. its like ‘whoot there it is!’ or ’shizzle’. they became excruciatingly mainstream too.
Reply
November 27th, 2007
at 2:58 pm
Crimson says:
Good post. Don’t forget “The Grind Date” by De La.
Reply
November 27th, 2007
at 4:14 pm
silkyjumbo says:
Cosign on the de la.
Reply
November 27th, 2007
at 3:08 pm
Writer’s Block Media says:
[...] MGG’s Evening At The Event: Grindin’: 1997 - 2007 [...]
Reply
November 27th, 2007
at 3:14 pm
ROX ONE says:
you may also notice that most people who says ‘real talk’ usually aren’t the most intelligent, well-spoken people in the world.
the implication being that everything up to that point in the conversation was either ‘fake talk’ or ‘imaginary talk’ is also annoying.
by the same token, inarticulate hip-hop slang makes the world go ’round.
Reply
November 27th, 2007
at 3:55 pm
LowEndofDaChi says:
Cosign, both “real talk” and “true story” need to take a chill out by the pool, forever.
But great read man. If the majority of these cats spent adequate time and effort working on the material they distribute (read: force upon others), then maybe the word would have some validity.
Reply
November 27th, 2007
at 3:35 pm
Ali says:
lol thats a good point
Reply
November 27th, 2007
at 4:57 pm
kelakG » Grindin’: 1997-2007 says:
[...] Check it out! While looking through the blogosphere we stumbled on an interesting post today.Here’s a quick excerptGrindin’: 1997-2007 November 27th, 2007 So, I had a chance to attend work the Dirty Awards this year. While I won’t be giving you a run down of the night’s events, I will tell you that I don’t really foresee a need for another show like this for reasons that I’ve expressed in a previous blog. Overall, I guess the show was decent. I can apreciate it for knowing that the people involved put alot of work and planning into it, but as a music fan and writer, yeah…whatever. By the end of the nigh [...]
Reply
November 27th, 2007
at 5:34 pm
these posts are racist says:
Hilarious and sad at the same time. I feel you and agree. My nephew says the same thing whenever I talk to him, but his grades don’t reflect the enless “grinding” he tells me he is on.
But the sad part is, these “independent” artists trying to get a deal don’t have a chance to make it. Statistically speaking, trying to become rich and famous in the hip hop music business is just as futile as your average drug dealer’s goals of being Nino Brown. So in all honesty, I don’t think there is any amount of “real grinding” that can actually work for these cats. They will wake up one day and realize that they are 35 with no record deal, a really old picture on their myspace and the only real grinding their doing is the 9-5 they got “to pay the bills”.
Reply
November 27th, 2007
at 5:41 pm
these posts are racist says:
Hilarious and sad at the same time. I feel you and agree. My nephew says the same thing whenever I talk to him, but his grades don’t reflect the enless “grinding” he tells me he is on.
But the sad part is, these “independent” artists trying to get a deal don’t have a chance to make it. Statistically speaking, trying to become rich and famous in the hip hop music business is just as futile as your average drug dealer’s goals of being Nino Brown. So in all honesty, I don’t think there is any amount of “real grinding” that can actually work for these cats. They will wake up one day and realize that they are 35 with no record deal, a really old picture on their myspace and the only real grinding their doing is the 9-5 they got “to pay the bills”…
Reply
November 27th, 2007
at 6:19 pm
CRUNKITE says:
I grind my coffee in the morning.
Reply
November 27th, 2007
at 8:33 pm
Kane Corleone says:
I smell hate ,not a good look tho’ ,gotta go I’m on my grind !!
Reply
November 27th, 2007
at 9:04 pm
Brian B.Dot Miller says:
quality post…i see the youngin’s on his grind. Er, i mean, you doing your thing, fam!
Reply
November 28th, 2007
at 1:27 am
Billy X. Sunday says:
Grindin’ will officially be dead when it is used in a Folgers coffee advertisement.
Back to my grind…
Reply
November 28th, 2007
at 10:15 am
jrwriter says:
all you writers for xxl are some haters, u hate on everything. must be easy getting a job for this magazine.
Reply
November 28th, 2007
at 10:39 am
Sinistah aka Roachface Killah aka F-U-2 says:
XXL Bloggers = Grindin….
Reply
November 28th, 2007
at 3:08 pm
Beats Being Broke says:
Hilarious! True shit.
Reply
December 5th, 2007
at 2:16 pm
XXLmag.com | Hip-Hop On A Higher Level | » Southern Hip Hop: No Longer Immune says:
[...] morning I B.I.G. died, yeah, I was sleep again (”grindin’” will do that to you) and contemplating if I wanted to go to work. I did this time though. But, I [...]
Reply
January 2nd, 2008
at 2:51 pm
XXLmag.com | Hip-Hop On A Higher Level | » The Rat Pack says:
[...] My bad on not posting in a good minute. I was out enjoying the holidays, relaxing, winding down for the year, avoiding my computer, getting fresh air grindin’. [...]
Reply
January 5th, 2008
at 2:31 pm
d holiday says:
you forgot the word “hating”. now THAT shit is annoying!
Reply
January 31st, 2008
at 2:02 pm
XXLmag.com | Hip-Hop On A Higher Level | » Wards Of the “Underground” says:
[...] out here, I’m confused. Maybe “underground” should be laid to rest next to “grinding.” Well, that may be a stretch. Perhaps some folks just shouldn’t be allowed to use it. [...]
Reply