A Guide to Modern New York Drill Slang

Photo by Trinecia

Adjective

Song Reference: Ice Spice, “Munch”

Definition: A person who is obsessed with someone else and often expresses it by wanting to give them oral sex.

“You thought I was feeling you? That nigga a munch.”

Popularized by Bronx drill rapper Ice Spice, the term “munch” has effectively taken over the globe, along with Spice’s song of the same name. To put it simply, a munch is someone who desires someone else, but the feeling is often not reciprocated. Similar to an “eater,” a munch also only seeks to please the other person. As the song makes clear, a munch isn’t something you want to be.

Noun

Song Reference: Ice Spice, “Munch”

Definition: A person who only seeks to provide oral sex without gaining anything in return.

“Nigga a eater, he ate it for lunch.”

As the name implies, to be an eater means that your sole desire during sex is to… well, eat (or perform oral). Although it’s not necessarily a bad thing, the drill scene uses the term in an unfavorable way.

Verb

Song Reference: Ice Spice, “Munch”

Definition: To be completely honest about something.

“Bitches ain’t bad, let’s keep it a bean.”

We’re cheating with this one, because “keeping it a bean” is a phrase that originated in Philly, and then made its way up Jersey and into New York rap slang. A bean is just another way to say that someone is being completely truthful, like “keeping it a stack” or “100” about something.

Adjective

Song Reference: Ice Spice, “On The Radar” Freestyle

Definition: Someone who changes intimate partners frequently.  

“I’m a smoochie, like you cannot change me.”

Smoochie is a newer term in the New York rap slang sphere. It references someone with multiple sexual partners. Unlike being called a treesh, however, smoochie is a label that has become more embraced and has less of a negative connotation.

Adjective

Song Reference: Shawny Binladen, “Georgia”

Definition: A very loyal companion.

“Free all the ooters, man.”

A New York variant of “shooters,” ooters are ride-or-die friends and companions who you regularly associate yourself with. There’s a funny trend in New York slang where words either get a “sh” added (e.g., “shneaky), or dropped off, like here.

Adjective

Song Reference: Shawny Binladen f/ Bizzy Banks, “Wockhardt”

Definition: A derogatory term referring to someone with multiple sexual partners.

“Your girl a treesh, better go through her archive.”

Treesh has steadily become a genderless term that simply refers to someone who has several casual sexual partners. “Treesha” and “Treeshy” are variants of the same word, and have basically replaced words like “thot” in the current NY rap slang-sphere.

Adjective

Song Reference: Rah Swish, “Double Cup”

Definition: Operating with extreme discretion.

“They’re moving wild shneaky.”

Shneaky is literally just sneaky with an “h” for extra discretion and some added spice. If someone is moving shneaky, they do not want their business to be known by others. Shneaky can alternatively be used in place of “lowkey,” depending on the context of the conversation.

Noun / Verb

Song Reference: CJ, “Whoopty”

Definition: Referencing a person’s head or oral sex.

“Smokin the zaza, it go straight to the matta.”

“I’m in the hood and I’m still moving zaza/She wanna fuck but I just want the matta.”

Referring to either one’s literal head or receiving oral sex, matta is often used interchangeably between those two meanings—sometimes even in the same song, like in CJ’s “Whoopty.” Interestingly though, the Bangla word “matha” is pronounced the same and translates to head, so how the word made its way into New York drill slang is a mystery.

Adjective

Song Reference: Fivio Foreign, “Wetty”

Definition: A sexually aroused woman.

“I met lil mama at the deli/She was a wetty.”

Fivio Foreign’s 2020 song “Wetty” is basically a prototype “Munch,” all the way down to the new out of pocket lingo Fivio coined in it. A wetty refers to a woman who is easily aroused. Thankfully, wetty didn’t really reach casual lingo the way that munch has, despite it being one of Foreign’s first viral songs.

Noun

Song Reference: Pooh Shiesty f/ Lil Durk, “Back in Blood” (used differently in this song)

Definition: A ski mask (often Nike tech) worn over one’s face.

“I pull up with my shiesty on.”

When Memphis rapper Pooh Shiesty burst onto the rap scene in 2020, he quickly became known for the black ski mask he would often wear during public appearances. Like the rest of the hip-hop scene, New York rap heavily adopted the new fashion trend and began calling the masks shiestys, paying homage to the 22-year-old rapper. Shiesty is commonly used when referring to someone being sneaky or distrustful, but in New York, it’s something you wear with pride.