Here you’ll find some advanced tips and tricks for perfect contributions. Nothing here contradicts our Writing Guidelines, so remember to stay up to date with them too. Think of the Insights as English transcription issues which are specialized and niche enough to deserve their own space; a supplement to the guidelines for our most committed and dedicated contributors!
Extended Guidelines 📚
Ever had a question about lyrics contribution that's not covered in the Writing Guidelines? The Extended Guidelines are community-built and provide an extra depth that's bound to clear up all of your doubts. Check them out!
🎼 Line Breaks
If you want some more support in formatting, specifically how to approach line breaks, you can check out this dedicated guide, created by Susannah, one of our Framed Slack supporters!
💖 Brand Love
It's very common for artists to give 'shout-outs' to their favorite brands in their songs. This is great for them, as they can show off how much money they have, and great for the brands as they get free advertisement, but it can be tricky for us if we don't know the brand already. To help out, here's a list of commonly used brand names in songs.
Cars | Drinks | Clothing/Accessories |
Rolls-Royce | Hennessy (Cognac) | Gucci |
Cadillac (Cadi) | Patrón (Tequila) | Prada |
Ferrari | Grey Goose (Vodka) | Louis Vuitton (Louis/Louis V) |
Lamborghini | Jack Daniels (Whiskey) | Red Tops |
Chevrolet | Cîroc (Vodka) | Balenciaga |
Mercedes-Benz (Benz) | Dom Pérignon - (Champagne) | Rolex |
Bentley | Cristal (Champagne) | Jordans |
Porsche | Mumm (Champagne) | Versace |
BMW Car (Bimmer) |
| Adidas (Addies) (Addy can also be used to mean 'Email') |
BMW Motorbike (Beamer) |
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🇬🇧 British Bits and Bobs
English is a very diverse language and as English contributors we’re lucky to be able to hear songs from all over the world. Some of these songs, however, can be pretty tricky, as they use English in ways we may not be used to. Songs in British English can be difficult for American or second language speakers of English, and so we’ve decided to prepare a list of common British specific slang for reference when needed.
Word | Meaning | Example |
Aggy | Angry, aggressive | “You’re being bare aggy” |
Baccy | Tobacco | “Got any baccy?” |
Bait | Glaringly obvious | “I know you like me, look at how bait you’re being” |
Bare | A lot of | “There’s bare people here”“I’m bare tired” |
Bevvy | Alcoholic drink - short for beverage | “Met her at the club then took her for a bevvy” |
Bruv | Brother (‘Bro’ in American slang) | "You alright, bruv? What’s up?" |
Chat | Used as noun to mean good at talking (specifically to a date) | “I’ve got the money, I’ve got the chat” |
Chav | Derogatory term, usually for a young, lower-class person. | “Yeah, he’s fit, but he’s a little bit chavvy” |
Chuffed | To be extremely happy/proud | “I’m well chuffed with that!” |
Cuppa | Cup of tea | “Fancy a cuppa, mum?” (Remember, ‘mum’ instead of ‘mom’) |
Fag | Cigarette (in this context it’s not offensive) | “Mate, I need a fag” |
Fit | Attractive (not only in shape) | “He’s well fit” “Look at that fitty over there” |
Grafting | Equivalent of ‘Hitting on’ - trying to gain the attention of a desired partner OR trying to make something up to an existing partner | “Stacy is well pissed with me, I’m gonna have to graft all day” |
Gutted | To be extremely disappointed - opposite of chuffed | “I’m proper gutted we lost the football last night” |
Innit | Short for ‘Isn’t it’ - used to seek confirmation | “You heard this song, bruv?”“Yeah mate, good innit?” |
Mugging someone off | To disrespect someone. To make someone look stupid/pathetic. Also used as noun (to be a mug) or an adjective (muggy) | “You’ve proper mugged me off” “You’ve made me look like Sa mug now” “Mate, that’s proper muggy” |
Peng | Attractive | “She’s peng, bruv” |
Pint | Used to mean ‘Beer’, usually Lager specifically | “Can I have a pint please mate?” |
Piss | Urine/Urinate | “I need a piss" |
Take the piss | Making fun of someone in a harmless manner OR disrespecting someone | “Don’t get upset, mate, I’m just takin’ the piss!” “Nah, it’s not funny, you’re takin’ the piss now” |
To be pissed | Either to be drunk, or to be angry” | “You’ve pissed me off” |
Quid | Pound - currency | “Ticket to Madrid, only cost me 20 quid” |
Racket | Noise | “I’m ready to party, ready to make a racket” |
Shag | To have sex with | “Goin’ out to town, lookin’ for a shag” |
Sick / Bangin’ / Mint | ‘Good’ | “Yo, that’s sick, mate!” |
Slag / Sket | Derogatory term for a female - connotations of sexual promiscuity | “She’s a slag, she’s a sket, the worst girl I’ve ever met” |
Trackies | Track-suit | “Walkin’ ‘round in her trackies” |
Wasteman | Someone you don’t respect - connotations of laziness | He ain’t got no ambition, he a wasteman |
(In order of severity) Tipsy, Wobbly, Pissed, Hammered, Smashed, Plastered, Sloshed, Trolleyed | Drunk (almost any noun can be used to describe a very drunk person by adding ‘ed’ to the end of it) | “Did you see Dave last night? Mate he was absolutely leathered” |
Of course, this is not an exhaustive list, but it's a good place to start if you're having trouble deciphering a word. We've also got a British Content Editor, Tim, so you can feel free to contact him via Slack should you need further help.
🇳🇬 Nigerian Slang
Many Nigerian songs are counted as English in our catalogue but feature some pretty heavy slang that not all English speakers will recognize. Here's a list of some of the most commonly occurring words to help you out in such cases:
Word | Meaning | Example |
Sapa | Hunger or broke-ness | we are facing a sapa problem |
Lamba | False information / lie | I don give am lamba / all she told me was lamba |
Kolo | Crazy / insane | I dey kolo for your love |
Lepa | A slim person | I met this lepa girl at the club |
Kayamata | A sort of love potion | I believe she used kayamata for her boyfriend |
Banana | Penis | she said she wants my banana |
Wahala | Trouble/Problem | I don enter wahala/ This project is giving me too much wahala |
Wetin / weytin | What | Weytin dey happen? |
As with the British slang, this list is not exhaustive, but you can always reach out to our Nigerian community on the Slack channel for further help!
🇯🇲 Piece ah Patois
Songs from Jamaica also make their way onto the English list and can be very difficult to decipher for many users. The general advice is to leave Patois songs for those who can complete them confidently, but here's a list of some words and terms to keep an ear open for:
Word | Meaning | Example |
Likkle more | See you later | Mi see you likkle more den |
Wah gwaan | What’s up? | Wah gwaan felicia? |
Weh yuh a seh | How are you doing/where have you been? | Weh yuh a seh Tobi? Mi look fi yuh a long time |
‘Pon | Upon | Look ‘pon mi now |
‘Member | Remember | ‘Member Jah is watching you |
Gi’ | Give | Gi’ dem |
Lef’ | Left | Mi lef’ the gun |
Hol’ | Hold | Hol’ a vibe |
Iration | Creation | Jah Iration |
Cah/becah | ‘Cause/because | Cah mi unh give up/becah mi unh give up |
Haffi | Have to | Haffi give thanks and praises |
Nuff | Enough | Nuff a dem badmind |
Dutty | Dirty | Get away with yuh dutty mind |
Pickney | A toddler/a child | Mi member when I was a pickney |
Likkle | Little | Got to have likkle patience |
Bakkle | Battle | Mi dey ‘pon di bakkle field |
Woulda | Would have | Who woulda think of it? |
🧒 Gen Alpha Slang
New songs come with new slang which can be hard to identify if you're not up to date with the latest. Luckily for you, we've got you covered. Below are some standardized Gen Alpha Slang words, alongside their meanings.
Word | Meaning | Example |
Gyat, Gyats | Refers to the size of someone's behind | "She has a level 5 gyat, I gyat something in my eye |
Looksmax, Looksmaxxing | The practice of enhancing one’s physical appearance to maximize attractiveness | I'm looksmaxxing so I can grab women |
Mew, mewing | A technique where you press your tongue against the roof of your mouth to improve your jawline and facial structure | Shh, I'm mewing |
Grimace shake | A limited time shake from McDonalds to celebrate Grimace's Birthday. | I just got the Grimace shake |
Fanum tax | The action of taking a piece of someone else's food | I'ma Fanum tax your meal |
Rizz, Rizzy | Someone's ability to attract someone else | I'm gonna rizz that gyat over there |
Rizzler | Someone that can rizz others | I'm the number one rizzler |
Mog | Asserting dominance over someone by being more attractive or physically superior | I got mogged at the gym |
Ocky way | This style is characterized by large portions of meat and fried foods like burgers, chicken cutlets, mozzarella sticks, french fries, chicken tenders, and more, all stuffed into one sandwich | All of this meal, eat it in the Ocky way |
Gigachad | A person with an ultimate form of masculinity, confidence, and physical attractiveness | I'm him, the gigachad |
Brainrot | Having silly or irrational thoughts and opinions due to spending too much time online. No educational value, often repetitive | I spent too long online today, I've got brainrot |
Skibidi Toilet | A toilet with a human head. Skibidi generally means 'bad' |
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Sus, Sussy | Contractions of 'suspicious' | That guy is very sus |