• finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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    3 hours ago

    Neat context for the term: Ballers and Ballin was derived from Ball Players who were the target of envy for early rappers and disadvantaged african american communities in the 80s and 90s, the term became synonymous with wealth, and then later could also be used to describe gangsters who were well off. A great example of the latter would be hit videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas 2004 who displayed the most prominent gang to be the Boulevarders or Ballers for short, while a more ambiguous example would be the hit single song Wanna Be A Baller by Lil Troy in 1998 which describes wealth but not clearly its source aside from the implications of slinging drugs.

    • Cris@lemmy.worldOP
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      3 hours ago

      Thanks for the context, that’s a fantastic explanation and I can see how it ended up used the way it is today!