The Funk Ain’t Always Nasty

SLANG.  Isn’t it THE most interesting thing in a language, better yet in a dialect?  In regions of the world, a few groups of people share the same language, but the vernacular is quite different.  In each respective dialects you find words that have a complete different meaning from their literal definition.  Now, we won’t go deep into the sociology aspect of things, but slang and dialects emerge with cultures, which are shaped through people, who, in turn, are a product of their environment.

Let’s look into some Hip Hop vernacular.

Dope which can mean good, fresh, cool, as in ‘these are dope kicks’, is also a reference to drugs.

Mad, usually used in NYC, is used as an adjective to describe something in a quantitative manner; ‘I got MAD love for you.’

Where I am from, we often use nasty to talk about something that is ill, dope, fresh, good; ‘That girl is nasty’ referring to her dance skills, but in most places of the world, nasty simply means discussing, unpleasant or nauseating.

Let’s talk about funky which has a few definitions.  Two struck me the most, one writes that funky is being “modern and stylish in an unconventional or striking way” – (Google definitions).  The second one, from Merriam-Webster, writes it’s being “unconventionally stylish: HIP.”  There you have it.  Two words with various definitions and used in many dialects but sometimes with complete different meaning.

A few nights ago, as I was capturing moments with friends, my homie Coco Motion pointed to this sticker that read ‘Funk Nasty’.  Interestingly enough, a few days before seeing that post, I came up with this crazy idea.  I was thinking how we live in the age of capturing every single moments and sharing them.  Taking pictures, that it is of thyself or of others, is possibly the most popular sharing-action.  Let’s be honest here, we all took a picture in a car, in a restaurant, on the beach, on the subway/plane/train and shared it on a social media.  Honestly, most of us have taken pictures in restrooms, bathrooms, stalls, tubs, etc., and shared it online.  It’s fascinating how so many of us take bathroom pictures with curtains in background, mirrors, toilet bowl, sink, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc.  Seems it’s the best place for lighting, space and decor. Smile.  I wonder if this is a cultural thing? Do people in all places of the world do that?  Some might just think that the bathroom is nasty, and doesn’t inspire self-photographing, while others get the best shots of their essence in the funk. Yuk!

So, I came to this conclusion, WHY NOT?  Why not take pictures in such a place?  I experimented while in Philadelphia, and it turned out to be challenging and pushed me to be creative in that tiny bathroom.  I shared  my camera with my ‘rhomie’ (homie who’s my roomie) July, and she also got mad creative.  So now I say: “LET’S MAKE IT FUNKY NASTY.”  I let my friends capture their essence, their funkiness, their nastiness, in that sometimes Funky Nasty Bathroom…

Next stop…the next stall..until then, always stay fresh and never be faded!!!