You know Steez’s Steez
What makes a social group truly distinct from the rest of the world? What makes a specific culture go against the established grain of society? While there are many varying answers to such dynamic questions, there is only one answer which can truly be applied to all such cultures: the specialized lingo and jargon of said cultures. While the extent to which this lingo influences the speech and communication of specific cultures may fluctuate, it is undeniable that it has at least some amount of influence in nearly every group. One example of such jargon, which in this case has managed to achieve adaptation into numerous cultural groups, is the simple word “steez.” Essentially, steez is a contraction formed from the words style and ease, and is most commonly used to describe extremely smooth and flowing style when performing a number of activities. Steez also symbolized as uniqueness and confidence which are expressed through the actions of the person, object, or activity containing or performing the steez.
Like most slang terms, it is impossible to be definitively sure where or when the word steez originated; however, the origins of steez can be traced most accurately to the hip-hop culture of the mid 1990’s. In the lyrics of rap artist GZA’s 1995 song “Shadowboxin,” featured artist Method Man can be heard saying the line “you know my steez,” in reference to the style with which he raps. Three years after the release of GZA’s song, hip-hop group Gang Starr released their hit single “You know my Steez.” The 1998 song by Gang Starr includes a chorus
comprised of a sample of the original line as performed by Method Man, and is a synopsis of the style, and ease, with which Guru (the emcee in the hip-hop duo which is Gang Starr) raps, rhymes, writes, and lives.
In the years following the release of Gang Starr’s song, the prevalence of steez as a slang term within hip-hop culture rose sharply; while at the same time, steez began its steady infiltration of numerous other cultures such as skateboarding, snowboarding, and skiing. While it may seem strange that a term originally coined within the tight-knit culture of hip-hop was almost universally accepted into the skiing and snowboarding culture as quickly as steez was, the reason for the word’s quick inception is really quite simple. Freestyle skiing and snowboarding have always had a deep connection with hip-hop culture, which can be clearly seen through both the apparel worn by skiers and snowboarders, and through the music which the vast majority of skiers and snowboarders listen to. Because of the similarities between the two cultures, words such as steez have had no trouble being assimilated from hip-hop culture, to skiing and snowboarding culture.
While it is obvious that snow sports and hip-hop are two very different entities, the meaning of steez has strangely enough stayed almost entirely the same throughout its transition from one distinct culture to the other. Due to the fact that smooth and effortless style is revered in both hip-hop and skiing/snowboarding, the overall meaning of steez transcends the boundaries of the two cultures and retains its meaning both on the mountain, and deep within the inner city.
Stemming from the base word of “steez,” there are many different mutations and forms of the word, the most prevalent of which being “steezy.” Steezy is commonly used in order to describe a person, or an activity, or a noun in general, which contains the various aspects of steez. A common exemplification of the use of the word steezy could be seen in a phrase such as; “Wow! That backside switch-up to misty 450 out was so steezy bro!” or “Ayo bro, the way Guru spits those rhymes…it’s just plain steezy. He has so much style, nah mean? He makes it look so easy!” Along with steezy, there are a nearly infinite number of compound adjectives formed using a combination of steez, followed by almost any other noun. These adjectives sometimes form a pun using the root word of steez, followed by the chosen noun. Examples of such steez-based words include: steez-berg, steez-ball, steez-head, steez-monster, steez-monkey, steez-mobile, and steez-bomber. While some of the aforementioned words carry specific meanings, some have none and are intended purely for comedic purposes. Finally, steez itself can be described and categorized using adjectives before the word, this form of steez can be viewed in words such as “gangsta’ steez,” and “baller steez.”
Through its penetration through such diverse cultural groups, and its wide array of potential uses and meanings, steez has managed to accomplish what few slang terms have been able to. While it is still not recognized by the general public outside of hip-hop and skiing and snowboarding, it seems entirely plausible that steez could burst forth from the cultural boundaries which it is within currently, just as it did in the mid 1990’s, when it spread from hip-hop culture, into skiing and snowboarding culture. The idea of synthesizing smooth style and simplistic straightforwardness into one action, and one word, commands respect within every culture, just as steez undoubtedly will one day soon. From the heart of the city, to ski slopes all around the world, steez is everywhere, affecting the lives of everyone on the planet.
