Slang dictionary
badd
[bad]
ŗŚĮĻĶų doesĀ badd mean?
No, it’s not a typo. If someone isĀ badd, they aren’t actually bad, they’re so cool that they’re great. It’s often seen in the complimentary compound badd bitch.
Related words:
Where does badd come from?
BadĀ is established as slang for “good” by the 1800s. It might seem like an odd transition for the term to make, but it’s really simple in reality: Someone rebellious would be bad in the eyes of the establishment but exciting in the eyes of their peers.
As with so much of the best slang, we have hip-hop to thank for popularizing the specific spellingĀ badd, which joins other deliberate slang misspellings such as thicc,Ģżsucc, orĀ phat. We can trace the alternate spelling back to at least the early 1980s with R&B band Color Me Badd, whose extra letterĀ D suggests they are extra bad.
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In the 2000s, popular artists incorporated this alternate spelling into songs like the Ying Yang Twins’ 2006 “Badd.” It’s clear from this song’s lyrics that beingĀ badd isn’t a bad thing at all:
You want this money then you gotta be a badd bitch
Shake that ass for the tip if you a badd bitch
Drop it down to the floor if you a badd bitch
Aw nah she ain’t no ho she just a badd bitch
In this sense beingĀ badd (especially being aĀ badd bitch) is a compliment. BeingĀ badd means being self-aware, self-made, and sexy.
It wasn’t just the Ying Yang Twins: hip-hop group Ratking’s first music video for their 2005 song “Badd” caused the highest spike in Google searches for the term so far, and Nicki Minaj has been rapping about being aĀ badd bitch since her 2009 collaboration with Lil Wayne on “I Get Crazy.”
Examples of badd
Who uses badd?
Badd is most often used in an overtly sexual context today. Whether it’sĀ B.A.D.D. Magazine releasing its summerĀ badd girls calendar of “Beautiful Ambitious Distinctive Divas” (adult film stars and models) or a social-media user posting a provocative selfie, beingĀ badd is about being unabashedly sexy.
Have you ordered your copy of one of the hottest calendars of 2018-19? The gorgeous goes BADD and sheās so good at it. Hit the link to order yours
ā B.A.D.D. Magazine (@BADDMAG)
So badd, she mean business
ā Meko (@UmekoEvans)
It’s common to seeĀ badd in a compound asĀ badd bitch. In the same spirit as the Ying Yang Twins, the term is a compliment in contemporary usage. AĀ badd bitch is an attractive woman who knows what she wants and goes for it, especially in her social or sexual life. As such, it’s unsurprising that many women proudly identify themselves as aĀ badd bitchĀ and many men say they need aĀ badd bitch in their life.
If I died today… Iām glad with what the imprint of my life has left so far. A badd bitch with nothin but good times & good vibes. Good heart & good food . Shawdy legit . But I bet not die for another 99 years tho . I got a lotta shit left to do
ā Ly š¹š„” (@LyTonah)
Lmaooo really doe, if she not a badd bitch wit some paper I swear she not on my Resume.
ā Levi (@HatTrick_Le)
It’s not all big booties and stacks of paper, though. Sometimes, beingĀ badd is seen as superficial or fake, as if someone is trying to portray a carefree, confident facade without walking the walk.
The Funniest shit is when you see a So Called badd bitch beggin a nigga to deal with em ššš Yāall Bitches thirstBuckets
ā šBabyGoatš (@Lil55st)
B.A.D.D. is, incidentally, also the acronym for the organizationĀ Bikers Against Drunk Driving. And while we’re sure the bikers are confident and sexy in their own right, the abbreviation has nothing to do with the slang meaning of the termĀ badd.
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of badd like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of badd that will help our users expand their word mastery.