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Editorial: The Evolution of “Ratchet”

July 25, 2013 By Tyler Almodovar

She-Ratchet

In the wake of Bloc Party’s new track ‘Ratchet’, I felt it compulsory to provide listeners with a more detailed history of the song’s namesake. The word ‘ratchet’ first came into existence in association with a popular dance called ‘The Ratchet’ which originated in ‘Ratchet City’, Shreveport, La.

Long before trap /hip-hop and suburbanites were using the term to describe everything from themselves to their surroundings, the word was exclusively associated with that dance in particular. The dance, which looks harmless enough, was tame enough in its inception that even Lil Boosie, the man most closely associated with its integral song “Do Da Ratchet”, felt comfortable enough to demonstrate it with his mother.

The word re-appeared in 2007 with the release of Hurricane Chris’ album 51/50 Ratchet, until which time ratchet had not as of yet been negatively associated. Where the word began to devolve into its current definition was alongside shows like VH1’s Flavor of Love and the increased popularity of online video sites like WorldStarHipHop.com and came to sit along side words like ‘turnt up’ and ‘buckwild’.

Alongside the induction of the word ‘crunk’ (in the EDM scene this has been adapted into ‘Crunkstep’ by Texas-based producer Crizzly), ratchet began to spiral further into another publicly acceptable word to throw around. Glorified in pop culture by social media celebrities Emmanuel and Phillip Hudson’s “Ratchet Girl Anthem,” the term has now joined the ranks of words like ‘ghetto’ as the next word to be overused and overhyped by the more entitled audience. Where before ‘ratchet’ referenced more of a ‘sophisticated ignorance’, its definition now falls closer into the ballpark of trashy meets out of control gets drunk winds up on KirillWasHere.com.

“…but I can say that it’s like if ‘ghetto’ and ‘hot sh–ty mess’ had a baby. And that baby had no father and became a stripper, then made a sex tape with an athlete and then became a reality star” as according to Ratchetpiece Theatre creator, Issa Rae, The Root

So as you listen to Bloc Party’s ‘Ratchet’ and adjust your squat for the perfect twerk at your next trap show, take a moment to think on the rich history of the word you use to describe the venue, the music, the DJ, yourself, your friends, and possibly also your pets and family. Though reclaiming ‘ratchet’ as a positive is a lost cause and far beyond help, it may behoove the younger booty-shaking crowd to know the exact origins of the word they so carelessly throw around. You might not be declaring yourself a ‘tip drill’, but unless you know how to ‘Do Da Ratchet’ you may want to opt for a better descriptor like ‘crunk’ or ‘buck’.

*I’d like to sincerely thank The Root for providing such a detailed history of the word allowing me to best reference this word.

Image via BuzzPirate.

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