How to Use gangsta in a Sentence

gangsta

noun
  • Gangsta in the way that gangsta should be – warring against those who seek to oppress.
    — Angela Helm, The Root, 2 Sep. 2017
  • Nah, ain’t nothing original about gangsta, don’t call me that.
    — Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 26 Oct. 2022
  • And like, n---as always wanna talk that gangsta, ain’t nothing gangsta about none of that s--t.
    — Tatiana Cirisano, Billboard, 5 June 2017
  • What follows is a tense sequence in which Jo’s gangsta ethic is pushed to its limit.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 15 May 2024
  • And unlike other gangsta rappers, there was a moral quandary at the heart of his storytelling.
    — Jabari M. Evans, The Conversation, 24 June 2026
  • Happy birthday to my co, so extremely proud of you and inspired by your love, artistry, and gangsta!
    — Katie Campione, PEOPLE.com, 22 Jan. 2022
  • Happy birthday to my co, so extremely proud of you and inspired by your love, artistry, and gangsta!
    — Shafiq Najib, PEOPLE.com, 11 June 2022
  • Black male gangsta archetype, punctuating satire as the new mode for entertainment.
    — Malik Peay, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2023
  • How did the Long Beach gangsta rapper become one of the must cuddly, brand-safe ambassadors of all time?
    — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2024
  • In keeping with the world of macho gangsta lyricism, his songs bristle with violent and criminal imagery and profane passion.
    — al, 30 Sep. 2019
  • Like the time, in Season 1, when Will bets that his cousin wouldn’t last long in Compton, and Carlton winds up dressed like a gangsta.
    — Wesley Morris, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2020
  • Most gangsta rappers aren’t exactly forthcoming in that regard, but even among his peers Staples relishes playing it close to the vest.
    — Sheldon Pearce, The New Yorker, 13 July 2021
  • Widely regarded as being more masculine and certainly more gangsta than Barack.
    — Clio Chang, New Republic, 5 July 2017
  • Since finding fame on the show, Mr Zhou had shown no inclination to upset prudish censors by returning to his gangsta-rapper roots.
    — The Economist, 25 Jan. 2018
  • The East Coast old guard bristled at dance and found the idea of Southern gangsta rap, and Southern women gangsta rappers, laughable.
    — Zandria Robinson, Glamour, 2 Nov. 2021
  • Dogg recalls a summit where Warwick invited him and other gangsta rappers to her house, warning them to stop using inflammatory lyrics about women.
    — Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2022
  • Larkin has previously, obliviously, stereotyped the African American Kendra as lower class and her son as a gangsta.
    — Christopher Arnott, courant.com, 25 Oct. 2019
  • Imagine a hardcore Black gangsta rapper going toe-to-toe with a wild-eyed white indie rock freak in makeup and shiny black leather pants, as the two repeatedly, gleefully, refer to one another using racial slurs.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 21 May 2024
  • Gorelick's popularity peaked in the era of grunge and gangsta rap, and his super sweet sax tone and speedy solos led to ferocious critical reviews despite his undeniable super popularity.
    — Steve Knopper, chicagotribune.com, 24 May 2017
  • Or when the gangsta rappers, and Oscar nominees, Three 6 Mafia, sang about pimps and hoes before the black-tie audience, hardly their usual crowd, and then, fantastically, won.
    — Cara Buckley, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2018
  • Later that decade, gangsta-rap lyrics became a political issue on Capitol Hill; rappers became more of a financial risk for record labels, upending the music business even as the genre grew in commercial clout.
    — Neil Shah, WSJ, 1 Nov. 2022
  • This is James Franco’s caricature of the ultimate Southern gangsta, a creature that’s all cornrows, cocked guns, and cultural appropriation.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2023
  • Jefferson gives audiences just a brief taste of this manuscript, imagining a stereotypical conversation between two gangstas, played by Keith David and Okieriete Onaodowan.
    — Peter Debruge, Variety, 9 Sep. 2023
  • Relating the upset in the black community when the Raiders were moved to Oakland, Ice Cube narrates a tale of increasing discontent with sports, politics, and the powers that be—culminating in the rise of gangsta rap.
    — Christina Newland, Esquire, 29 June 2017

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gangsta.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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