Language of the Blues - Edmonton Blues Society

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Playing the dozens is about more
dozens is an exhibition of emotional strength and verbal agility. Obscenities are used and
cool- the first person to get angry automatically forfeits. The audience chooses the winner
and spreads the word about who won. The winner can expect to be challenged to another
battle before long, either by the one who lost or an up-and-comer.
According to LeRoi Jones (Ami
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Other cultures also engage in verbal
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Some of you womens ought to be in the can
Out on the corner stopping every man
He can't see but he sure can smell
Fish man pass here the other day
and a career-
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the Many blues lyrics reflect an African American tradition of
verbal jousting that includes everything from toasting, boasting, and capping to cracking,
bagging, dissing, and snapping. 167
Snaps are putdowns with a setup- - followed by the snap-
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In the 1970s and 1980s, rappers honed their verbal skills for dozens-style battles in which
York City freestylers Supernatural, Craig-G, and Juice tested each other in battles that
rappers still reminisce about today.
Songs:
- Robert Wilkins
- Memphis Minnie (Lizzie Douglas)
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