[Ads-l] Antedating of "Props" (Due Respect)

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Here is an unambiguous instance of "props" with the desired sense in
June 1985. The article specifies the meaning. The U.S. professional
baseball pitcher Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd spoke about how he treated new
players.

Date: June 19, 1985
Newspaper: Concord, New Hampshire
Newspaper Location: Concord, New Hampshire
Article: 'Oil Can' Spouts Off As Red Sox Pour It On (Continuation title: Hohler)
Author: Bob Hohler (Monitor Columnist)
Quote Page 14, Column 4
Database: Newspapers.com

https://www.newspapers.com/article/concord-monitor-props/197700459/

[Begin excerpt]
"Just give him a chance, man. Don't talk him down and call him no
rookie. If my brothers knew people were calling me a rookie, man, they
woulda jumped all over 'em. I don't come from that stuff. We give a
man his props (proper respect)."
[End excerpt]

Garson



On Wed, May 13, 2026 at 1:06 PM Ben Zimmer
<00001aae0710f4b7-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> Here are a few examples of "props" from rap songs released in 1989:
>
> ---
> 1989 DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, "Jeff Waz On The Beat Box"
> But straight up, man, you gotta give him his props
> ---
> 1989 Freddie Foxxx, "Stop, Look & Listen"
> Kill your brain, give you no props
> ---
> 1989 Freddie Foxxx, "The Master"
> Come strong, and you might get props, son
> ---
>
> Via Matt Kohl's site The Right Rhymes: https://therightrhymes.com/props/
>
> The site gives the release date of "Jeff Waz On The Beat Box" as Apr. 17,
> 1989, but that might be an error. The song was on DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh
> Prince's album "And in This Corner..." released on Oct. 17, 1989. (It was
> also on the B-side of the "I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson" 12", released
> around the same time.)
> https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/d_j-jazzy-jeff-and-the-fresh-prince/and-in-this-corner/
>
> The two Freddie Foxxx songs are from his album "Freddie Foxxx Is Here,"
> released on Oct. 13, 1989.
> https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/freddie-foxxx/freddie-foxxx-is-here-2/
>
> The Right Rhymes also lists a purported example from 1988, Biz Markie's
> "Make The Music With Your Mouth, Biz." (Some sites date the song to a 1986
> EP.) A line from the song is transcribed as "It's not all the props,
> spittin', breathin hard, and doin." That transcription appears to come from
> the Original Hip-Hop Lyrics Archive:
> https://www.ohhla.com/anonymous/bizmark/goin_off/make_msc.biz.txt
>
> But on Genius, that line is transcribed as "It's not all about spittin',
> breathin' hard and chewin'."
> https://genius.com/Biz-markie-make-the-music-with-your-mouth-biz-lyrics
>
> From a quick listen, the Genius version seems to be correct.
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t1zgmjBRjA&t=152s (at 2:32)
>
> --bgz
>
> On Wed, May 13, 2026 at 7:14 AM Shapiro, Fred <
> 00001ac016895344-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> > props (OED 1990)
> >
> > 1989 Chicago Metro News 3 June 4 (GenealogyBank)
> >
> > In a school system 65 percent Black, no one can expect the Black community
> > to sit back and watch the superintendency snatched away and, secondly, Dr.
> > Byrd should be given all his props and allowed to compete for his own job
> > in the same manner that other candidates will.
> >
> > Fred Shapiro
> >
> >
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org