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

[Ben Zimmer]

Nice find, Garson. Here are examples of "give me my props" from 1980 and
1983, both in basketball contexts.

---
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-des-moines-register-give-me-my-props/197701581/
Des Moines Sunday Register, Picture Magazine, Nov. 30, 1980, p. 8, col. 2
"They give me my props," that last phrase being street talk for "they give
me my due."
[quoting Lewis Lloyd, then a college basketball player at Drake University]
---
https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-post-dispatch-give-me-my-props/197701623/
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Mar. 28, 1983, p. 4B, col. 2
"He wants to be known like Ralph Sampson and Pat Ewing," said Houston's
Clyde Drexler. "He says, 'give me my props (recognition).'"
---

--bgz


On Sun, May 17, 2026 at 1:28 AM ADSGarson O'Toole <
00001aa1be50b751-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:

> 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
> > >
>

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