One of the ways that bougie black people pretend to be ratchet is through the gateway drug that is current mainstream music. On any given Saturday at a day party you can hear the unintelligible ...

For the majority of YG‘s minor key concept album (and major label debut), My Krazy Life, the Compton rapper concerns himself with what is, well, right there in front of him. “I woke up this morning/ I ...

No matter the meaning, no matter the mainstream pop culture reference, the roots of "ratchet" are buried in Shreveport. Despite a rich music history of its own, Northwest Louisiana fights to stand out ...

Along with the terms “twerk” and “bougie,” the word “ratchet” falls into the hoodrat category and spans across all genres of music and subject matter. In case you don’t know what this means, please ...

For the last year and a half, West Coast producer DJ Mustard has been killing the clubs and the radio waves with a sound that the streets of Los Angeles have named “Ratchet Music.” Having produced ...

(The Root) — LL Cool J’s new single, “Ratchet,” describes a “hit it and quit it” session with a trashy young lady, a disrespectful departure for the man behind such tender cuts as “I Need Love.” “A ...

[Editor's note: Weekly scribe Jeff Weiss's column, “Bizarre Ride,” appears on West Coast Sound every Wednesday. His archives are available here.] See also: Ratchet Up: Street Hero YG Eschews Gangsta ...

Ratchet music emerged in 2012 as the preferred sound for rap fans on the west coast looking to party. Though it kicked off in Shreveport, Louisiana, Los Angeles producer DJ Mustard uprooted the ...

From the anthemic “EA” to the resilient “Pissy Pamper” — the latter of which never saw an official release due to sample clearance issues, but still thrived through repeated unofficial streaming ...

If there’s one thing the Internet can’t get enough of, it’s a ratchet rumor. Even before the 24/7 blogosphere came into existence, tabloid papers and radio talk shows were spreading hearsay everywhere ...