gangsta lean

English

Alternative forms

• gangster lean

Etymology

Originated in the song Be Thankful for What You Got (1974) by William DeVaughn.

Noun

gangsta lean (plural gangsta leans)

1. (slang, automotive, African-American Vernacular) A driving position in which the driver holds the wheel with the hand nearest the window while leaning toward the passenger seat or sitting in a very reclined position.
   • 1974, “Be Thankful for What You Got”, in Be Thankful for What You Got, performed by William DeVaughn:

     Diamond in the back, sunroof top / Diggin' the scene with a gangsta lean

   • 2010, Andrew Holtz, The Real Grey's Anatomy, Penguin, →ISBN:

     He projects a slide of a young driver doing a “gangster lean,” slouched in the seat.

   • 2018, Omise'eke Natasha Tinsley, Beyoncé in Formation: Remixing Black Feminism, University of Texas Press, →ISBN, page 25:

     This time she's walking with the gangsta lean, she's monochrome in her Yeezy gray sports bra and leggings, she's flanked by admiring sisters as she approaches the camera and, looming above the lens, challenges: “Who the fuck do you think I is? You ain't married to no average bitch boy.”

Further reading

• Jonathon Green (2024) “gangster lean n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang