Bo--Sound of the gunshot (Re: selecta??)

From: dj t-bird (djt_bird@yahoo.com)
Date: Tue Jun 20 2000 - 12:33:00 MET DST

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    > I read in some interview that the 'Bo' is a reference to extremely
    > enthusiastic dancers firing guns into the air in appreciation of the
    > selector's choice.

    according to my sources, the story is this:

    in jamaica, it's illegal for plain citizens (i.e., not police or military)
    to own guns. so in lieu of firing a gun and going to jail, they will have
    the security guard (usually off-duty police) fire a round or so as a sign of
    appreciation--i.e., your music is so dope, i'm willing to risk jail to let
    you know! btw, "rinse out" also comes from this tradition--the gun is fired
    so many times that the magazine is emptied or "rinsed out."

    > I believe 'Bo' was a hardcore old school hip hop word for a gunshot.

    i think, rather it is the word for the *sound* of a gunshot. hiphoppers
    would have picked it up from jamaicans (remember there's a lot of jamaicans
    in nyc).

    an extra little tidbit (even though no-one asked):

    "rewind" has another synonym in the dancehall world--"haul & pull"
    with 'haul & pull', rather than backspinning the record, you pick up the
    stylus and place it at the beginning of the tune...

    -t



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