Ice-T Explains How The Term ‘O.G.’ Came To Be

Ice-T reflected on his early career and how he never imagined becoming a big rap star due to the lack of established figures in the industry at the time.

Ice-T explains the origin of the term “O.G.” and how he introduced it to the world outside of Los Angeles, tying it to the emergence of gangster rap.

“‘O.G.’ is a term used by the L.A. gangs for the first generation of a particular set.  But also in L.A., the term just means ‘The Original.’  I brought it to the forefront when the press decided to name what we did ‘Gangster Rap,’ and they named it ‘Gangster Rap’ because of Ice Cube,” he explained.

Ice-T jokingly says he regrets not trademarking it.

“I shoulda trademarked it.  But Rakim says, ‘I’ll take a phrase that’s rarely heard and flip it; now it’s a daily word,'” he said with a laugh, adding, “A lot of terms come from hip-hop, but yeah, I put ‘O.G.’ into the game.”