Baller

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A baller is a slang term for someone who has "made it to the big time", or a person who is living a flashy luxurious lifestyle. It originated from inner city amateur athletes who made it to the professional leagues playing baseball or basketball. It is now commonly used to refer to a posh thug, pimp or gangster, or one who imitates this lifestyle.

Ballers spend vast amounts of money on such things as champagne, classy restaurants, poolside cabanas, clubbing, jewelry, expensive cars, clothing, high-stakes poker and other forms of gambling. It is usually used to refer to men; they are portrayed as sharply-dressed, with beautiful women and rich taste.

Baller is used as both a noun and an adjective. Colloquially, it is often replaced with hella b, meaning hella baller, and frequently abbreviated to "balla" due to its pronunciation. It is usually a compliment, and has taken on a meaning similar to cool. It is also used sarcastically to refer to something that is humorously appealing or to poke fun at gangsta slang.

Baller may also be used to refer to anyone with a "killa" tennis swing, or any other talented athlete.

The term was widely introduced to popular culture with the 1995 hit single by Skee-Lo "I Wish".

[edit] Song references

2Pac — Str8 Ballin'
Chamillionaire — No Snitchin
Chingy — Balla Baby
Destiny's Child — Jumpin'
Jermaine Dupri and Nate Dogg — Ballin Outta Control (covers by Big Tymers ft. Ludacris, Lil Flip, and E-40)
Jay-Z — Can I Get A
Lil' Flip — I'm a Balla
Lil' Troy — Wanna Be A Baller
Puff Daddy and The Family — All About the Benjamins
Skee-Lo — I Wish
Eminem - Rock Bottom
Jim Jones - We Fly High
OG Ron C - Ballin' Is A Habit
Lloyd Banks - On Fire
Rick Ross - We Fly High
Out of Eden - I Know