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Folklore

“Like music, the dozens has lyrics, cadence, and rhythm. The words might seem rough, but you can’t take them literally. Similar to the blues, the dozens is a conversation of pain into joy. This battle of words is a song of survival. The dozens is still about maintaining your cool. The point is not to appear emotionally vulnerable. Talking fast and talking smooth are all part of letting them know you’re not scared. The game is a sort of ritualized entertainment. You can hear it today from kids. Influenced by hip-hop, the rhyming phrases of the early dozens have become one-line comedic insults.

Don’t think this form of expression is negative. It’s a skill that requires verbal creativity, memory, humor, and the chops to deliver your lines. Playing the dozens requires a sophisticated mind. It’s not like expressing yourself with a gun, which requires no wit, no strength, no power. The dozens is a style of humor that enables us to deal with the pain in our lives. It’s a serious art and tradition. It’s a part of our folklore.”

-Excerpt from Quincy James’ foreword in SNAPS by James Perselay (Quill Press 1994)

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