Snaps: The African American Art of Verbal Warfare

by James Percelay, Stephan Dweck, Monteria Ivey

Book Overview

More than 500 of the sharpest, funniest, most creative insults from an African-American comic art form as old as jazz and as cutting-edge as rap. Snapping affirms the power of the spoken word--of fighting with wits, not fists--and is being featured more and more in movies, sitcoms, sports, and stand-up routines. Illustrated.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688128963
• ISBN13: 9780688128968
• Release Date: February 1994
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 7.0" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

Hilarious Fun, but Not for Everyone

Stupid snaps, fat snaps, ugly snaps. The list goes on. Here are some typical snaps you may find in this book: Yo mama so fat, when they hand her a menu at a restaurant she says, "okay." Yo mamma is so fat, that the tattoo artist called a billboard agency for assistance. Yo mama so fat, she has her own area code. Yo mamma so fat, when she turns around people say, "nice to see you again." Yo mama so fat, the shadow of her butt weighs fifty pounds. Snaps generally pick on mothers, but it is all in good fun. The original object of the game was to come up with the biggest insult of another person's mother, or other family member, while keeping your cool. The first person to lose his or her temper was the loser. This is a hilarious book, and Percelay has several others like it. So the fat mamma jokes just keep rolling in, kind of like a tidal wave of lard. While many snaps are fairly clean, some of these may not be suitable for children. Percelay also provides a decent history of the "snapping" tradition in this book.

Yo Mamma So Dumb - She Won't Read This Book

"Snaps" is a good book that helps to preserve an oral tradition. It begins with a couple of interesting and well-written essays on the history of "snapping" / "the dozens." From there, it gets on to the really good stuff, the actual insults conveniently divided into sections such as "Stupid Snaps" and "Fat Snaps."Some of the jokes may seem outdated, but one has to remember that the book was written in 1994 and didn't have the help of all of the people that wrote in with submissions to the later books. Even without that, it's still a quality work.

"The Dozens" 101

"Snapping" is a form of "playing the dozens" which derives from the rich oral history of blacks in America. It's a verbal contest in which two opponents hurl all kinds of insults at each other, the object being to see which one can beat down the other without either of them losing their cool or resorting to physical violence. It does not mean cursing the opponent out; in fact, the most effective snaps, or insults, involve no profanity at all. Percelay, Dweck and Ivey have compiled hundreds of snaps from sources all over the black community and organized them into categories (fat snaps, skinny snaps, stupid snaps, ugly snaps, color snaps... well, you get the idea). A few examples: "Your mother's so fat, she has her own area code" or "Your mother's so fat, when I got on top of her my ears popped" (which is, in effect, a double snap -- she's not only obese, she's a lady of ill repute); or "Your father's so dumb, he leaves his fly open in case he has to count to eleven", or "You were so ugly when you were born, the doctor slapped your mother instead of you." "Snaps" is hilarious and will have you laughing out loud, as well as appreciating the razor-sharp wit of whoever dreamed some of these gems up. Check it out, as well as its companion book, "Double Snaps" -- double the pleasure and double the fun.

Playing The Dozens Is Funny!

When I read this book, I was taken back to the days when I was kid, watching people on the corners and in classrooms trying to top each other with the better insults. It was called "playing the dozens", and this book is full of funny "snaps" or insults. Some of them are down and dirty, but still laugh out loud funny. Next time you want a good comeback to tell the next smart aleck that annoys you, read this book.

Must read

For all you homeboys out there without a sharp mouth, try these books, many funny and promising come-backs for dissing others. "Your so dumb, if you spoke your mind, you would be speechless" and others will win you the match and they wont mess with you again. The books are well in stock now, and i recommend it to everyone that isn't offended easily.