The Term "Snitch" Is Cultural Appropriation | Breakdown 

Snitching has reached "cultural appropriation" levels. Salute to Glasses Malone for speaking on this topic. Happy New Year to all The Analysts. Thank you for the incredible analysis and supporting this channel through the linktree. SUPPORT: LinkTree: linktr.ee/thecompanyman

How you linked all these 3 stories around the topic of snitching is the most unique take in all 3.

Whether it's TBD or The Breakdown, TCM always delivers the best questions for discussion amongst the culture.

The term snitch has definitely been appropriated and gets thrown around way too much I remember when I was 16 me and my friend were dumb and started a fire in this garage broad daylight What was dumber was that we videoed it and he put it on his Snapchat story So cut to a couple months later and he messages me saying he’s in the police station no charges pressed and that if the police come to me that we need to lie and say it wasn’t us I told him that they will have video evidence so there’s no point in trying to lie and that I wasn’t going to He started saying that I was “acting like a snitch” and fell out with me over it afterwards Even tho I was right and the police showed him the video and he instantly admitted to it and was fine The word snitch being thrown around when charges weren’t even pressed is ridiculous but anything to try sound street I guess🤷

SORRY NIGGA IM TRYNA COME HOME -King Push

Great vid brother! The Andrew Taint x Greta story brought a smile to my face when it was happening, and it still brings a smile to my face. To your point at the end of the video where you say don't understand the reluctance to call the police for those not in the underworld. I find myself in a position where I do understand that reluctance, for a number of reasons. A lack of trust of authority, which you do point out is one of them. If I lived in America I would have zero trust of law enforcement / the criminal justice system as a citizen. But I think there can also be a social pressure that people feel. if they were the one to call the police then the reprucusions of that act might be seen as their fault, and many people are afraid of being perceived in a negative light within their own community. As a friend of mine always says tho, "I don't have the answer to these questions".

Topics aside after the way your year ended you’re looking well man. Looking forward to the content this year! Always appreciate your perspective

I just think it's funny when you're doing shady shit with shady people, but then you're surprised that one of them snitch and stab you in the back to get out of a jam. Like you already knew they were shady, what did you expect! 😂

We LIVE in a tattle-tale Society. We don't have to snitch anymore because the cameras we installed on our houses go straight to police. Our Alexis record every conversation. Our cellphones track our every movement. We snitch on and destroy ourselves more than our neighbors could ever do.

Or maybe if Thug actually did all the shit they're accusing him of, he shouldn't beat the case...

I've never thought about the term snitching as cultural appropriation but it make total sense. Street cultural appropriation

Once again, delivering some of the best takes and analysis on the culture. Such consistency and quality - especially your writing! I hope you have a good 2023, I'm looking forward to future breakdowns.

If you weren't involved, you weren't involved. The people involved knew the consequences if caught. Love the breakdowns Justin.

great episode my guy, looking forward to some dope breakdowns this year!

The word of the year is ( accountability)

Haven't watched company man in a while and man, the nuance and maturity is still there and I'm glad to see it

For the rap geniuses: How is “Gunnatello” a quadruple entendre? I’m sure it is but I can only eek out the double entendre.

I'm 42 years old and when I was in elementary school I remember this kid getting in trouble because he would always tell on people all the time. One day the teacher told him if you keep snitching you gonna be the one in trouble next time. I remember thinking, man it's about time she said something. We got tired of him always telling. But thinking back on it now that's crazy that a teacher would tell a 3rd grader to stop snitching.

Love your videos . Thank you for brightening up my day. Your literally the best. Thank you

Bruhhhhhhhh 😂😂😂😂 @<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="645">10:45</a> did that man dirty

I love the framing and composition in the video. Another great one! #ItsAllHappening

"Those pizza boxes in the DUSTY clapback video.." 😂 those little zinger descriptives you ornament all throughout your video essays so nonchalantly are just great

Happy New Year, Justin! You nail it once again teaching fools the truth.

One of my favourite hip hop mediaplatforms. Much love from Botswana

I grew up in the hood and was raised by and around bikers in "motorcycle clubs"; I knew that snitching = death before I even realized how much of the shit going on around me was illegal. It absolutely drives me up a wall hearing people talk about "snitching" over dumb shit nobody fuckin cares about. If nobody's getting taken out of their community and away from their family, losing their livelihood, or popped and buried over telling, it's not snitching.

"Community > Culture" perfectly said

Good start bruh, interesting/unique points

Great video, thank you for breaking it down the way you did.

Great video. Minor point, I believe Pusha T actually credited Pharrell Williams with writing the SNITCH acronym in his big Joe Budden interview from years back

Thanks for the informative video Justin 👍.

play it for the jury, the defendant and the plaintiff the court recorder and the bailiff the boondocks' missed, man you make dope stuff

Bro, I've been a fan of your channel for the longest. You make my favorite content on rap culture. Any chances of making an video about Armand Hammer, or Billy Woods. Been my favorite rapper for a while. Anyways, I'm very appreciative of your work. Thank you a lot. And have a good 2023, cheers from Brazil.

That last video in the outro though! Snitching just by looking 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Another flawless breakdown 💯🎯💪

I don’t know Justin. I’ve gotten some of the best sleep as a security guard.

Hahaha "If you haven't heard of Andrew Tate.............maybe that's a good thing!" possibly the first time the end of that sentence was not "punch yourself in the face"

Successful Instagram dancer 😂😂😂😂

I was talking to a few of my co-workers about snitching. I personally wouldn't do it. The other was in reference to Rapp Snitches Knishes. The part you left out is relevant too. See the perpetrator? Yeah, I'm right here. Why would you snitch on yourself. If I ever do a crime, I'm doing it dolo. Great topic to start off 2023. Always blessed to see the alert for a new video. To all the folks who haven't subscribed, subscribe and hit that bell, hit that bell.

And way too many civilians are concerned with snitching. It has nothing to do with integrity. There is no honor amongst thieves. It's about allowing criminals to stay in business. We know the criminals incentive, but is that your goal as a civilian when you were online a week ago saying senseless violence needs to stop?

I remember sites like Boxden and The Coli 😭

"Life's a 🎲 🎲 game sometimes you crap who would've thought you'd get pop 1 time and 🐀 "

The fucking Ganstalicious clip Lmfaooooooooooo

Love your videos bro

Another great one 🙌

Great episode, really loved this breakdown

Your content has grown so much in substance and depth. I’m so here for it. Thank you for everything you do. The word “snitching/snitch” is also used in Swedish for people who rat on others. Do you have any thoughts on how this term is to be viewed as it is absorbed into another language? I mean, it would be cultural appropriation but it is still used by people who are street (by Swedish standards), are we supposed to view it as class determined (as opposed to “cultural”), or is it appropriation when used by disenfranchised, young (often immigrant) working class young? I don’t have the answers to these questions either, if we’re adding to the mix.

Yo! @TheCompanyMan, bruh you can’t just drop that trailing clip at the end like dat😂 Dahell? Thoughtful piece as always, thanks for lending your voice to our cult--community

Can't stand Andrew Tate 🤫 If your in the streets then snitching in any form is a no go. You want to claim street sh!t then man up and take what comes with it 💯

How you not understand why we don’t call the police under any circumstance. A woman just sent her black autistic child to hang out for the day with police and he was found unconscious.

Shout out to Bruce Rivers and MF DOOM!

The security guard situation is saddening, that man is probably overworked which is why he couldn't stay awake. Most times, one FULL time job isn't enough to support you and your family.. it's hard for people with regular jobs.

This all rings very true. To elaborate on Malone's point, I'd say the appropriation of the word snitch is two pronged. One, I think most people would agree that not betraying a friend for your own benefit is inherently virtuous, especially if that betrayal is to a higher authority you are both subject to. If a word resonates with a deeply held belief, then people will adopt it in their language without thought. Two, snitches are a negative other that people can use to view themselves in a positive light while doing literally nothing. If you've never felt endangered by an authority figure in your life, then not snitching is a very convenient way to relate to your idols and consider yourself in "the culture" even if the actual power of the of the word is lost out of context.

That security guard needs to be fired Idc how we found. Bruh you can’t be sleeping on the job when the job is being a watchman.

Dig that Score record! I won a copy through eBay, smoke colored, said it was delivered, but I never got it...le sigh!

YOU REFERENCED SUPA HOT FIRE. King!

"Gunnatello" low key hilarious tho

What are the 4 meaning of Gunnatello? I assume one is like gonna tell, 2 is Donatello, but I'm not sure what the other 2 are or how Donatello relates to Gunna

I absolutely love the way you say "check this out." It sounds like something I would hear sampled in house music.

I Caught That Boondocks Reference 😂

“Yes ma’am” 👀

That court video you ended with. 👌

That Pusha SNITCH reference 🔥

LOL! What's that last video???

What if rappers spoke truth to power instead of all the dumb shit?

bro’s a genius lowkey

What's good my brother

Real talk i aint oart of none of that stuff and i got kids. I'm not calling the cops on somebody doing something Petty but we got a neighborhood to protect.

Another banger

Now he's a successful Instagram dancer 😂

Community over culture is a great sentiment. I love it. I may be a white middle class kid from a safe suburb near Vancouver but I have some thoughts in regards to community. The sleeping security guard situation is a danger to the community that guard was hired to protect. If he was the night watchman at a school who was only there to chase kids away then it wouldn't be such a danger to the community and wouldn't need to be corrected. This guard was watching a metal detector entrance to a place where famous athletes spend time. He was hired to protect that community and the community is lucky that a deranged fan or thief or even just a confused person wandered in there. He is supposed to protect the team and he was letting the team down. So while that basketball player isn't the one paying him and technically not his boss he still relies on that guy to play his part for the team which is a community of players and support staff like coaches and even security. I would have probably woken the guy up and asked why he is passing out rather than make a video and if his answers were bullshit I'd tell the bosses. If he had good reasons like some shit had happened the night before or he was going through some rough family stuff I'd keep it between me and him but keep an eye on him. But this isn't that much different than hiring a bodyguard and catching him sleeping. Do you still pay the bodyguard or do you fire him and hire a better one? The other two examples I would say are snitching because they're doing damage to their own communities they chose to be a part of. Andrew Tate and his accomplices formed a community of garbage people and the things they were saying publicly has now destroyed that little community. I'm glad they destroyed themselves but even though they were trying to promote their community with the things they were saying they were still giving away damaging information to their own community. The final case is just straight out snitching. When you join a criminal community, at least a competent one, it only works if secrets are kept. The community relies on silence to protect itself and at least for old Italian mafia rules they're not even supposed to admit that it exists. Not even to neighbours or therapists and they're not even supposed to tell their wives anything incriminating at all. Even within the gang information doesn't get shared unless necessary to protect the gang. Rico laws were made to take down gangs and so many gangs don't do their legal research which leads to stupid shit like rapping about crimes and then ending up in so much trouble you have to make a deal. The government will make deals for information because that information remaining secret is the key to a gang protecting itself. So I do think it is about community and whether or not that community was betrayed by the information being shared. I think that might be why black communities have such a harder time with "snitching". If it is sharing information with police the police are highly likely to hurt the black community while acting on that information. Even if you just need someone to come and calm the situation down the police might just start fucking people up and handing out charges over petty shit. When the authority sent to protect the community spends their free time wearing Klan robes and actively wants to hurt that community then it is a betrayal of that community to call them in for almost any situation. Communities shouldn't be oppressed like that

"Bruce Rivers he's the criminal lawyer"

Do the crime, do the time. Crime should not be the culture.

There is no such thing as toxic masculinity.

World famous Instagram dancer 😂😂 Bobby is the definition of “I suffered so you should suffer, too”

I consider alerting the police/authorities for victimless “crimes” in order to keep yourself out of trouble/cover ur own ass is snitching, especially when they’re not doing anything wrong. #legalizeit

The issue with civilians not calling the law comes from the fact that street dudes don't follow their own "codes". They will say it's ok for a non street do to go to the law, in fact Wack 100 is a prime example of promoting civilians don't have to be held to the same standard as street dudes, but they act like they won't put a civilian's life in jeopardy for doing the right thing. Therefore, if a civilian calls the law, it's still snitching

Great breakdown sir 🫡 Gotta disagree about sleeping on a job though There are some jobs where it's okay to sleep I've been working some of those Sometimes it discussed beforehand, sometimes there's unspoken agreement based on mutual understanding. Plus seeing NBA player flexing on a regular joe employee simply feels wrong to me. Dude's probably working 12 hour shift. Give him a break. And Gunna.. I don't know. Dude was always looking sketchy. But I think his lawyer just told him what to do and he didn't know any better.

The DOOM bar is why I love you lol ❤❤❤❤❤

Could you please do a piece on billy woods🙏

Justin you're real as fuck!!!

I like the community ahead of culture bit

Great vid. Could've included t.i. too.

My brother quoted DOOM 💪🏾

Where is Lyor Cohen at in all this. He was showing off thug like he found the cure to cancer. Also, can you do a video on how The Boondocks is Black Culture The Simpsons. Your dope af Justin. Hope this year is everything you want it to be.

Kelce has the potential to go down in history as the greatest TE to ever play the game, but I think he needs to show a little bit more longevity before I give him the crown. That's the same reason why I still put Tony G over Gronk and Jerry Rice over Calvin Johnson. Elite players can be at the top for a stint. The best of the best dominate for an era. Kelce just needs a few more thousand-yarders before it's earned, IMO. If he can surpass Tony G's yardage total, he'll also likely hold the TE TD record, which would make him the undisputed GOAT. Of course, that would mean Kelce needs to play for at least five more years. Tony G played in 270 games, which is...unfathomable. The man was built like a Mack truck.

the romanian authorities didn't get tate's location from the pizza boxes, they were already investigating him for months prior and were just unaware of his whereabouts since tate often spends time outside of the country. the thing with the pizza boxes basically just tipped them off that he was at home in romania which allowed them to mobilise and conduct a successful arrest.

Famous Instagram dancer 😂😂

Trae could have woken the dude up himself, it would have been more tactful. Falling asleep as security is pretty bad though, it's almost cartoon levels of negligence. Fuck Tate, he deserves everything coming his way. Side note, getting completely destroyed by a 19 yo girl and getting your emotions all worked up because of a one liner and posting a whole video response doesn't scream alpha to me. I've never been a part of gang activities, that's not my bubble, and I understand the conflicted relationship between law enforcement and poor, especially black and latin, communities in the States. However, I've always been perplexed by the perception of snitching as the worst thing you can do. A gang leader influencing his young and impressionable gang members into being complicit in crime is bad enough. Why doesn't the responsibility fall on them to protect his gang members? Isn't that what it means to be a leader? What if Young Thug came up and owned everything as his responsibility, saving a lot of jail time for everybody? Why is it the less culpable's responsibility to sacrifice years of his life for the potential well being of the actual culprit, while the culprit can be selfish and just look out for himself? I literally don't have the answers to these questions, but they're the first that come to my mind during these cases.

As a white dude that grew up in "hood" I called the cops once....Cops beat my ass so never again 🤣💯

Imma civilian like Charleston White. I'm calling the police 🚓🚨

Yeah it annoys me when people start labeling everything as snitching. In the actual street definition of it, you have to be involved with the criminal activity and tell to secure your own freedom. A citizen that witnesses criminals doing shit, then tells on them is not snitching. Despite the concept being extremely simple, the profitability gangster rap has pushed ball players that sold weed out their backpack to acting as if they were moving weight. They don't understand the code so they talk recklessly without the credentials to back it up.

The Andrew Tate arrest was hilarious 😂 Dude played himself, just starting beef with Greta and got himself in trouble!

Hiphop we have to have unity( discernment) #thebridgeisover destroy rebuild”nas

“RICO laws don’t apply to the CIA” - Immortal Technique

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="210">3:30</a> did you really put a horizontal clip on a phone then put that in a horizontal ratio?? could have just blown up the clip or put a watermark

Dawg glasses hit it head on! Gunna snitched. What Tre did was bogus. Andrew Tate just a wild boy.

Why he had to pull up the Boondocks clip. 😂

Thugga’s chances of beating this case is slim to none 🤷🏽‍♂️

I believe its a term made by criminals to protect themself.

Gratitude Ps Peace to DOOM.