A Def Conversation With My Mom

Excerpts from an email conversation I had with my mom yesterday:

Mom: Weird, I was just wondering what DEF means in rock terms and then saw the album cover (there are DEFs other than Leppard, if I'm not mistaken - Deftones, etc.). Do you know?

Me: Yes, Deftones are another "Def" band. No others on my radar.

Mom: Isn't there a Def somebody in hip-hop?

Me: Ah yes, Mos Def.

Mom: See, I'm right on top of this shit!

Me: Ha, yes you are!

Mom: BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Me: Def can be slang for "definitely" and in hip hop it usually means for lack of a better term "awesome". Def Leppard was just mimicking Led Zeppelin and intentionally misspelled the word.

Mom: As in Awesome Leopard?

Me: No, this was before it was popularized by hip hop culture. They were trying to do something like Led Zeppelin....lead zeppelin...Def Leppard...deaf leopard.

Mom: Gotcha - that's kind of what I thought, but then the hip-hop thing confuses it.

Def Leppard "Rock Of Ages"



Deftones "Back To School"



Mos Def "Life In Marvelous Times"