English they say is hard, and I do agree. Because who has time to speak plenty of oyinbo all the time? Slangs are an easier and more informal way to communicate, and fun too if I might add.

This year, some slangs became popular from lyrics of some of our favorite songs, while others are of Gen Z origination, and to be honest, they may just be here to stay for a while.

So here I am doing the lord’s work and letting y’all know the origins of some of the most popular slang you may have encountered in 2023.

1. “Evian”

The viral “Evian” slang originated from the Edo-born music star, Crown Uzama, widely known as Shallipopi through his song “Elon Musk”. Remember when I said here that an entire Benin dictionary is required to decipher his lyrics, turns out I was right.

“Evian” has now become a famously adopted slang. The most intriguing thing about the slang is that it can mean anything that you want it to. The crooner made this known in an interview with “Is This Seat Taken” podcast host, Chinasa Anukam, revealing that while “Evian” is his family name, it can also mean anything else. So now, everyone pretty much just uses it in ways they please.

2. “Men Mount”

Shallipopi struck again with “Men Mount” via his chart-topping song “Ex-Convict”.  As expected, many Nigerians promptly picked up the slang, and Interestingly, due to the reach of Nigerian pop culture, the slang has been used even beyond Nigeria.

“Men Mount” could mean a few things; from “Brotherhood” to “Law enforcement agents”, to having a substantial amount of support or influence from people, and generally just a bunch of men having a good time.

3. “City Boy/Girl”

OluwaBurna did not only bless us with an album– “I Told Them”, he also dropped a fresh slang on us thanks to “City Boy”. Ever since its release, the promo single has become not only a chart-topper but a well-known slang.

City Boy or Girl as the case may be describes a guy/girl who is in their bag and living their best unhindered and fully hedonistic life. Luxury or nothing.

4. “IDAN”

Inarguably one of 2023’s most trendy slangs, hypeman, Segun Johnson did a good job of turning “Idan” into a well-popularized slang when he released a track titled “Idan”. Simply put, “Idan” describes one who is exceptional in all that they do.

5. “Otilo”

While “Otilo” isn’t particularly from 2023, it is still very popular. It was coined from Poco Lee and Hotkid’s song “Otilo (Izz Gone)”, released in September 2022. “Otilo” is particularly fun and is slang for when something or someone is far gone. This could be in a positive or negative way when something is perhaps lost, stolen or is too late. And in another case, when something has been finalized and is a win. The versatility of the slang makes it particularly interesting.

6. “Sabi Girl”

“Sabi girl no dey too like talk” These were the words of our very own Sabi girl, Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, also known as Ayra Starr on Grammy-nominated single, “Rush”. She went on to spice things up with the release of another hit track titled “Sability”.

A Sabi girl or boy is one who knows what they’re doing. ‘No dey too like talk’ – Doesn’t talk too much but proves that they know their stuff by putting in the work. There’s also a fashion statement piece such as the sabi girl skater skirt.

7. “Oscroh”

For those of you who still term it as “prostitution”, “hookup”, “ashewo”, Shallipopi has given us another update. On his new song “Pepperline”, where the singer called it “Oscroh” or “OS”. Although a Benin slag, it’s about to gain popularity and become widely used among youths.

8. “Rizz”

If you’ve got finesse, charm, and all-around sleekness to your personality, then you most likely will be described as a rizz god or goddess. Coined from “charisma”, “rizz” is a Gen-Zfied version of the word.