Bussin

Bussin is mainly used to describe tasty food, but some have started using it to describe other things like outfits and music. The origin of the word is unclear, but it is known to have roots within the Black community. In 2021, the word started to receive a lot of attention, particularly on social media apps like Twitter and most notably TikTok. One occurrence that helped the word become more widespread was the “Is it bussin Janelle?” trend on TikTok. TikTok user JanelleRohner is known for sharing meal recipes and ideas on her TikTok account, where user donknox4 stitched one of her videos asking her if her meal was bussin. After that, more users started to comment the same question under her videos, creating the “Is it bussin Janelle?” trend.

Because the word has roots in African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) it caused some controversy when non-black people started to use it to describe things that weren’t food. While the origin of AAVE is still up for debate, some believe AAVE began as languages from West Africa and English mixed, and others believe it began when African slaves came in contact with indentured servants and learned their dialect to communicate, we know it has now spread across the United States. Dialect fusion is a natural process and, because of the spread of AAVE, some phrases and words we currently use in standard English actually have roots in AAVE. However, a problem arises when words and phrases receive a lot of popularity, are taken in by other communities, and are stripped of their meaning. Unfortunately, we can start to see this happen with bussin.