Rapper who had 'no idea' he created one of most-used phrases of all time explains meaning behind it

It seems nowadays that there's just too much slang to be keeping up with.

Whether it's words like 'Rizz' or 'Sigma', it's almost like it's a different language to those born pre-2000 as some words that were used just a few years ago are now considered 'uncool'.

A picture of banned words in a school classroom at the back end of 2024 that sent social media users into meltdown, and it doesn't look like the Gen Z and Gen Alpha slang craze is slowing down anytime soon.

But where did all these words come from, and who thrust them into pop culture?

Don't be so quick to blame Gen Z for these slang words (Getty Stock Photo)

It turns out that the answer might be closer to millennials than you may think.

One of the most popular words that you've probably heard flying around is 'G.O.A.T', pronounced like the animal.

It can also be used as an adjective, as 'GOATED', and while many blame the kids and teens of today for popularising it, the phrase was introduced to the world in 2000.

Short for 'Greatest of All Time', it can often be used for sports stars such as LeBron James or Lionel Messi, or musicians like Kendrick Lamar or Eminem.

However, it was coined by a star born in 1968.

Rapper LL Cool J is known for hits like 'Mama Said Knock You Out' and 'Headsprung', but above all, his 2000 album was titled 'G.O.A.T.'

The New York rapper would write his name into folklore by introducing the term to us mere mortals.

The rapper claims that he introduced the phrase to the 21st century (Facebook/CBS Sunday Morning)

Speaking on CBS Sunday Morning in September 2024, the rapper revealed how he came up with the idea to name his album that.

The news reporter asked if people were surprised that he wanted to name an album after a farm animal, to which he explained: "I'll tell you where I got it from - greatest of all-time is Muhammed Ali, greatest of all time's obvious,

"Then Earl 'the Goat' Manigault, the street basketball player. I took those two, put them together, and introduced the farm animal that changed the world, baby," LL Cool J claimed.

While many know of Ali's nickname, Earl Manigault is less well-known outside the basketball community, as he was considered one of the best basketball players to never play in the NBA.

Manigault claimed that he was nicknamed 'the Goat' because one of his high school teachers would wrongly pronounce his name as 'Mani-Goat'.

We all have LL Cool J to thank for this one (Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer / Getty)

Just like that, the phrase was introduced to the masses, as the 'G.O.A.T.' album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200.

There's almost no way that he intended the word to catch on so much, over two decades from its release, but his role in introducing it to people this side of the millennium can't be forgotten.