What does crodie mean in Toronto slang?

A close friend. It's used like bro or brodie, mostly as a form of address: "what's good, crodie."

Why did Kendrick Lamar say crodie?

On his 2024 diss track "Euphoria," he used the word in an imitation Toronto accent to mock Drake and Toronto slang. That made the word famous outside Canada.

What is the difference between crodie and brodie?

Same meaning, different first letter. Brodie is the general North American form. Crodie is the variant most associated with Toronto.

Is crodie a gang word?

It's labelled as originally Crip slang because of the C-for-B respelling. In everyday Toronto use it spread through local rap and usually just means a friend.

Not as a word, and it isn't profane. Because of its origin, some people hear it as marked, and an outsider using it can come across as trying too hard.

Did Drake invent crodie?

No. It was in Toronto rap by 2017, before he used it. He helped spread it, and Kendrick Lamar's parody spread it further.

crodie

[ KROH-dee ] /ˈkroʊdi/ (rhymes with roadie)

noun

Crodie is Toronto slang for a close friend, used like bro or brodie: "what's good, crodie?" It spread through Toronto rap and a 2024 diss track.

crodie has 3 meanings. Jump to: [Close friend] [The teasing imitation] [Short and group forms]

type noun since 2017 seen on music, tiktok, twitter-x, irl, instagram status current

Can you still say it?

crodie is current: in active, unremarkable use. Safe to say right now.

What does crodie mean?

1.
Close friend: A close, trusted friend, used mostly as a form of address in the same slot as bro or brodie. Most strongly associated with Toronto and its rap scene.
2.
The teasing imitation: Since spring 2024, also said jokingly to imitate Toronto speech or to tease Drake fans, echoing a Kendrick Lamar diss track.
3.
Short and group forms: Cro is the clipped form, parallel to bro. Cronem is the group form, a set of friends.

Crodie means friend, said with a Toronto accent. "What's good, crodie" works exactly like "what's good, bro." It's a term of address for someone you trust, and "that's my crodie from grade nine" means a friend who goes way back.

It is brodie with the first letter swapped. Most people who say it, in Toronto and online, mean nothing more than close friend. The swap itself has a history, covered below, and because of it some people hear crodie as a marked word.

Since 2024 it has had a second life as a joke. Kendrick Lamar used it to mock Toronto slang on a diss track aimed at Drake. After that, people everywhere started saying crodie in an exaggerated accent, to tease Toronto, Drake and each other. That is why an outsider using it can sound like they're trying too hard, which was the point of the parody.

It belongs with twin, dawg and gng, the other ways of addressing a friend, and with mandem for the whole group.

Where did crodie come from?

Crodie is brodie, itself from bro, with a C in place of the B. It is recorded as Multicultural Toronto English for a close friend; a man deserving of admiration, and labelled as originally Crip slang. The respelling is commonly explained as following a gang-affiliated habit of avoiding the letter B. In Toronto it usually just means a friend, popularized among non-gang-affiliated individuals through local rap music.

It is on record in Toronto rap by 2017, and a 2019 video titled "I'm Bacc Crodie" was covered in Canadian hip-hop press. Drake used it on tracks from late 2019. The same C-for-B form also turns up in US rap, so it is not only a Toronto word.

On April 30, 2024, Kendrick Lamar's diss track "Euphoria" used the word in an imitation Toronto accent, widely read as mocking Toronto slang. That sent it to a global audience. Who first said it is unknown.

More sources: Kendrick Lamar Uses Toronto Slang to Diss Drake on New Song 'euphoria' - Exclaim! · Toronto rapper Bizz Loc premieres new video for 'I'm Bacc Crodie' - HipHopCanada (Wayback Machine) · What does 'crodie' mean and why is it in Kendrick Lamar's Drake diss track? - indy100 · War (Drake song) - Wikipedia

How to use crodie in a sentence

good looks for the ride home crodie, i owe you one

that's my crodie from grade nine, we go way back

bro moved to toronto for one semester and now everybody is crodie

In a conversation

you still coming to the raps game tonight?

say less crodie, i'm already on the streetcar

Slang related to crodie

twin

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Gen Z Slang Words dawg

Dawg is slang for a close friend, used to address someone, as in "what's up dawg." It c…

Music & Hip-Hop Slang Words gng

Gng is texting slang for "gang," used to address a friend or your whole crew: "you good…

Gen Z Slang Words mandem

Mandem is British slang for a group of men or boys, usually your own friends. "The mand…

British Slang Words blud

Blud is British slang for a mate or bro: "you good, blud?" Online it's also a jokey sta…

British Slang Words bruv

Bruv is British slang for brother, used to address a friend or a stranger. It comes fro…

British Slang Words opp

An opp is an enemy or rival. It is short for "opposition." People usually say it in the…

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Wallahi is Arabic for "by God," an oath that you are telling the truth. In London and T…

British Slang Words

Questions about crodie

What does crodie mean in Toronto slang?: A close friend. It's used like bro or brodie, mostly as a form of address: "what's good, crodie."
Why did Kendrick Lamar say crodie?: On his 2024 diss track "Euphoria," he used the word in an imitation Toronto accent to mock Drake and Toronto slang. That made the word famous outside Canada.
What is the difference between crodie and brodie?: Same meaning, different first letter. Brodie is the general North American form. Crodie is the variant most associated with Toronto.
Is crodie a gang word?: It's labelled as originally Crip slang because of the C-for-B respelling. In everyday Toronto use it spread through local rap and usually just means a friend.
Is crodie offensive?: Not as a word, and it isn't profane. Because of its origin, some people hear it as marked, and an outsider using it can come across as trying too hard.
Did Drake invent crodie?: No. It was in Toronto rap by 2017, before he used it. He helped spread it, and Kendrick Lamar's parody spread it further.