Dap me up

Dap me up is a request for someone to “dap” you.

A “dap” – not to be confused with “dab” – is often associated with fist bumping between two people as a form of greeting or to show companionship.

However, a “dap” can be any simple or detailed gesture performed with the hands and/or arms between two people, such as a clap, bump, slap, pull, and so on.

Good friends have their own way of dapping each other, and it becomes a habit for them whenever they meet.

If for some reason your mate forgets to dap you in an appropriate dapping situation, you tell them to “Dap me up!”.

Alternatively, “Dap me up” became a popular internet meme on Twitter and YouTube in May 2021, appearing as the captions of an image macro depicting a yellow smug emoji, with a gold tooth, extending their hand toward the screen.

The phrase “Dap me up” originates from African American communities in the 1970’s, when it was used to refer to gestures of soldiers in the Black Power movement participating in the Vietnam War.

The etymology of the word is uncertain, but it can either be traced back to the similarity of the term “tap”, or, as some suggest, it could be an acronym for “dignity and pride”, although most scholars consider the latter to be a backronym instead.

“Dap me up” remained a popular greeting among African Americans and thanks to the spread of hip-hop culture in the 1990’s, it was widely adopted by white people as well, especially teenagers and college students.

In national level basketball, the players – normally of African American origin – are often seen dapping as a pregame ritual.

Dapping can be done by anyone as a positive, non-verbal communication between peers.

Throughout the 2010’s, several videos and pop culture references were made to the phrase “Dap me up”, appearing in humorous content, videogame streams, especially that of Slimecicle, as well as memes.

In May 2021, the “Dap me up” meme – also appearing as “Dab me up” – started spreading rapidly on countless social media sites, with the most prevalent being Twitch, Twitter and YouTube where image macros, GIFs as well as video memes were spreading.

This, however, didn’t last long, as the popularity of “Dap me up” started to fade by July 2021.

• Urban Dictionary – Dap me up