Why does dab necessarily refer to weed?

You couldn't have missed the dab, this «new» dance move, the key gesture of which Pogba mimics during his goal celebrations: elbow bent, head resting on the elbow, and the other arm extended backward.

The first time I heard the term, I wondered why an athlete would pretend to take cannabis concentrates on the field. I was wrong, of course, and had confused dabbing, cannabis extracts with high THC content, and this trend that’s taking over rap music videos, Snapchat, and now sports fields.

The Origins of the Dab Dance

The origins of the dab dance are already unclear. The dance comes from Atlanta, Georgia. The first to popularize the move were members of the Quality Control label, particularly the rap trio Migos in their single «Look At My Dab.» PeeWee Longway, another rapper from Atlanta, disputed their claim to the song’s authorship in a tweet clash, which has since been deleted.

The dance move really took off when quarterback Cam Newton did the dab during an American football game; it was then picked up by all the TV networks, other rappers, and even Hillary Clinton (see below).

TALK TO THEM ON CAM, IF THAT DOESN'T WORK, DAB. pic.twitter.com/Mc0860Crhh

— Boul. (@CoryTownes) November 15, 2015

Connection to cannabis

So, who's that rapper with the marijuana?

The "dab" is a direct reference to the coughing fit caused by inhaling cannabis concentrates, for example using a bubbler. Since the user's hands are occupied, they cover their face with their elbow out of consideration for their neighbors' hygiene.

Migos officially denies any connection to the use of weed concentrates. However, he very clearly uses the dab in the song «Pipe It Up,» with lyrics that leave little room for doubt:

«Pipe it up, pipe it up, pipe it up, pipe it up/I'm just doing my dab—I called it the »pipe it up'/All this dab, a ni**a's dripping.".

This didn't escape Bow Wow's notice, by the way, and he drew the wrath of Migos when he explained that the dab was obviously related to marijuana.

It’s as if Migos wanted to popularize the dab in their songs without openly acknowledging the reference for fear of causing offense. If they were to take it all the way, they’d also have to rework the lyrics to “90%.”.

And in the end? In the end, it cracks us up that everyone is mimicking a gesture directly linked to drug use (it clearly can’t be a coincidence), and to see it everywhere—from political arenas to sports fields—without anyone questioning the gesture’s real meaning.

The next time you see Uncle Jacques doing that at your little one's fair, have a good laugh. Just to yourself 🙂

Best of the dabs:

Hillary «Cool» Clinton:

Paul Pobga: