We usually see this phrase on the internet, on films and songs. What on earth is that? That is a slang.
Each word means:
yo /joʊ/ interjection used for getting someone’s attention, or for greeting someone.
wassup (interjection) what's up? (as a greeting)
dawg (noun) (same pronunciation of the word dog)
1. colloquial for dog
2. dude, bud, pal (used to address a close male friend)
Translating it to a plain Portuguese, the phrase Yo, wassup dawg? would be: “E aí cara, o que tá rolando?”, "E aí mano, o que tá pegando"?
The word “wassup” maybe originated on the street, but certainly had a massive spread on the Whassup? commercial campaign for Anheuser-Busch Budweiser beer from 1999 to 2002. The ad campaign was run worldwide and became a pop culture phenomenon. The phrase itself is a corruption of the phrase "What's up?" The commercials were based on a short film, entitled "True".
In 2008, Stone made another version of the ad with the same cast called "Wassup 2008." The 2-minute short film was heavily critical of the Bush administration and was a clear endorsement of the presidential campaign of Barack Obama.
The 2008 video has been nominated for the "Favorite User Generated Video" award at the 35th People's Choice Awards.
Can you believe that? I didn’t like the commercial, actually, I've thought it stupid! What about you? Have you liked it? Please, leave a comment.
By Vivian Barone
Some other Wassup commercials:
