One of the hottest slang terms on the internet is the parking sign emoji: 🅿️
Yes, seriously. TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and maybe even your group chat are full of blue P emojis—or more specifically, the catchphrase "pushing P." Rappers, actors, influencers, and athletes are all talking about pushing P. Even Nike hopped on the trend, which they were subsequently roasted for.
But no matter how popular the P gets, nobody seems to be able to define what it actually means. In fact, this might be the goal.
We analyzed dozens of tweets, interviews, and articles to determine the origins of what pushin P means, what it means to push it, and how to use the phrase in a sentence without sounding like a total dweeb.
The Complicated Origins of P
In the days leading up rapper Gunna's DS4EVER album release, he started dropping a mysterious phrase into his social media content: "I'm pushin' P."
On January 4th, Gunna asked his Twitter followers to guess what it meant. Some thought it was a reference to selling drugs; others suggested it meant having a bowel movement.
Shortly after, the Atlanta rapper hopped on Instagram Live to clarify the meaning of P (you can watch the screen recording on YouTube here—just make sure there aren't any children nearby).
In his rant, Gunna explained the nuances of his catchphrase. For instance, if you own property and hold the door for ladies, you're pushing P. On the other hand, having sex with your friend's girlfriend?" That ain't P."
You get the gist.
About a week later, on January 12th, Gunna dropped the official music video for "pushin P," featuring Future and Young Thug. In addition to getting more than three million views within a week, the song spawned a new phrase. Or, to be more accurate, it brought new life to the phrase.
Some hip-hop historians say Gunna co-opted P from the Bay Area and Texas rap scenes, which have allegedly been referencing P for decades. In a recent interview, Houston-based rapper Sauce Walka said today's rapper's "brains are too small" to understand the true essence of P.
Whether you're a P purist or you're just here for the memes, you still deserve to know what pushing P means in 2022.
What Does "Pushin P" Mean?
Pushin p is hip-hop slang for pushin playa—or more simply, being cool. It's as simple as that. Contrary to what trolls have said, pushing P has nothing to do with actual parking signs, elevator buttons, penises, or pooping.
A few weeks after the song dropped, Gunna appeared on The Breakfast Club, where Charlamagne Tha God immediately asked him: "What does 'P' mean?"
Grinning ear to ear, Gunna offered a cryptic answer: "If I wake up, and my backyard is the beach, that's P," he said. "It's simply 'playa' but you can use it in other ways like…'that wasn't P.'"
"So P is just short for playa?" Charlamagne asked.
"It could be," Gunna said, shrugging. "It starts with playa, but when you start pushin' it…everything I'm doing is P."
There also appears to be a distinction between "kickin' P" and "pushin' P." In an Instagram Live video, Gunna explained that if you rent houses and cars, that's kickin' P. But if you buy that stuff with your hard-earned money, "you're really pushin' P."
If you're confused, that's kind of the point. The ambiguity surrounding P has earned Gunna millions of dollars worth of free publicity, all from an emoji that was previously irrelevant.
The Future of P
It appears that Gunna will ride the wave he created for as long as possible. He's still using the now-iconic emoji in his Instagram captions. He even dropped merch to capitalize on the trend: a hat and a hoodie, both of which are embroidered with - you guessed it: 🅿️ .
Now that you understand P, we figured we'd make some declarations that a successful dude like Gunna would surely agree with:
Using dry, scratchy toilet paper? That ain't P.
Stinking up the bathroom before someone uses it? Definitely not P.
Ditching two-ply and switching to DUDE Wipes? That's P.
Blasting your ass with the DUDE Wiper 1000 bidet attachment? You're pushin P.
