What Does 'Zaza' Mean? The Slang Term Explained

Through a combination of hip-hop lyrics and memetic irony, the slang term 'Zaza' and its nicknames "Za" and "Zaza Waza" have infiltrated internet culture in a crazy way this year. You don’t have to be a stoner to know what "smoking Zaza" means. Ultimately, it’s an abbreviation for “exotic” marijuana or weed strains.

Zaza memes are everywhere nowadays. Everyone seems to know that feeling when you outside and you smell that Zaza, but, nobody seems to know where the word "Zaza" comes from.

Its origin is traceable through social media and pop culture, but it takes some digging to really find the creator. That's why we've done all the heavy lifting for you. Let's explain.

Where Did "Zaza" Come From?

The word "Zaza" was first used in 2019 as an abbreviation for the word "exotic." This was in reference to rare, dispensary-grade strains of marijuana that were being exported from California and Colorado to the American east coast. "Zaza" therefore started on the east coast, but more specifically, within the city of Atlanta, Georgia.

The person who's likened as the creator of the word "Zaza" is Edgewood, Atlanta rapper Ola Runt, who in mid-2019 was selling Runtz and Cookies brand weed and making rap songs about it. This was alongside YSL rappers like Lil Keed. In fact, the first mention online of the word "Zaza" was in an Ola Runt tweet posted on June 22nd, 2019, that attached a screenshot of Lil Keed's Instagram Story.

Ola Runt would later go on to tweet, "EXOTIC WEED= ZAZA" and in February 2020, he uploaded the music video for his song "1500 Block" on Youtube, where at the 00:49-minute mark he raps, "I'm smokin' on zaza, that s--- be sativic." This is the first known use of the word in a rap song.

"Zaza" Usage In Memes

Memes about Zaza started to appear en masse during the beginning of 2020. Rappers like Money Man, 21 Savage and Trippie Redd, among others, popularized the term at the beginning of the year. However, none of these rappers popularized "Zaza" that year more than the perceivably stingy weed dealers of summer 2020.

Many memes started to surface early on that cracked jokes about dealers calling every strain "Zaza" and up-charging their customers ten-fold because of its alleged exoticness. Funny tweets and skit videos on TikTok started infiltrating the mainstream, later leading to ironic "Zaza" memes throughout the 2020s.

These folks in Atlanta are driving me nuts! 😒 gtfoh #robots pic.twitter.com/CkUZUbraBw

— iG: Lantbo (PhillnMyself) July 2, 2020

What Does "When You Go Outside And Smell That Zaza" Mean?

This ironic catchphrase emerged in early 2021. It's about the cliché of walking outside and immediately being hit with the smell of weed. As the controlled substance has become less controlled in recent years, the smell of "Zaza" is more commonly everywhere.

The phrase was first used in a totally serious manner on Instragam via a page called @funnyhoodvidz. They used Bruce the shark from Finding Nemo to convey mischievous delight at smelling the "Za." From there, it was re-edited and adopted by ironic meme creators who thought the "Hood" page's sentiment was wildly unfunny.

What Does "Blowing Bubbles, Blowing Zaza" Mean?

In 2022, TikTokers became familiar with a catchy sound that said "Blowing Bubbles, Blowing Zaza" in the most ridiculous voice possible. This was all synced up to the beat of Tay K's "The Race." The audio was used in subsequent videos, lip-dubbing its most egregious parts, like when the mystery rapper states, "Goo Goo, Goo Gaga."

The mastermind behind the TikTok song is no longer a mystery. His name is Ticklemytip, also known as the voice behind many Quandale Dingle memes. His "The Race" remix called the Quandale 'Dingle Race Freestyle' is the song that raps the notorious "Blowing Bubbles, Blowing Zaza" bar.

Where Can I Use "Zaza?"

The use of "Zaza" is limitless nowadays. Its notoriety and mainstream awareness has become so potent and loud (no pun intended) that one can pretty much refer to anything as "Zaza" and expect laughter. It's one of those "Zoomer Slang" terms like 'On God' or 'Fr Fr' that's an early symptom of Zoomerification, only able to be treated The Ocky Way.

Maybe stick to using "Zaza" for weed, or better yet, only call actually exotic weed strains "Zaza Waza." The world has enough misinformation. There's no need to spread more of it.

How can I use "Zaza" in a sentence?

• "I need some zaza tonight and it needs to be loud."
• "That zaza you gave me was not loud at all."
• "Why are you calling all of your weed zaza? It's not."

For the full history of "Zaza," be sure to check out our entry on the slang term here for even more information.