One who willfully promotes and participates in destructive and self-serving culture in an effort to project a particular image of 'toughness' or to make oneself intimidating. Willingness to blatantly and horrifically misuse English is a necessity, as is a low IQ and sub-par education (or at least the appearance thereof).

A sociopathic member of the inner-city underclass, known primarily for being antisocial and uneducated. Also known for ready access to illegal drugs and weapons, and staggeringly poor marksmanship.

A perversion of the established title given to the early Italian and Irish mafias, used haphazardly today as a self-described social label on mostly young people, generally black, in a far-flung game of make believe. These "gangstas" being entirely incapable of coming up with original ways of finding their identity, like to adopt Italian names from famous mafia movies as well as Italian mobster clothing. (I.e. Irv Gotti, who should have been killed for the affront to the Gotti family of the 90's, and the claim of 99% of moolies, or blacks, that The Godfather is their favorite movie (if not Scarface)). This is when, in fact, the mafia and its gangsters were built around organized crime of racketeering, protection, and highly intricate systems of providing what the people want while benefiting the immediate community, as well as adhering to codes of honor established in medieval Italy. Blacks consider wildly running around in ridiculously baggy clothing, listening to music that has to bearing on reality, and selling crack because it's cool while refusing to allow themselves to climb up in society, like the Italian mobsters wanted their children to be able to do, as "gangsta". It is a disgrace to everything the mafia established.

A gangsta is a complete and utter MORON. Often, the word "gangsta" is used as a taunt, or a witty but insulting comeback. In some countries it is treated as the Michael Jackson of insults. Some prerequisites to be a gangsta are:

- Ignorance
- Inability to read
- Inability to spell
- Inability to wear a hat properly
- Inability to hold a gun
- Inability to choose the proper size of clothing
- Smoke crack cocaine
- Claim to dodge bullets and be poor, so to be be recognized by a group of idiotic 13 year olds as an "idol"
- No common sense
- Don't feel like working hard enough to get a real job
- Kill people because it's "cool"
- Buy $200 dollar shoes
- Buy a huge "bling bling" chain. Or, better yet, dip a chiwawa in chrome and wear it around your neck. Oops, I meant, "yo" neck, holmes.
- Be tough (This is an odd requirement. Most gangstas are tough, but get angry when a white person says the ever popular hilarious word: "nigger". Also see: pussy and omg im offended by words whut shall i do?

- Be black (Not always required - a new fad has started in the previously clean and awesome suburbs: white kids seem to want to live in the ghetto, a disgusting place full of thieves, murderers, pimps, extortionists, drug deal...

Something that it is NOT good to be, despite people seeming to think so. Basically, this generally refers to people forced into a harsh life due to their low socio-economic status, who probably feel forced by circumstances beyond their control to live a certain lifestyle and commit crimes to get by.

As far as I can say, any "real" gangsta would either be dead, or in jail serving a life sentence for murder. People like to praise gangstas, but what's praiseworthy about commiting murder?? I don't think that committing crimes is a prerequisite of gangstaness. If gangsta is to be used as a positive term, it should be used to describe people who successfully and legally make their way out of the ghetto and improve their status in life. We should pity those who live in dangerous areas and constantly have to watch their backs, but we should not praise them for committing crimes.

Real Gangsta - someone who lives in the projects, is ususally in a gang, not very wealthy--often, but not always, black

Fake Gangsta - most males who attend North Warren (thank god i don't go there anymore). White kids from a rural town who listen to so much rap that they think they're black, act like they "slang dope" all the time, and would have no idea what to do if in a real projects. Yet, they still think they're hardcore gangstas.

a person who is glorified for hurting people.

even in a thousand years this will still not make any god damn sense.