Pushing P, pushin P, or 🅿️ (as you’ll sometimes see it online) is a slang term that can mean “keeping it real,” “being authentic,” or “being positive.”
But, Georgia-based rapper Gunna, credited with popularizing the phrase and its viral use, has claimed that the P in pushing P stands for playa, changing the meaning to “someone who displays their financial success without sacrificing their integrity” or "keeping it playa."
So which is it?
“Pushing P”: Meaning
Pushing P means multiple things depending on who you ask.
Some think pushing P means “spreading positivity, being good, and doing what’s right for others.”
Others take it a bit more in the “player” (or "playa") direction, where pushing P means “flaunting your wealth, spending large amounts of money, or pulling in a significant wage.”
Some people use P as a replacement for "paper" (meaning money) or really any word that starts with P, although this is usually done in a joking manner.
The truth is that the meaning probably lies somewhere in between, but the point of the phrase is that it’s malleable and can be used however the speaker wants.
Gunna, who ramped up the use of P and pushing P to promote his song Pushin P, infamously drummed up hype and intrigue around the term on social media, leading many people to be curious about the phrase’s meaning. Instead of giving an exact definition, Gunna helped his audience learn about pushing P through examples.
Here are some of his proposed meanings for P:
P and pushin’ P became major TikTok trends after the release of the song, with people both using the phrases to describe their success and behavior, but also poking fun at the song. One of the lines from Pushin P is “She not a lesbian, for P, she turn Pesbian,” a somewhat inflammatory nonsense line which led to many people either making fun of Gunna for his loose use of the phrase or the idea of using pushin P in general.
Another part of the joke is that, because of Gunna’s convoluted definitions, many believe that not even he really knows what pushin’ P means, and that he’s making it up as he goes along.
Where Did “Pushing P” Come From?
While the viral usage of pushing P is attributed to Gunna and his song (with Future and Young Thug) of the same title, there is debate about where the phrase comes from. Gunna claims that it was slang that was frequently used in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, and that it meant “living your best life and spreading positivity.”
Some dispute this, saying that the phrase comes from the San Francisco Bay Area hip-hop scene, where the phrase almost always refers to “flexing” or displaying wealth, with some assuming the P stands for paper, slang for cash.
The Bay Area is infamous for giving us slang and viral phrases like hella and based, so it wouldn’t be out of the question that a phrase like this would originate there. But, at least as far as social media is concerned, Gunna is the one who’s been pushing pushin’ P into the public consciousness.
“Pushing P”: Examples
Going off of Gunna’s use, and inspired by his somewhat comical lyrics, P and pushin’ P quickly became some of the most used phrases on social media for a short time, peaking in January 2022. In most jokes, P is used ironically, either to satirize Gunna’s use or as a literal letter P instead of a slang term.
However, others use it genuinely with its original meanings. Pushing P can be used in multiple contexts. While it’s most often used to describe a person acting in a way that impresses others or who displays their loyalty or integrity, it can also be used to describe something very real or authentic.
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