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Language of the street

This transcript is of the language of three men who were convicted of killing Ben Kinsella in London in June 2008.
The recordings were used in evidence at their trial and were published in The Times in June 2009.

A glossary follows.

Kika: The thing that they're p****d about, yeah, that none of us was talking. None of us bust our stories. That's why they are p****d. You feel me?
Braithwaite: For real.
Kika: They've got nothing really. So it's just them f*****g snitches, blood. Someone needs to deal with these snitches in the hood blood. Serious, blood.
Alleyne: No one knows who's snitching though man.
Kika: Huh?
Alleyne: That's the hardest thing about snitching, blood.
***
Braithwaite: You know of me from the endz.
Kika: Course.
Braithwaite: If you mans says look, you weren't with me and s**t man, bless.
Kika: Mmm.
Braithwaite: If man gets out and if anything happens to you man, bruv, I'm telling you now, you man. If you mans gets anything, any bird, mans got 'em. Dis is what my aunt said to me to tell you. Man look, if you mans get like a couple of years or whatever, get me? Mans got G's there for you man.
Kika: Course, course.
Braithwaite: There is big things there for you man. You understand that it is not a joke. If you mans say about when, you get me? Actually what I just want you man to think about, that . . . you know, who was there, like. For real.
***
Braithwaite: Where's the ting? Did you ghost that?
Alleyne: Score's moved that.
Kika: It's ghost?
***
Braithwaite: So, basically . . . you know of me from the area but I weren't nowhere near, no one was there like.
Kika: Mmm.
Alleyne: Comes down to it, no one was with no one man.
Kika: That's how you got to keep it: no one was with no one. The way. When hey showed me that picture yesterday I said: 'Uh? Who that's not me don't know him.' You know what I saying. So, I don't know you.

The Times article comments:

"The recordings ... give a rare insight into the mindset of three young men involved in street drug crime, immersed in American rap music and believing that the slightest loss of face should provoke revenge of the utmost severity."

Blood: brother, usually from the same gang or area
Boyden or Feds: police
Ghost: to leave area or hide something, similar to "outta here"
Shivved and bagged: arrested
For real: approval of what has just been stated
Endz or hood: a neighbourhood, the streets
Crib: home
Bless: approval of something good, or goodbye.
You feel me?: Do you understand
Buggin': to freak out, panic
Mandem: men, often from another gang or 'hood'
G's: thousands of dollars or pounds
Evi: police evidence
Shanked: stabbed
To bust case: to walk free from court
Hold it down: keep quiet
Swif: a promiscuous male
Boat: face, from the Cockney Slang 'boat race — face'

What is the purpose of this use of language?

Group bonding? Secretive communication? Identification with a group to which they aspire? Presentation of image?

What is the effect of this use of language?

Confidence from group bonding? Generating fear in others? Creating a sense of strength and coonfidence?

The Times article says: "When Braithwaite gave evidence he dropped the 'street' tones and was well spoken. He said he was speaking that way in the police van to keep face with the other defendants."

What is your view on this? Does it change the way we see Braithwaite? In what way?

 

 See also

Dialects

Black English