20 bands

What it means

"20 bands" means $20,000 — slang from hip-hop and rap culture where a "band" is a stack of $1,000 bills (originally bundled with a paper band by banks). The number scales: "5 bands" = $5K, "100 bands" = $100K.

Examples

• Dropped 20 bands on the new ride.
• He said his watch cost 20 bands. No shot.
• Make 20 bands a month easy with that side hustle.
• Rent in this city? Easily 20 bands a year.

Where it comes from

Hip-hop slang from the 2000s — "band" referred to the paper currency bands wrapped around bundles of $1,000 in cash. Popularized through rap lyrics (Future, Gucci Mane and others) and now mainstream in Gen-Z money talk.

Related slang