Learn English – Origin of “Erry” (every)

american-englishdialectsetymology

I have noticed a trend in some rap music where erry replaces the word every (see 1:35 of "The Motto" by Drake). Can anyone shed light on the origins of this pronunciation?

I thought it might trace to Southern (U.S.) rappers, although Drake is Canadian. I'm not sure if there's a regional basis, or if perhaps it spread through the subculture to facilitate rhyming. Is it considered Black Vernacular English? Can anyone provide some details about its origin–the dialect it may have come from or artists that may have propagated it?

Best Answer

Marcus_33's answer led me to some interesting reads. Hip Hop in America: A Regional Guide provides further details:

Mainstream America was first introduced to the St. Louis accent and slang—a mix of rural Southern and Midwestern terms and pronunciation—via Nelly. . . . "Hot in Herre" did not only send Nelly to the top of the charts, but it emphasized the way natives of this area pronounce words differently. Most notable is the pronunciation of the "e" sound in many words. Instead of saying "here" they say "hur." The words "thurr" (there), "wurr" (were), and "urr'body" (everybody) are also recognizable in lyrics from St. Louis.
. . . .
As a whole, the dialect situation in Missouri is diverse. The accent featured in the hip hop culture is exclusive to the large African American population. This speech creates a "country" sound by mixing "Southern drawl and Midwest twang." The rest of St. Louis has a distinctively different speech.

A post called "Right Thurr" on Dialect Blog adds:

Raymond Hickey, a linguist who studies Hiberno-English, notes a similar shift in middle-class Dublin accents in which the vowel in ‘square’ is pronounced (as in AAVE) with a vowel similar to American ‘nurse.’
. . . .
My only guess for how this might relate to African-American English is that it’s one of America’s non-rhotic (r-less) dialects. Is it possible that, for African-Americans attempting to speak rhotic English, they somehow make the same hypercorrective ‘mistake’ that Hickey’s Dubliners do?