Lean Like a Cholo

It's your old pal Vice, emissary of the ghetto, back to break you off another piece of street knowledge. You may recall last summer when I had to hip you all to what it meant to ride dirty; now I have been asked once again to bring my unique brand of interpretative skizzles. The topic of today's discussion is the song "Lean Like a Cholo" by the artist Down, aka 'Kilo.' Specifically, the primary questions to be addressed are:

(1) What is a "cholo"?

(2) How does one "lean" like a cholo?

Generally, the term "cholo" is a noun, used to refer to any person of mixed American and Spanish ethnicity. Colloquially, however, cholo refers to a Mexican gangsta, as in the sentence "I'm cruisin' through the east side with a couple of cholos." It can also be used as an adjective to refer to the Mexican gangsta style, as in the sentence "My homeboy got shot up for dressing like a cholo." More broadly, the term "cholo" implies a Hispanic male that typically dresses in chinos (khahki pants), a wifebeater sleeveless teeshirt or a flannel shirt with only the top buttoned, a hairnet, or with a bandana around the forehead, usually halfway down over the eyes.

Additionally, cholos can often be spotted driving low riders, although they are not often visible to the naked eye, as they lean back while driving and often can't be seen over the steering wheel. I myself am often mistaken for a cholo for this reason, and while I do tend to lean back while driving, I am generally not tall enough to see over my steering wheel to begin with.

Now that we know what a cholo is, how does one lean like one? Does "lean" simply mean to tilt one's body at an angle, or is there another meaning entirely? There are various meanings of "lean," most of them referring to a particular alcoholic drink, or as slang terms for getting blunted. Neither of these is applicable here, as the context clues indicate "lean" is used as a verb indicating a particular dance move. Peep the lyrics to the hook:

"Side to side
elbows up side to side
elbows up side to side
elbows up side to side
like a cholo"

Thus it appears if one wants to lean like a cholo, one need only put one's elbows up and tilt one's body from side to side. This should be done slowly, so as not to strike any other cholos standing nearby, also with their elbows up and in the process of leaning. As a precautionary measure, this movement should be practiced in front of a mirror before actual execution in public. Once in public, the safest and most effective way is to coordinate with other cholos, so that all leaning occurs in the same direction at the same time. Thus any embarassing accidents and resulting gang violence can be avoided.

Of course, to truly lean like a cholo, one may in fact need to be a cholo, lest one gets one's ass capped.