Think of the word "thug." Maybe you picture Tupac Shakur's famous stomach tattoo? Or possibly, a gang of mafia crime bosses? Most people might be picturing the same thing...so we wanted to find out what "thug" really means--and where it came from. Also, we wondered why the hip-hop/rap scene has such a strong connection to the term "thug."

Before we get there, let's talk history a bit. Interestingly enough, the term thug is derived from an Indian cult, the Thuggee. The term comes from the Hindi word thag (thief) and from the Sanskrit words sthaga (scoundrel) and sthagati (to conceal.) The Thuggee was a network of secret fraternities who cold-heartedly murdered and robbed travelers. They operated from the 17th century to the 19th century and members of the cult were known as "Thugs."

Over time, the term "thug" came to mean those who were ruthless, cruel--and more often than not--criminal. After the original Indian Thuggees, the term was not regularly used again until the 1800s and only reached mainstream language after the rise of gangster crime. Thug was a name used primarily for gangsters. For example, Al Capone, a notorious gangster, was considered a thug and his likeness has been depicted in numerous films like Scarface and The Untouchables.

The term "thug" became more positive and popularized in the 1990s by rapper Tupac Shakur. For many, Tupac was a huge figure in the "gangsta rap" culture of the '90s and a major proponent of the thug life mentality. "Gangsta rap," while being one of the most controversial sub-genres of hip hop music, seems almost intertwined with the depiction of being a thug. Although the term was also used by other individuals, Tupac was one of the first to claim that being a thug was not necessarily negative.

Tupac was respected not just for his music, but his gang and criminal involvement--just like the thugs of the past. He did not hide his involvement in illegal affairs, and thus appeared more genuine and relatable. However, in contrast to the idea of a thug as merely a thief, Tupac Shakur used the term thug to talk about issues of poverty and racism; his self imposed acronym for T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E was "The Hate U Gave Little Infants Fucks Everybody."

Some argue that Tupac tried to de-villianize the ideas surrounding thugs and gangs. He felt that the evolution of the gang lifestyle was directly related to the harshness of how children in poor communities were raised. His views were that society creates the criminal and that those who commit crimes are merely victims of where they were raised.