Tenderoni

This article is about the slang terminology. For the song by Kele Okereke, see Tenderoni (song).

Tenderoni is a slang terminology used to describe one's younger male or female love interest or someone too young to talk to or become involved with. It is composed of "tender", which is a synonym for young and "roni" which usually serves as an affectionate diminutive towards a male or female. It denotes your younger sweetheart, your younger better half, your younger boyfriend/girlfriend, and more recently used as an alternate word for jailbait.

The word is also commonly used to simply describe young women, without the connotation of them being too young. This definition of the word is common in popular music. In the 1970s the word tenderoni was commonly used to identify a younger male or female that an older individual was interested in talking to or dating. Or a younger person one needed to stay away from because of their age. It was not uncommon to hear someone say, "I have a tenderoni in my life", "that's my tenderoni" or "Don't talk to him/her because he/she is a tenderoni."

Cassell's Dictionary of Slang, which defines tenderoni as "a sweet young girl", dates the word to the 1980s, attributing it to black teenagers in the United States. The word gained renewed attention when Bobby Brown used it in his successful 1988 hit "Roni" to describe a young beautiful girl. The term has surfaced in other pieces of music as well.

Appearances of tenderoni in popular music

• Michael Jackson, "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" (1982)

"...Tenderoni you've got to be

Spark my nature, sugar fly with me..."

• Leon Haywood, "Tenderoni" (1984)

• O'Bryan, "Tenderoni" (1986)

• Bobby Brown, "Roni" (1988)

"if you had a tenderoni, you would never give her up!"

• Grand Puba (Brand Nubian), "One For All" (1990)

"No I'm not a phony, and I got a tenderoni,

I love the way she is - not too fat, not too bony"

• Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch, "Make me say Ooh!" (1991)

"I am going to show you that I am not phony, cause I like you baby, you're my tenderoni"

• Vanilla Ice, "Havin' A Roni" (1991)

• Tim Dog, "I Get Wrecked" (1993)

"...Bitch ass niggaz step aside

Tenderoni rappers, means your homicide..."

• Tevin Campbell, "Can We Talk" (1993)

"...And just like a roni

You were too shy..."

• Lost Boyz, "Renee" (1995)

"...She came back with stretch pants and a ponytail, a

t-shirt. Ayo fam I got a tenderroni girl..."

• K.P. & Envyi (1997)

"This might be my only shot at a tenderoni..."

• KP & Envyi, "Swing My Way" (1997)

"...Said I know that you don't know me

But this might be my only shot at a tenderoni..."

• Method Man, "Break Ups 2 Make Ups" (1998)

"...Said you would never leave me lonely, fly tendoroni but you're phony..."

• Destiny's Child, "Hey Ladies" (1999)

"...My man's been cheatin' on me

Been runnin' round here wit' this little tenderoni ..."

• Quasimoto, "Real Eyes" (2000)

"...Y'all Niggaz is played like pimp sessions with

tenderonies..."

• J-Live, "Like This Anna" (2002)

"...A lot of snakes wanna get up in your tenderoni..."

• Wayne Wonder, "Nobody But Me" (2003)

"Sweet Tenderoni" is a recurring lyric and "she's my sweet tenderoni" features in the chorus.

• Floppy Dicky, "Floppy Dick Missing" (2005)

"...You're so beautiful you made my dick go missing, tenderioooni..."

• Latoya London, "Non A What'cha Do" (2005)

"...No side homies, no tenderonies..."

• Chromeo, "Tenderoni" (2007)

"...cause you're my tenderoni."

• Jaheim, "What you think of that" (2008)

"...my tenderoni only"

• Little Brother, "Too Late for Us"

"...it's been a moment, and you're lookin' like a tenderoni."

• Akon, "Yali Nassini ft. Melissa" (2009)

"...You can be under my arm as my lil tenderoni"

• Pleasure P, "Tenderoni" (2009)

"...I wanna make her my only, my tenderoni yeah"

• Red Hot Flames, "Tenderoni" (2009)

• Lil Wayne, "Da Da Da" (2009)

"...Well I can be your hubby, oh your only tenderoni..."

• Kele Okereke, "Tenderoni" (2010)

"T-E-N-D-E-R-O-N-I"

• Kanye West, "The Cleveland Show Rap Battle Feat. Kanye West " (2010)

"...leave my girl alone and get your own tenderoni, who are we kidding, you're used to being lonely"

See also

• Splackavellie
• Montell Jordan
• Chromeo