# Prison Pose Prison Pose, also known as the Rap Squat and Jail Pose, is a photo fad in which the subject squats or kneels at camera level with a hard, stone-faced expression. Credited to prison gang imagery, the stance moved onto late 1980s rap album covers and by 2013 appeared across Instagram and Tumblr as the ironic 'rap squat,' with Action Bronson stacking up crouched photos and @ernestbaker tweeting a screenshot of Bill Gates from the film Jobs in the same posture. ## Origin Rap writer Bauce Sauce, interviewed by Vice for a 2013 history of the format, traced the squat back to prison gang members who used it as a go-to menacing stance, then followed its migration onto rap album art in the late 1980s[1]. The posture lined up with the harder, street-focused image that rappers wanted their covers to project. The pose's first widely cited album appearance came in 1989 on the cover art for Jaz-O's single 'Hawaiian Sophie,' which features a young Jay-Z crouched next to Jaz-O[3]. Follow-on uses across hip-hop releases over the next two decades established the squat as default photo shoot vocabulary for toughness, a go-to any time a rapper did not know what to do with their hands in front of the camera[2]. - **Platform:** Rap album art / Instagram (viral spread) - **Creator:** Unknown - **Date:** 1989 ## Overview The squat itself is low to the ground, with knees spread wide and heels either flat on the floor or lifted onto the balls of the feet. Hands rest on the knees or fold together in prayer position, and that prayer-hands detail is what technically turns a plain Prison Pose into the Rap Squat variant[1]. Face is set in a glare, a scowl, or mean-mugging eye contact with the camera. Vice contributor Bauce Sauce described the overall message as 'yo, I'm kinda casual right now, but I'll still jump at you like a crazed opossum if you say something sideways'[1]. Settings vary between the earnest and the ironic. Rappers posed in alleyways, project courtyards, in front of cars and against stone walls for album art and press photos[2]. On Instagram and Tumblr, the gag inverted the setting, placing the squatter over a pristine bathtub, on a manicured lawn or inside a hotel room where the hard glare clashed with the comfy backdrop[8]. Posters often added #prisonpose or #jailpose to signal the joke was intentional. ## How to Use Making a Prison Pose starts with the squat: lower into a flat-footed or ball-of-foot crouch with knees pointed outward and back straight. For the Rap Squat variant, press the palms together in prayer position between the knees; the plain Prison Pose keeps the hands resting on the thighs or hanging loosely in front[1]. Face commits to the bit by locking in a hard glare or mean-mugging the camera. Backdrops typically play it straight (concrete walls, car hoods, alleys) for the rap album look, or lean into the gag with suburban or luxury settings that clash with the menace[2]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Prison Pose? Prison Pose is a photo fad where the subject squats or kneels low to the ground with a menacing expression, named after the stance associated with prison gang members[1]. ### Where did Prison Pose come from? The squat was adopted by rappers for album art in the late 1980s after moving out of prison gang culture, with Jay-Z and Jaz-O photographed in the pose on 1989's 'Hawaiian Sophie'[3]. ### What does Prison Pose mean? Vice contributor Bauce Sauce described the pose as signaling 'yo, I'm kinda casual right now, but I'll still jump at you like a crazed opossum,' a mix of relaxed body and ready-to-fight attitude[1]. ### How do you use Prison Pose? Drop into a wide-kneed squat, set the face into a hard glare, and let the hands rest on the knees; press the palms together in prayer position for the Rap Squat variant[1]. ### Is Prison Pose still popular? After a 2012 to 2014 wave of Instagram, Tumblr and press attention around Action Bronson and others, the pose settled into a classic hip-hop photo shoot default rather than a trending format[2]. ### What is the difference between Prison Pose and Rap Squat? A Rap Squat is a Prison Pose with the hands folded together in prayer position between the knees, a distinction documented in Vice's interview with rap writer Bauce Sauce[1]. ### Who popularized the Prison Pose in rap? Jay-Z and Jaz-O helped set the template with their 1989 crouch on 'Hawaiian Sophie,' and the squat kept turning up on hip-hop covers through the 2000s, including 50 Cent's 2005 single 'Just a Lil Bit'[3]. ### When did Prison Pose go viral on Instagram? Rapper Action Bronson's December 16, 2012 Instagram shot of himself squatting over a bathtub, together with a 2013 Tumblr round-up of his crouched photos, pushed the pose into Instagram meme territory[7]. ### Who is Bauce Sauce? Bauce Sauce is a Noisey contributor whom Vice interviewed in 2013 as its go-to historian of the Rap Squat, tracing its path from prison gangs to rappers' album art[1]. ### What was the Bill Gates Prison Pose tweet? On October 27, 2013, Twitter user @ernestbaker posted a screenshot of Bill Gates from the 2013 biographical drama Jobs that made him look as if he were doing a rap squat[3]. ## References 1. [https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/645gbr/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-rap-squats-but-were-afraid-to-ask]() 2. [https://www.xxlmag.com/news/2013/08/top-5-poses-every-rapper-must-master-kneel-crouch/]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/prison-pose]() 4. [https://www.flickr.com/photos/tamityville/2748752333/]() 5. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=prison%20pose]() 6. [http://www.gixxernation.com/forums/showthread.php?865-Prison-Pose-Thread]() 7. [https://www.instagram.com/p/TTxDWBF9Vh/]() 8. [http://mikejonesfl.tumblr.com/post/47769066898/action-bronson-squats-all-over-the-world]() 9. [https://jamesprayerandprisonposes.tumblr.com/]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/prison-pose Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library