rock rental

n. an automobile loaned in exchange for crack cocaine. Subjects: English, Automobiles & Transportation, Drugs, Slang

Editorial Note: This term has been especially common in New Orleans, Louisiana. The 1998 citation suggests a gun as the item loaned, but it is the only mention found of such a trade, and as it is a summary of a video transcript, it is not necessarily reliable. A synonym is crack ride or rent-a-rock.

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Citations: 1992 Joe Darby, Greg Thomas Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.) (Aug. 11) “West Bank School Football Star Pleads Guilty To Drug Charge” p. A1: The dropped public records charge stemmed from what Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. John Fortunato called a “rock rental,” where someone loans an automobile in exchange for a rock of cocaine. 1996 Michael Perlstein Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.) (May 30) “Probation A Safety Net Rife With Holes” p. A1: He admitted he was driving a “rock rental”—a car loaned to him in exchange for crack cocaine—when he rammed into another car. 1997 Louis Edwards N: A Novel (May) p. 52 @ (May, 1998): “A rock rental.…I gave somebody a rock and they let me borrow they car. Just for a day or so. Plus they owed me for another time.” “So you deal crack.” [1998 WGNO-TV @ New Orleans, La. (Video Monitoring Services of America) (Nov. 11) “Television”: C. Hearn Taylor, Juvenile Judge, said there are rock rentals where you can get a gun for a rock.] 2005 TCPalm.com (Stuart, Florida) (Sept. 28) “Police recover car allegedly used in drive-by shooting” (in Fort Pierce): Police also arrested Richard LaWayne Simmons, 18, of the 1200 block of McCray Court in Fort Pierce for allegedly stealing the car through a practice known as a “rock rental.” According to a police report, Simmons arranged to “borrow” the dark blue 1998 Acura for an hour Thursday night in exchange for crack-cocaine.

Posted 6 Oct 05 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Reader comments:

Years ago, I remember the term being ROCK-RENT.

by Damien Thorne 13 Aug 08, 0821 GMT