Eminem performing live in Washington, D.C., 2014
8 July 2020
Stan is slang for an obsessive fan, and it’s inspired by the song “Stan” by rapper Eminem (Marshall Mathers). The lyrics tell the story of an obsessed fan of the rapper, named Stan, who ends up killing himself and his pregnant girlfriend:
You got some issues Stan, I think you need some counseling
To help your ass from bouncing off the walls when you get down some
The song appears on the album The Marshall Mathers LP, which was released on 23 May 2000.
Use of stan as a label for a fan appears as early as 29 October 2000 in the magazine New Musical Express in a review of the song:
This twisted journey into the mind of an embittered Mark Chapman type takes on a whole new dimension in front of thousands of potential Stans.
And in December 2001 the rapper Nas uses stan on his diss track “Ether” to refer to a wannabe rapper who imitates established artists. In particular the song is directed at and supposedly describes JayZ, whose recently released “Takeover” was a diss on Nas and another rapper, Prodigy. Nas writes:
Well life is hard, hug me, don't reject me
Or make records to disrespect me, blatant or indirectly
In '88 you was getting chased through your building
Callin' my crib and I ain't even give you my numbers
All I did was give you a style for you to run with
Smilin' in my face, glad to break bread with the God
Wearin' Jaz' chains, no TEC's, no cash, no cars
No jail bars, Jigga, no pies, no case
Just Hawaiian shirts, hangin' with little Chase
You a fan, a phony, a fake, a pussy, a Stan
I still whip yo' ass, you 36 in a karate class?
Urban Dictionary records the term on 31 January 2006, and an entry dated 5 February 2006 reads:
Stan
Based on the central character in the Eminem song of the same name, a "stan" is an overzealous maniacal fan for any celebrity or athlete.
A Typical Kobe Bryant Stan would say something like.
"Kobe Bryant scored 81 points last night. Kobe could beat God himself in a game of 1 on 1 hoops. To hell with Michael Jordan or Wilt Chamberlain, they arent on Kobe's level!"
(Urban Dictionary is hardly an authoritative secondary source, but since it dates its entries it can, with appropriate care, be used as evidence for a slang term’s existence and meaning.)
Since the early 2000s, stan has been widely used on the internet and social media, but like most slang terms, is more rarely found in published sources.
Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, June 2018, s.v. stan, n.2.
Urbandictionary.com, s.v. stan
Photo Credit: E.J. Hersom for U.S. Department of Defense News, 2014.