short for street credibility (n)- repsect from urban communities. usually something essential for making it big in the rap world. it is wrongly percieved as being a straight up gansta or committing crimes. street cred is something one can earn, even a rich kid or suburb-dweller. if you have went through a tough childhood or life but have worked hard to make something of yourself (like me), then you can earn street cred, even if you are not from the streets. if ghetto kids like a rap artist who started out rich, but rapped about important things in life and is simply a good rapper, then that rapper has street cred. if you buy a rap album just because the rapper is gansta, then you are fucked up.a funny thing is, most street rappers are not that great, some of the greatest lyricists of all time were not always from 'tha ghetto'