In Hip Hop songs, what does the term "808" mean?

Haha, this is the third time I've seen this question in like a week. An 808 is a drum machine, the official name is a Roland TR 808 I believe. They help to create deep kicks in some songs. It has been apart of hip hop from the beginning but I believe some producers like Lil Jon use it or something that sounds like it.

Edit: I am amazed at how wrong everyone else is with their answers. Check wikipedia.org for confirmation of what I'm saying...

This is a good question 'cause I had no idea either. No, it is shouldn't be for the area code in Hawaii...

I know that wannabe rap guys "Outkast" had the line "I know you're one of that 808, can you hear that B-A-S-S bass" in "the way you move." So I checked urban dictionary for ya.

This excerpt is directly from the urban dictionary:

The Roland TR-808 Sequencer

Roland introduced this analogue synthesiser in 1981 and it was used in many 80's tunes. The sounds, when not processed by other equipment, has a trademark "hollow/tinny" sound. The trademark sound of this synth is the "cowbell".

16 total sounds, 12 voice polyphony. Midi In/Out

The Roland 808 is how an 80's garage band could get away with not having a good drummer.

[I guess 808 could mean either but what rappers are from Hawaii?]

808 Police Code

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RE:

In Hip Hop songs, what does the term "808" mean?

I know it has something to do with the beat, but after that, I have no idea where it comes from.

The drum beat is a core element of hip hop production. Its speed and complexity dictates the pace and impact of the recording. While some beats are sampled, others are created by drum machines such as the Roland TR-808 and the Alesis SR-16.

It is something about the 808 traditional drum patterns in hip hop music.

Morning star: Soul of the Beast

it comes from the area code 808 and that area code would be in Hawaii, USA

The area code

I know that it is an area code for Hawaii. But it must be a police slang number for some kind of problem.

programable drum machine used with hip hop years ago