- Though the term is technically supposed to be spelled “kis” because it was originally a clipping of kilos, people started to spell it “keys” because that was how it sounded. In addition to this, the song “Keys Open Doors” by Clipse uses the alternate spelling in the title of their rap song about dealing cocaine. People generally don’t know about this term or use it unless they deal coke or they listen to rap or some knowledgeable friend has explained it to them, so in this way it becomes part of the drug world jargon and is accessible to a limited audience. It also adds a new definition the previously existing word “key.”
Keys
noun; Eggcorn; clipping; zero derivation
Slang for kilos of cocaine
Etymology : Part of the word “kilo” which comes from a measurement of cocaine, misspelled as it was heard
Source : August 2007, From a friend
Last modified: 8 December 2010