“Bezerk” is Eminems first single off his upcoming album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2. The song gives off a golden-age vibe, as it is laced with Beastie Boys-esque production, courtesy of Rick Rubin, and allusions to 1990s pop culture. There are a few subtle jabs at new school rappers in the song, but it is done in a similar manner to Kendrick Lamars Control; hes trying to motivate the new generation to step their game up instead of starting needless beef (taken verbatim from RapGenius.com).
Take your shoes off, let your hair down and go berserk all night long.
Grow your beard out, just weird out and go berserk all night long.
Grammar
Now this shit‘s about to kick off. This party looks wack.
I‘m about to bloody this track up. Everybody get back.
Just like I did with addiction, I‘m about to kick it.
About to go H.A.M., ya bish, shout out to Kendrick.
If you are about to do something, you are close to doing it. It means you are going to do something very soon.
Subject + am/is/are + infinitive with ‘to’
- Can you tell me where the toilet is? I‘m about to throw up!
- You must be so excited, right? You‘re about to graduate from college!
- I can’t reach her on the phone. I think she’s about to board the plane.
This structure has the same meaning as be fixing to. However, many people consider this “incorrect” English, whatever that means.
Subject + am/is/are + fixing + infinitive with ‘to’
- I can’t talk on the phone for very long. My flight‘s fixing to take off.
- You‘re fixing to leave the country, so I wanted to say goodbye!
Girl youre fixing to get your heart broke.
Not about to do something has a slightly different meaning. It means you are unwilling to do something and you don’t plan on doing it.
Subject + am/is/are + not about + infinitive with ‘to’
- I’ve never done the laundry, but I‘m not about to start now!
- He’s studying for the TOEFL, so he‘s not about to leave his desk and go out drinking with you guys.
Vocabulary
- kick off (sep. phrasal verb) – to start or begin something. I hope you kick off the fall semester with a lot of energy and enthusiasm!
- start something from scratch (idiom) – to do something again from the beginning and not use previous work. I tried to write a short story, but it was very difficult. I threw out my work and just started from scratch.
- kick (idiom) – there are two possible meanings in the song:
- to stop doing a harmful habit. I was a smoker for five years, but I’ve finally kicked the habit.
- to start something. Let’s kick off the party, shall we?
- go H.A.M. (slang) – a slang expression that means Hard As a Motherfucker.
- kick the bucket (idiom) – to die; pass away. What countries do you want to visit before you kick the bucket?
- throw in the towel (idiom) – to quit, especially after admitting the defeat. You’ve worked so hard to be a rapper. You can’t throw in the towel because somebody dissed you.
- set the bar low (idiom) – to have low standards and expectations. He’s a very lonely person, and he will marry anybody! He’s set the bar rather low, to be honest.
Writing Task
Answer these questions in the comments below!
- Where are you, and what time is it now?
- What are you about to do?
- Some people are very adventurous eaters, and they will try anything. Is there any food that you’re not about to eat?