This post is a guest article written by Paul Martin. Paul is an English teacher who’s from New York and is currently based in Buenos Aires. A music lover, he tries to incorporate music from all different genres into his lesson plans. He teaches with Listen & Learn, which offers English courses in New York, in addition to other foreign-language classes all over the world. You can check out his Facebook page or email him at paul@listenandlearn.org for more information.

Now take it away, Paul!

Introduction

“Empire State of Mind” is a single from Jay-Z’s 2009 album “The Blueprint 3”, which was a collaboration (something done together) Jay-Z and singer-songwriter Alicia Keys. The song is a tribute (something that shows respect or affection) to New York City, where both Jay-Z and Alicia Keys are from. New York state’s nickname is “The Empire State”, and state of mind is a synonym for “attitude” or “mood”. Therefore, “Empire State of Mind” means “New York attitude”. The song deals with some of the positive and negative aspects of living in New York, and is filled with useful vocabulary and New York-themed slang.

Now you’re in New York!
Concrete jungles where dreams are made of.
There’s nothing you can’t do!

New York Slang and Vocabulary

In “Empire State of Mind”, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys make many references to various places in New York City. If you’re interested in slang from many different cities in the United States, check out this American slang map.

• Brooklyn – Brooklyn is one of the five boroughs of New York, where Jay-Z was born.
• Tribeca – Tribeca is a neighborhood in New York where Jay-Z currently lives. The word “Tribeca” means “Triangle Below Canal Street”, which refers to its location within New York.
• (Frank) Sinatra – Jay-Z makes a reference to Frank Sinatra, who recorded the wildly popular song “New York, New York” in 1977.
• Harlem – Harlem is a historically and culturally important neighborhood in Manhattan. It’s the birthplace of the Harlem Renaissance, an artistic and musical movement that gave rise to famous musicians such as Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong.
• The Knicks and The Nets – Jay-Z makes reference to the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets, which are two professional New York-based basketball teams.
• Yankees – The Yankees are one of New York’s two major-league baseball teams (the other is The Mets).
• yellow/gypsy/dollar cab – A cab is a casual term for a taxi. In New York, yellow cabs are official, legal taxis. Gypsy cabs are illegal, unlicensed taxis. Dollar cabs refer to a certain type of illegal taxi that operates in Brooklyn at night.
• Labor Day Parade – The Labor Day Parade takes place in Crown Heights, Brooklyn every year.
• Statue of Liberty – One of New York’s most famous landmarks, the Statue of Liberty was completed in 1886.
• World Trade – The World Trade Center is another one of New York’s most famous landmarks, which was destroyed in 2001.
• The city that never sleeps – New York is often called the “the city that never sleeps”, referring to the fact that there are always people awake and doing things, even late into the night.

Other Useful Words and Phrases

• to make it – If someone “makes it”, they have achieved fame or success. When Jay-Z says that he “made it here”, it means that he achieved success in New York.
• most definitely – “Most definitely” is an adverbial expression that signals intensity. For example, if you strongly agree with something, you can say that you “most definitely agree”.
• Let’s hear it for + noun – When Alicia Keys says “Let’s hear it for New York!”, she’s speaking in praise of New York, and asking for applause. It’s a way of saying, “Let’s cheer and applaud New York”.
• brand new – If something is brand new, it’s not just new, it’s completely new. A brand-new car, for example, is one that has just been produced.
• It’s a pity – If you say that something is “a pity”, it means that it has caused you sadness or disappointment. For example, if you can’t see a Jay-Z concert because tickets are too expensive, you can say, “It’s a pity that Jay-Z tickets cost so much”.
• to step out of bounds – Literally, “to step out of bounds” is used in sports, and means “to step outside the area where a game is played”. However, you can also use the expression to describe situations in which somebody is behaving inappropriately. For example, a teacher might warn you that cheating on a test is “out of bounds” and will result in a failing grade.
• act like + noun/sentence – The phrasal verb “act like” can mean two things: “behave” or “pretend”, depending on context. For example, if your brother is “acting like an idiot”, he’s behaving stupidly. If your friend is “acting like he doesn’t understand”, she’s pretending that he doesn’t understand something, even though she does. As you can see in the previous examples, “act like” can be followed by either a noun or a sentence.
• addicted to + noun – If you’re “addicted to” something, you’re unable to stop using it. It usually refers to harmful substances like drugs.

Writing Task

Jay-Z and Alicia Keys are from New York. We’ve heard their song, so now, let’s hear it for wherever you’re from! Where are you from? What are some of the positive and negative aspects of your hometown? Leave a comment below!

The post New York Slang with Jay-Z appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.

This lesson was inspired by MC Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock‘s 1988 hit “It Takes Two”. As with a lot of hip-hop songs, “It Takes Two” boasts their ability to rap, rhyme, and get the ladies! There are a lot of great expressions and slang words in this song, but I will discuss five very easy speaking tips that will help make you fluent!

I am going to highlight REDUCTIONS, which are two or more words slurred together in natural speech. Try these five reductions to start sounding more natural!

Pronunciation: Using Reductions

OUTTA = OUT OF

It takes two to make a thing go right.
It takes two to make it outta sight.
Hit it!

We can hear this reduction in the track’s chorus, which is commonly called the hook in hip-hop. The female vocalist tells us that Rob Base and EZ-Rock make good things happen. In other words, it takes two… two rappers… to make good things happen. It also takes two good rappers to make it outta sight. If something is “out of sight”, it is extraordinary and incredibly good!

A few months ago, I featured a song called “Straight Outta Compton” by N.W.A., and you can find a lot of great examples and different meanings of the reduction outta in this lesson.

WANNA = WANT TO

I wanna rock right now.
I’m Rob Base, and I came to get down.

Rob Base is ready to party and make some good hip-hop! He is also ready to get down! If you are ready to get down to business, it means you are ready to start some serious work.

Wanna is a very common reduction in spoken English. The word to, used as a preposition or  as part of an infinitive, is almost always unstressed in spoken English. Because it does not take stress, it blends in with the word before it. Don’t worry about sounding too informal either! Wanna and other reductions are so common that you will even hear it by company CEOs and university professors. It is perfectly fine to use in any social situation, and it actually makes speaking English easier.

Be careful! You cannot always use wanna as a reduction for want to. In very few cases in English, it is actually incorrect! POP QUIZ! Read the following questions below and decide which question uses wanna incorrectly.

What do you wanna eat?

Who do you wanna hit Stephen with a football?

GOTTA = GOT TO / GOT A / GOT AN

My name is Rob. I gotta real funky concept.

In this sentence, I gotta also means I have a/an. We normally use this verb in the present perfect aspect, and it’s very common to hear:

• I’ve gotta
• You’ve gotta
• He’s gotta
• She’s gotta
• They’ve gotta

Rob Base is telling us that he has a real funky concept. In other words, he has a very unique style that makes him special and different from other rappers.

We can also use gotta to mean have to, ought to, and must for obligations. Check out my lessons with EPMD’s “You Gots to Chill” to see more examples.

GONNA = GOING TO

Listen up! Because I’m gonna keep you in step.

Rob Base is a very good rapper, and he wants us to listen up and pay attention to him as he raps! He’s going to keep up in step, which means he has us under control. Another common expression is keep in check, and this specifically means to prevent something from getting worse.

We use gonna to talk about our future plans that we have made in the past. Be going to is used differently than will, and I discuss it in detail with a song by Bone Thungs ‘N Harmony.

KINDA = KIND OF

I’m kinda stingy that’s why I don’t want to lend
a funky rhyme to a foe or a good friend.

If somebody is a stingy person, they don’t like to share or lend anything. This is especially true of people who don’t like to spend money, and it is usually negative in connotation. Rob Base is stingy with his music. He doesn’t want to make music with other people and share his talent and success. It doesn’t matter if you are his foe (enemy) or if you are a good friend. He won’t share his funky rhymes with you!

Kinda is an adverb that means slightly or not very.

Pronunciation Practice

The best way to improve your speaking skills in English is to practice a lot! Record a short video of yourself, upload it to YouTube or Google+, and share it with ESLhiphop! I will listen to your recording and offer feedback and comments on your pronunciation!

In your video, try to use as many reductions as you can. Introduce yourself, talk about your friends and family, and tell us a secret about yourself! Your video can be long and short, and I will be happy to help you!

The post 5 Pronunciation Tips That Will Make You Fluent! appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.

“The Breaks” is a song about bad luck and misfortune. Everybody has ups and downs in life, and when we are experiencing difficult and troubling times, then we can say, “These are the breaks!” It’s similar to the French expression que sera, sera or “whatever will be, will be.”

Clap your hands everybody
If you got what it takes.
‘Cause I’m Kurtis Blow and I want you to know
That these are the breaks.

Unfortunately, there’s no official music video to this classic hip-hop song, but I was able to find a live recording of “The Breaks” in his 1980 performance on Soul Train.

Vocabulary and Expressions

If you have what it takes, then you have the qualities, skills, and abilities to become successful. Kurtis Blow wants everybody to clap their hands if they have what it takes to handle the breaks.

But what exactly are  the breaks? Losing a job… losing a friend… having a fight with a lover… These are the breaks! Everybody in the world has problems and difficult situations, and sometimes there’s nothing we can do change it. We just have to deal with it as best as we can.

If you are an aspiring actor or musician, you are waiting for your first big break, which is a successful show or performance that launches your career.

And speaking of acting, there are also breaks on a stage, and breaks on the screen. In theater, it is a common superstition to say Break a leg! instead of Good luck!

Other expressions with breaks:

• brakes (noun) – This is a homophone. It has the same sound as the word break but with different spelling and meaning. Cars, trains, busses and planes all have brakes to help them slow down and come to a stop. It wouldn’t be very safe to drive a care without brakes!
• break up something (separable phrasal verb) – to make people stop doing something. If two people are fighting, you might scream, “Break it up!”
  • This phrasal verb can be both separable and inseparable, and it has many more meanings! Please check out Oxford’s Advanced Learners Dictionary to learn more ways to use this versatile phrasal verb!
• take a break (collocation) – If you work for a long time and stop to eat, drink, or relax, then you are taking a break. In English, we normally use this to mean short periods of rest and also longer breaks lasting days, weeks, or even months. If your life is hard and you deserve a break, Kurtis Blow wants you to say ALL RIGHT!
• break down (phrasal verb) – In the context of this song, break down! or break it down! means to stop what you’re doing and dance.
  • This phrasal verb also has many meanings. Check them all out on Oxford’s Advanced Learners Dictionary.

Writing Practice

Are you going through difficult times right now? Do you worry about your job or relationships? Does it feel like life is testing you every day and you can’t catch a break? In the comments below, write about a time when you couldn’t catch a break or discuss a time when your friend had a difficult problem.

This is a no judgement zone! If you write and practice your English, it will be appreciated! Hey, everybody deserves a break, don’t they?

The post Catch a Break with Kurtis Blow! appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.

My name’s D.M.C. with the mic in my hand,
and I’m chilling and cooling just like a snowman.
So open your eyes. Lend us an ear.
We want to say
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Vocabulary List

Christmas is around the corner, and Run-D.M.C. is celebrating in their neighborhood of Hollis, Queens in New York City. Review the words below and then view the picture dictionary on Pinterest.

• reindeer
• beard
• Santa Claus
• Christmas tree
• Christmas lights
• snow
• fireplace
• yule log
• mistletoe
• eggnog
• carols
• snowman

Picture Dictionary

Sometimes pictures are better than words. Click below to review the picture dictionary for the Christmas vocabulary featured in today’s lesson.

Writing Task

Do you celebrate Christmas? If so, how do your friends and family celebrate Christmas? Do you have special traditions or eat special foods? If you don’t celebrate Christmas, then ESLhiphop is happy to tell you more. What would you like to know?

The post Picture Dictionary: Learn Christmas Vocabulary with Run-D.M.C. appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.

Rappers stepping to me. They want to get some.
But I’m the Kane, so yo, you know the outcome.

Wordplay

Instead of examining new grammar in this lesson, let’s look at the song’s wordplay. What exactly is that? According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, wordplay is:

making jokes by using words in a clever or amusing way, especially by using a word that has two meanings, or different words that sound the same.

Rappers and hip-hop musicians are notoriously gifted at writing intelligent lyrics laced with witty wordplay. Big Daddy Kane was one of the earliest lyrical geniuses that elevated hip-hop to a new level.

Pick a BC date because you’re history.

Rappers stepping to me. They want to get some.
But I’m the Kane, so yo, you know the outcome.
Another victory.
They can’t get with me.
So pick a BC date because you’re history.

In this song, Big Daddy Kane is boasting that he is the best rapper in the world (and correctly so!) He is warning other rappers that they will be history if they try to challenge him. If somebody is history, they are dead or not important anymore. So what is a BC date?

In the Gregorian calendar, BC is the era before the birth of Christ and AD is the era after the birth of Christ. Of course, most governments and organizations today use BCE and ACE (before/after common era), which is more secular.

Big Daddy Kane is warning his competitors that they will be history! Not just the recent history, but really, really old history! In other words, he will destroy their reputations and make them unimportant because BDK is the best rapper in the world.

Competition I just devour like a pit bull against a Chihuahua

For you to beat me, it’s going to take a miracle.
And, stepping to me, yo, that’s the wrong move.
So what you on, Hobbs, dope or dog food?
Competition I just devour
like a pit bull against a Chihuahua.

Once again, Big Daddy Kane lets us know that he is the best MC in the world. His talents and abilities are so good that it would be unfair for most rappers to challenge him. In his words, it would be like a Chihuahua, which is a very small, frightened dog, challenging an aggressive pit bull.

You’re a butter knife. I’m a machete.

So when I roll on you rappers, you better be
ready to die because you’re petty.
You’re just a butter knife. I’m a machete
that’s made by Ginsu. Wait until when you
try to front, so I can chop into your body.

In this extract of the song, Bid Daddy Kane is comparing his lyrical style to knives. In other words, he is making knives symbolic of his rapping abilities. He derides his opponents by comparing their emceeing skills to a butter knife, which is very dull and unable to cut most things.

On the other hand, a machete is a very large knife that is capable of cutting through a lot of things. And not just any machete, but one made by Ginsu, a popular company in the 1980s that produced sharp knives. Symbolically, BDK will cut through any amateur opponent because he is a hip-hop master.

Vocabulary

• laid-back (adjective) – relaxed and worry-free; very comfortable. You don’t have to dress up at this restaurant. It’s very laid-back and casual. 
• mellow (adjective) – calm, gentle and relaxing. This music is very mellow, but I’m falling asleep to it. 
• step (up) to somebody (phrasal verb) – to approach somebody and challenge them to a competition. Some weird guy stepped up to me at the gym. It was so annoying because I only wanted to exercise.
• dope (adjective) – very cool. The San Francisco Bay Area has some really dope hip-hop music. 
• emcee/MC (noun) – a person who raps and sings hip-hop songs. It stands for master of ceremonies. Many people today consider Kendrick Lamar as one of the best MCs.
• def (adjective) – excellent. The Def Jams recording company represents many great artists. I guess they live up to their name!

Writing Task

I hope you enjoyed the lesson! Do you have a favorite hip-hop song with interesting wordplay? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Wordplay and Vocabulary with Big Daddy Kane appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.

Everyone trying to be trife never face the consequences.
You probably only did a month for minor offences.
Ask a nigga doing life if he had another chance,
but then again there’s always the wicked that knew in advance.
Dance forever with the devil on a cold cell block,
but that’s what happens when you rape, murder and sell rock.
Devils used to be God’s angels that fell from the top.
There’s no diversity because we’re burning in the melting pot.

Vocabulary

In this powerful song, Immortal Technique describes how drugs and crime are destroying communities every day. He tells a story about a boy named William who abandons his mother and morals in order to live a lavish life of money, drugs and women. The end of the story is as surprising as it is shocking. Please review these words and phrases and then listen to the song.

• illest (adjective) – very good; the best and highest quality. This is the illest beat that I’ve ever heard!
• hustler (noun) – a person who makes money illegally, usually by selling drugs. Life is not like the movies. If you are a hustler, you will have a very difficult life indeed. 
  • hustle is the verb form
• coke (noun) – an abbreviation for cocaine, which is a highly addictive and illegal drug. Coke is illegal in nearly every country in the world. If you’re caught with it, you will go to jail.
  • rock is a slang word for crack, which is a pure and highly addictive form of cocaine.
• fiend (noun) – a very unpleasant person who is addicted to drugs; a junkie. Many drug fiends commit crimes in order to afford their expensive drug usage. If we treat drug addiction as a health problem, then we should see a decrease in these crimes.
• hit and run prospects (phrase) – something or someone that you can take advantage of and then quickly abandon. This phrase normally refers to young women who become the victims of sketchy men.
• squeal (verb) – to make a very unpleasant noise; in the context of this song, squeal means to reveal a secret. Did he squeal to the police? 
• drop out of (phrasal verb) – to leave school without completing your studies. Statistic have shown that people who drop out of college are more likely to live in poverty.
• give in (phrasal verb) – to do something that you don’t want to do or is unpleasant. I was cigarette free for a few days, but then I gave in yesterday. Quitting smoking is so hard!
• trife (adjective) – this is an abbreviation of the word ‘trifle’ or ‘trifling.’ If something is trife, it is unattractive, undesirable or morally corrupt. Don’t be trife! 
• do life (idiom) – to spend the rest of your life in jail or prison. If he does not accept the plea deal, he might do life in prison. 
• step up (phrasal verb) – to increase the speed, volume, amount, etc, of something. We need to clean up the house before my wife gets home. Can you step it up a bit?
• cut throat (adjective) – a person who is ruthless, competitive and aggressive. The competition at my company is so cut-throat!
• bust slugs (slang) – to shoot a gun.
• smoke somebody (slang) – to shoot somebody. Martin Scorsese films are so violent. People are getting smoked every two seconds!
• cold-hearted (adjective) – a person who has no mercy, compassion of sympathy. Her last husband was a cold-hearted monster. 
• made man (idiom) – a man who is very wealthy and successful. He admired the made men who drove fancy cars. 
• cife/projects (slang) – a ghetto; a low-income neighborhood that usually has a lot of crime. Living in the cife is tough. 
• raw (adjective) – tough, aggressive and violent. Does a real man get raw when things go bad?
• crew (noun) – a small, exclusive group of people that you regularly see and interact with. My crew is going to meet me at the mall later today. 
• cypher (noun) – a freestyle, impromptu rapping competition two or more people. New York City used to be busy with cyphers.

The post Learn English Vocabulary with Immortal Technique appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.

And baby, it’s amazing I’m in this maze with you.
I just can’t crack your code.
One day you screaming you love me loud.
The next day you’re so cold.
One day you’re here. One day you’re there. One day you care
You’re so unfair. Sipping from your cup until it runneth over. Holy Grail!

Vocabulary

In this song, Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake describe their love-hate relationship with fame. They love being famous celebrities, but they also realize that being rich and famous has many disadvantages. Some of these words and expressions are related to the topic of fame and will help you understand the song:

• take off (sep. phrasal verb) – to remove clothes. My roommate is so messy. He throws his clothes on the floor after taking them off.
• give up (sep. phrasal verb) – to quit; to stop doing something. Teaching was such a hard job, so I gave up and started a new career.
• Holy Grail (idiom) – something that you try very hard to achieve, but probably never will. My dream job is working at Google, but that’s the Holy Grail of jobs! 
• be caught up in something (in. phrasal verb) – to be involved in a situation, especially one that you do not want to be involved in. Sorry I’m late! I got caught up in a very long meeting at work. My boss wouldn’t shut up!
• My bad! (slang) – a slang expression used to admit that you’ve made a mistake. Oh, no! I’m sorry that I broke your chair. My bad!
• cornered off (adjective) – to be trapped in a place and unable to escape. The crowd at the concert was so big, and I couldn’t see the stage. I got cornered off in the back.
• call off (sep. phrasal verb) – to cancel plans. I was going to meet my friend, but then she called it off at the last minute.
• get on your high horse (idiom) – to behave arrogantly and think you are better than everyone. If somebody is being very arrogant, you can say, “Get off your high horse!”
• Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. (proverb) – This proverb gives us advice and warns us about making a serious mistake. If we try to eliminate something that is bad, we should avoid eliminating the good things.
• living the life (idiom) – to live a comfortable and luxurious life. My vacation in Bali has been amazing so far. I’m finally living the life!

Writing Task

Do you want to be rich and famous one day? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of being a popular celebrity? If you were a well-known superstar, do you think you would get tired of it? Write your ideas in the comments below. 

The post Learn English Idioms with Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.

My chick bad. My chick hood.
My chick do stuff that your chick wish she could.

What is wordplay?

Instead of examining new grammar and vocabulary in this lesson, let’s look at the song’s wordplay. What exactly is that? According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, wordplay is:

making jokes by using words in a clever or amusing way, especially by using a word that has two meanings, or different words that sound the same.

Rappers and hip-hop musicians are notoriously gifted at writing intelligent lyrics laced with witty wordplay. But to be honest, Ludacris and Nicki Minaj are not the best hip-hop artists, but their song has a few examples of interesting wordplay… and it’s great for parties, too!

Wordplay #1

My chick bad. Tell me if you seen her.
She always brings the racket like Venus and Serena.

In this line, Ludacris is explaining that his girlfriend is not a nice, polite woman. She is loud, boisterous and makes a lot of racket. This words has two meanings:

1) racket is a loud, unpleasant sound. If somebody makes a lot of racket, they are being very noisy and loud.

2) a racket is also the sports equipment used in tennis. The players hit the tennis ball with a racket.

Venus and Serena are two famous American tennis players. So Ludacris is saying that his girlfriend is bringing the racket like two tennis players, which probably means his girlfriend is a very rambunctious and wild woman!

Wordplay #2

Test her and guns get drawn like cartoons

Ludacris is warning us that we should not bother, or test, his girlfriend because she might become violent and use a weapon such as a gun. So what is the double meaning?

1) If you draw a gun, it means you take it out in order to attack somebody. You can also draw a sword for the same reason.

2) The other meaning of draw is making pictures with pencils and pens, such as cartoons.

Wordplay #3

Trash talk to them then I put them in a Hefty

In this lyric, Nicki Minaj acknowledges that many people want to be her friend, but she would rather insult them. So what’s the wordplay?

1) If you trash talk somebody, it means you say something insulting in order to make your enemies feel less confident and upset. Political opponents are  guilty of trash talking, especially during an important election.

2) Hefty Bags are a popular, name-brand trash bag in the US. So Nicki is trash talking so much that she needs a trash bag!

Writing Task

I hope you enjoyed the lesson! Do you have a favorite hip-hop song with interesting wordplay? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Wordplay with Ludacris and Nicki Minaj appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.

As I leave, believe I’m stomping.
But when I come back boy, I’m coming straight outta Compton.

Pronunciation: Outta

I’m coming straight outta Compton

Outta is a reduction of the words out of, and it is common in informal speech. Outta is pronounced /ˈaʊtə/. Be careful not to say oughta, which is a reduction of the word ought to. This word is pronounced /ˈɔːt tə/ or /ˈɔːt tu/.

Outta (out of) has several meanings, depending on the context:

• We’re straight outta Compton! = We come from Compton!
• This party sucks. Let’s get outta here. = Let’s leave. 
  
• Let’s order a pizza. We’re outta food. = There’s no food.
• I’m not in shape anymore. I’m outta breath! = It’s difficult to breath after exercise.

Phrases with ‘Out Of’

There are many collocations and phrases with out of. Here is a list of some of them:

• out of breath – to have difficulty breathing after exercising or strenuous activity. I used to be healthy and exercise all the time, but now I get out of breath walking up stairs.
  
• run out of something – to use up or finish the supply of something. Can you help me please?! We’ve run out of toilet paper!
• be out of your mind –  to become crazy. Are you out of your mind or just plain stupid? It’s not a good idea to run across the busy street.
• go out of town – to travel away from home to a different place, for vacation or business. My roommate will be out of town all next week, so I’ll get to enjoy some peace and quiet for once.
• out of date – old fashioned; no longer valid. All of my clothes are really out of date, so I’m gonna donate them to charity and buy new clothes.
• pay out of pocket – to pay with your own money. Teachers in the US have to pay for a lot of school supplies out of their own pockets.
• get out of …  – to leave a place. Let’s get out of here.
• be out of your price range  – something so expensive that you can’t afford to buy it. I really love this car, but it’s out of my price range.
• be out of the question – something that is forbidden or impossible and not worth discussing. You cannot borrow any money from me. It’s out of the question because you already owe me $2,000!
• Out of sight, out of mind – a saying used for somebody that you will easily forget because they are longer with you.

Writing Task

1. Do you know more phrases or idioms with out of?
2. Use a search engine and search for out of. What are some of the websites?

The post Learn Pronunciation and Vocabulary with N.W.A appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.

La-di-da-di. We like to party.
We don’t cause trouble. We don’t bother nobod. We’re
just some men thats on the mic,
and when we rock up on the mic, we rock the mic right.

Visual Dictionary

In this song, Slick Rick describes his morning routine in great detail. When you wake up and get ready for work and school, you go through your morning routine. Below is a list of things that are a part of Slick Rick’s morning routine. Read the list and check your understanding with the Picture Dictionary on Pinterest.

• wake up (phrasal verb)
• stretch (noun and verb)
• yawn (noun and verb)
• bathroom (noun)
• wash up (phrasal verb)
• soap (noun)
• mirror (noun)
• brush your teeth (verb)
• nail file (noun)
• fingernails (noun)
• bubble bath (noun)
• underwear (noun)
• cologne (noun)

Click on the link below to see a visual dictionary of Slick Rick’s morning routine!

Writing Task

What is your morning routine? How do you get ready for school and work? Is your routine similar to Rick Slick’s or is it very different? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Hip-Hop for Beginners: Morning Routines with Slick Rick appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.