ESL Hip Hop

Learn English with hip-hop and rap.

New York Slang with Jay-Z

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Guest Introduction 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 […]

Catch a Break with Kurtis Blow!

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Kurtis Blow is the first commercially successful rapper and the first to sign with a major record label. “The Breaks“, a single from his 1980 debut album, is the first certified gold record rap song (taken verbatim from Wikipedia). “The Breaks” is a song about bad luck and misfortune. Everybody has ups and downs in life, and when we are experiencing difficult […]

Picture Dictionary: Learn Christmas Vocabulary with Run-D.M.C.

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Run€“D.M.C. was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York, founded in 1981 by Joseph “Run” Simmons, Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels, and Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell. The group is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture. Run€“D.M.C. was one of the most well-known hip hop acts in the 1980s who, along with LL Cool […]

Wordplay and Vocabulary with Big Daddy Kane

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Big Daddy Kane is an MC from Brooklyn, New York who indisputably defined the term €œlyricist€ in the world of hip-hop. Along with the lyrical ingenuity he brought to the genre, he also introduced innovative live performances as well. These lives performances, which consisted of theatrics, choreography and tailored costumes, proved that Big Daddy Kane was […]

Learn English Vocabulary with Immortal Technique

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Immortal Technique is a Peruvian born American rapper as well as an urban activist. He was born in Lima and raised in Harlem, New York. Most of his lyrics focus on controversial issues in global politics and are largely commentary on issues such as class struggle, Marxism, poverty, religion,government, imperialism and institutional racism. Immortal Technique has voiced a desire to retain control over his production and has stated in his music that […]

Learn English Idioms with Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake

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“Holy Grail” is a song by American hip hop artist Jay-Z from his twelfth studio album Magna Carta Holy Grail. It features vocals from singer Justin Timberlake and serves as the album’s first single. It was produced by The-Dream, Timbaland and Jerome “J-Roc” Harmon, with additional production from No ID and contains elements of Nirvana‘s 1991 hit single “Smells Like Teen Spirit“. Following the release of the album, the […]

Wordplay with Ludacris and Nicki Minaj

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“My Chick Bad” is a song by American rapper Ludacris. The song features American recording artist Nicki Minaj, who co-wrote the song with Ludacris, Samuel Lindley and Derrelle Davidson. The track was produced by The Legendary Traxster and serves as the second single from Ludacris’s seventh album, Battle of the Sexes. An official remix to the song was also released, […]

Learn Pronunciation and Vocabulary with N.W.A

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“Straight Outta Compton” is the lead single from N.W.A‘s debut full length album of the same name. It was released in 1988 and also appears on N.W.A’s Greatest Hits with an extended mix and The Best of N.W.A. It was voted number 19 on About.com‘s Top 100 Rap Songs,and is ranked number 6 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop. The opening verse […]

Hip-Hop for Beginners: Morning Routines with Slick Rick

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“La Di Da Di” is a hit rap song performed by Doug E. Fresh and  Slick Rick. It was originally released in 1985 as the B-side to “The Show“. The song has since gained a reputation as an early hip hop classic, and has been sampled or referenced in numerous other hip hop songs since its release. The song describes an eventful day in the life of […]

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