ESL Hip Hop

Learn English with hip-hop and rap.

Let: LET me welcome you to the Wild West!

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“California Love” is a hip hop song by 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman. The song was released as 2Pac’s comeback single upon his release from prison in 1995. A popular remix version of the song appeared on his 1996 double album All Eyez on Me. This is perhaps 2Pac’s best-known song and his most successful, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two […]

Learn English Grammar: Second Conditional with Kendrick Lamar

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Kendrick Lamar is a hip hop recording artist from Compton, California. Initially signed to independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment, in 2012 Lamar and the label signed a joint venture deal with Aftermath and Interscope Records. Lamar is also a member of  the West Coast group, Black Hippy, along with fellow California-based rappers and label-mates Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul (taken verbatim from Wikipedia). In “Poetic Justice” Lamar discusses the ups and […]

English Grammar: ‘Be About To’ with The Roots

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The Roots are an American Grammy Award-winning hip-hop band, formed in 1987 by Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, from Philadelphia. They are known for their jazzy, eclectic approach to hip-hop which includes live instruments. Malik B., Leonard “Hub“, and Josh Abrams were later added to the band. In 1999, The Roots released “The Next Movement”, which was the third track on the […]

Learn English: The Verb ‘Stop’ with Talib Kweli

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Talib Kweli is an American rapper who gained recognition through Black Star, a collaboration with fellow MC Mos Def. Quality is Talib Kweli’s fist solo album, which was released in 2002 and considered a classic by many hip-hop fans. The album received critical acclaim as well as some commercial appeal for the track “Get By”, which was produced by Kanye West (adapted […]

Learn English: Past Habits with Zion I & Grouch

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Corey Scoffern, better known by his stage name The Grouch, is an American rapper and producer based in Maui, Hawaii. He is a founding member of Living Legends, an underground hip-hop collective based in Los Angeles, California. The Grouch collaborated with many artists including Zion I, a hip hop duo from Oakland, California. The duo consists of producer AmpLive and MC Zumbi. The group is known to its followers for Amp’s futuristic production techniques, using a […]

Learn English Phrasal Verbs with Atmosphere

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Learn 16 new English idioms and phrasal verbs with one of America’s best Midwest hip-hop groups. Atmosphere is an American hip-hop duo currently consisting of rapper Slug and DJ Ant. The group formed in 1989 and has released six studio albums and ten EPs. Slug’s lyrics are usually metaphorical and autobiographical, and he often uses […]

Learn Adverbs and Vocabulary with The Notorious B.I.G.

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The Notorious B.I.G. is a rapper and hip-hop artist from Brooklyn, New York City, and he is also known as Biggie Smalls. He released his debut album, Ready to Die, in 1994, and it is one of the best east coast hip-hop albums of all time. He also formed the hip-hop collective Junior M.A.F.I.A., but the group […]

Noun Clause Basics and Vocabulary with Lauryn Hill

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Lauryn Hill is a singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and actress. Her musical career started in high school when Pras Michael and Wyclef Jean encouraged her to join their hip-hop group, The Fugees. The trio formed in 1992 and released two critically successfully albums, but they eventually disbanded in 1997. One year later, she released The Miseducation […]

Time Prepositions and Vocabulary with Eric B. & Rakim

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Eric B. & Rakim were a hip-hop duo from Long Island, New York. The group was composed of DJ Eric Barrier and MC Rakim, and they are considered by aficionados as one of hip-hop’s greatest pairs. They rose to fame during the “Golden Age” of hip-hop, which covered the late 1980s to early 1990s. Eric […]

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