Ice Cube is an American rapper from South Central Los Angeles, and he is considered one of the founding members of gangsta rap. His lyrics are unflinchingly honest, and his songs usually revolve around the danger and violence of the inner city of Los Angeles. In “It Was a Good Day”, Ice Cube describes a day where […]
2Pac Fridays: To Live and Die in L.A.
“To Live and Die in L.A.” is Tupac’s homage to his hometown of Los Angeles, California. It is the second single from 2Pac’s final album, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. The album was completely finished in only a week during the month of August 1996. Amazingly, the lyrics were written and recorded in only three days and […]
Learn English Grammar: Perfect Modals with T.I.
T.I. is an American rapper, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He comes from Atlanta, Georgia and is one of the most influential Southern hip-hop artists. He embarked on his music career with his longtime friends, and they formed a group called Pimp Squad Click in 2001. Two years later, T.I. founded and became CEO of Grand Hustle Records. During his 12 years as a […]
Let: LET me welcome you to the Wild West!
“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
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
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
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
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 Adverbs and Vocabulary with The Notorious B.I.G.
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
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 […]