ESL Hip Hop

2Pac Fridays: English Pronunciation

Stephen Mayeux — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 07:15:20 +0000

“I Ain’t Mad at Cha” is a song by rapper 2Pac released as the sixth single from his album All Eyez on Me. Although the album was released exactly 7 months before his death, the single was released shortly after his death. The song is a heartfelt tribute, possibly to his friend Napoleon. The song features contemporary soul singer Danny Boy who provided the vocals for the song’s hook. The song did well in the United Kingdom, reaching the number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. It was not released as a single in the United States, thus making it ineligible to chart on the Billboard singles charts, but reached numbers 18 and 58 in the R&B and Pop Airplay charts, respectively. It also reached number two on the New Zealand Singles Chart (taken verbatim from Wikipedia).

Change, shit.
I guess change is good for any of us.
Whatever it take for any of y’all niggas to get up out the hood.
Shit, I’m witcha. I ain’t mad at cha
Got nuttin’ but love for ya. Do your thing boy.

Pronunciation

When we speak, we often contract and reduce words and phrases to sound more natural and fluent. Listen to 2Pac’s pronunciation and try pronouncing some of these phrases for yourself.

y’all /jɔːl/- the plural you. short for you all and very common in the Southern United States. Many people also say you guys. Where do y’all wanna eat tonight?
wit cha /wɪtʃə/ – this means “with you.” You need to bring your passport wit cha if you’re leaving the country.
at cha /ætʃə/ – this means “at you.” I am looking at cha because you’re so pretty! I’m not mad at cha because I have forgiven you.
I’mma /aɪmə/ – this is short for “I’m going to” Use this to talk about future plans you’ve made in the past, or predictions based on evidence. I’mma meet my friends downtown later. You can come along if you like.
ain’t /eɪnt/ – this is short for am not, is not, are not. I ain’t hungry right now, so I’ll eat later. Many teachers of English dislike hearing this slang word, but ESLhiphop loves this small, versatile verb.
wanna /wɑːnə/ – this means “want to”. What do you wanna eat?
useta /ˈjuːst tə/ – this means “used to.” Use this phrase to describe past habits. He useta smoke cigarettes, but he quit several years ago.
gerunds and progressive verbs: ~ing – Many rappers and do not pronounce the final G in gerunds and progressive verbs. They often reduce it to in’. I’m sittin’ here on the train waitin’ to get home.

Speaking Task

Instead of writing your response this week, I would like you to answer these questions on camera. Please record yourself with a video camera or Web Cam and then share the link in the comments below. Try using the new pronunciation you heard from 2Pac’s song.

What do you wanna do today?
What did you useta do in the past?
What do you wanna do tomorrow?
Where do you wanna be in 5 years?
What are you doin’ right now?

Share your video in the comments below!

The post 2Pac Fridays: English Pronunciation appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.

Sound Like a Native with Gang Starr

Stephen Mayeux — Fri, 03 May 2013 13:46:59 +0000

Gang Starr was an influential hip-hop duo that consisted of MC Guru and DJ Premier. Although they are not as popular has mainstream artists, they are regarded as one of the best groups by underground and alternative hip-hop fans. DJ Premier is still a successful DJ/Producer, but Guru passed away on April 19, 2010. In “Moment of Truth” Guru explains that everybody has problems and all good and bad people suffer in the world. Despite this unfairness, the hardships in life can make us stronger.

No matter what we face
We must face the moment of truth baby

Pronunciation: Reductions

In English, it is common to pronounce two words as one word. It is possible to contract or reduce two words into one.

In this lesson, we will learn more about gotta, wanna, I’mma, gonna and ’cause.

They say it’s lonely at the top in whatever you do
You always gotta watch motherfuckers around you
Nobody’s invincible. No plan is foolproof
We all must meet our moment of truth

Sometimes you gotta dig deep, when problems come near
Don’t fear things get severe for everybody everywhere

But I can’t jeopardize, what I have done up to this point
So I’mma get more guys, to help me run the whole joint
Cultivate, multiply, motivate, or else we’ll die
You know I be the master of the who, what, where and why
See when you’re shining, some chumps’ll wanna dull you
Always selfish jealous punks will wanna pull you
Down, just like some shellfish in a bucket
‘Cause they love it, to see your ass squirm like a worm
But just as you’ll receive what is coming to you
Everybody else is gonna get theirs too
I ain’t no saint, therefore I cannot dispute
That everyone must meet their moment of truth

I’m ready to lose my mind but instead I use my mind
I put down the knife, and take the bullets out my nine
My only crime, was that I’m too damn kind
And now some scandalous motherfuckers wanna take what’s mine

Meaning

gotta /gɑtə/ – got to, have to. Use it for requirements, suggestions or obligations. You gotta listen to Guru. He’s off the hook!
wanna /wənə/ – want to. What do you wanna listen to? Do you wanna listen to 2Pac or Biggie?
I’mma /ɑimə/ – I am going to. Use it for future plans. I’mma study English with hip-hop today.
gonna /gənə/ – going to. Just like I’mma, use it for future plans. When are you gonna visit the Hip-Hop Museum?
’cause /kəz/ – short for because.

Discussion Questions

Do you agree with Guru – does everyone have problems? When you have a problem, how do you deal with it? Is it difficult being successful? Do you think successful people make others angry or jealous? Please write your comments below!

The post Sound Like a Native with Gang Starr appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.

Pronounce “Get You” Like a Native Speaker with “Rebirth of Slick”

Stephen Mayeux — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 20:22:51 +0000

Learn how to talk like a native English speaker with Digable Planets’s Grammy-winning song “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like That)”.

We getcha free ’cause the clips be fat boss (2:46)

Many Americans pronounce “get you” like getcha. This is called a reduction.
If you know IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) then getcha looks like /gɪtʃ/
- Getcha for the present time
- Gotcha for the past time
’cause is short for because. Many people also say this.
It is OK to pronounce these words as reductions, but avoid writing getcha and ’cause for work and school.

Now it’s your turn to practice getcha and gotcha. Find a video camera and practice pronouncing these sentences. When you are ready, upload your video here or on the Facebook page!

The post Pronounce “Get You” Like a Native Speaker with “Rebirth of Slick” appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.