Hello Friends…Happy belated Juneteenth! Did you celebrate? This week I talk about my Juneteenth, which was great, as well as some of the issues surrounding the holiday. I start with some audio I took after an amazing rally and march organized by Activate:Chi. Enjoy!
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Hello Friends…this week I talk about the aftermath of the George Floyd murder and some of my thoughts as the world continues to mourn and demand justice and equality, and an end to white supremacy.
As promised in the episode, here is a link to resources to get you started on a road of greater knowledge, or to guide you in the many discussions going on around us right now: https://wordpress.com/view/backinthecityblog.wordpress.com
If you know someone who has been engrossed in the news and developments of this case, please share this with them. Please share it with friends who are inquiring, or criticizing.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this issue. Got something to say? Give us a call and leave a voicemail: (312) 488-9068 Email us: beingsillyinthecity@gmail.com
After listening, be sure to subscribe, rate and review on your podcast app of choice!
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Also, I have an exclusive offer for OTBP listeners! Visitreppinpins.com and get 20% off your entire order with discount code OTBP20. You won’t find this deal anywhere else!
Recently, I shared a posting on Facebook after watching news and video of the murder of George Floyd and the ensuing protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
I was taken aback by how many people reached out to me and said that my words impacted them. So I thought I would expound on my thoughts for you all.
If you know someone who has been talking about this case, please share this with them. Please share it with friends who are inquiring, or criticizing.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this issue. Got something to say? Give us a call and leave a voicemail: (312) 488-9068 Email us: beingsillyinthecity@gmail.com
Share this episode with at least 1 friend.
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Hello Friends! This episode is the continuation of the conversation I (@Dionsmusica) had with Cris Rodriguez (@grlnxdr2513) back in February. Cris is a former EMT, currently working in a hospital in the Chicagoland area. Chicago has an amazingly active and vibrant Brazilian Jiu Jitsu community, that even includes stars at the pinnacle of the Mixed Martial Arts activity. I haven’t yet had the opportunity to talk about Chicago Jiu Jitsu for any length of time with previous guests, so I was intrigued to hear about Cris’ BJJ journey, as well as her perceptive on the activity and sport as a female in a male dominated culture. Cris was vibrant and forthcoming, and offered tons of insight. Check it out!!!
After listening, be sure to subscribe, rate and review on your podcast app of choice!
SIGN UP for the Off The Beaten Podcast newsletter: Sign Up Here!
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Welcome to Off The Beaten Podcast! I’m your host DION MCGILL (@Dionsmusica) I’m super excited to be embarking on this journey with you.
Allow me to thank everyone who has supported me up till now, including the incomparable SEAN CANNELL (@seancannell), whom encouraged me to finally make this goal a reality.
In this short intro, I give you a little bit of the lowdown on me, and on what you’re going to hear from future episodes of OTBP! Give it a listen!
Once you’ve listened to this teaser, be sure to subscribe via Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. Please download, rate, and comment! The more response I get, the better the podcast can be, and the more people who will see and hear it!
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The culture, music, and lifestyle known as hip-hop began in the Bronx in New York City. At house parties and community centers DJs mixed songs from different records together. They started extending short drum breaks into longer dance mixes by switching between record decks. Bronx DJs experimented with touching and moving vinyl records with their hands. They also used electronic sounds coming from other places, like Europe. A famous example is Afrika Bambaataa’s use of Kraftwerk’s 1977 Trans-Europe Express.
In 1973 DJ Kool Herc DJed his first party in the South Bronx. The South Bronx was a poor neighborhood isolated from the rest of New York. One factor in this isolation was construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway, which created a scenery of rubble in neighborhoods it ran through. Young people of color found their own way to make these bleak surroundings positive and beautiful. They spray-painted and danced on cardboard they laid on the ground. Hip-hop parties were positive alternatives to gang violence.
Kool Herc, who became known as the father of hip-hop, formed the basis of hip-hop music by experimenting with instrumental breaks of funk, soul, and R&B songs. In the following years hip-hop pioneers such as Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, and Grandmaster Caz start DJing at parties across the Bronx.
The story of Afrika Bambaataa—for example, his life-changing trip to Africa that resulted in his name change and his efforts to transform the South Bronx community—shows how the emergence of hip-hop is connected to identity, race, and place. Reformed gang member Bambaataa defined the four elements of the hip-hop scene. The four elements of hip-hop culture are:
DJing – The art of spinning records at a dance party, picking out songs in a crowd-pleasing sequence. Also the art of touching and moving records with your hands. Cutting (using volume control to drop in a section of music from one turntable into music from another turntable) and scratching (the sound a DJ makes by putting his hand on the record and rubbing the vinyl under the needle in time with the music) are two popular DJing techniques.
Breakdancing – A style of dancing that includes gymnastic moves, head spins, and backspins. Young people who were into dancing to the breaks at Bronx parties started calling themselves B-boys and B-girls, and their style of dancing came to be known as breakdancing. B-boys, B-girls, and members of the Zulu Nation made breakdancing popular.
Graffiti – Visual art, an expression of youth culture and rebellion in public spaces. The first forms of subway graffiti were tags, or signatures of someone’s nickname or crew (group of artists that work together). It has evolved into elaborate scripts, color effects, and shading.
MCing – MC are initials for “master of ceremonies.” MCs originally hosted parties and introduced tracks to the dancing audience. Eventually the term was used to describe rappers. Rapping is the art of saying rhymes to the beat of music. It comes out of the African-American oral tradition of using rhyming language to ridicule your friends or enemies in a clever way. In the early 1970s, this developed into street jive, a type of half-spoken, half-sung urban street talk. Rapping also has roots in Jamaican toasting, a type of lyrical chanting.
Bambaataa also formed the Universal Zulu Nation, a hip-hop awareness group that organized cultural events for youth. The group was an alternative to gang activity for many young people. Over time, the Zulu Nation has spread internationally as a hip-hop awareness movement guided by certain spiritual principles.
The Sugar Hill Gang recorded the first popular commercial rap recording, “Rapper’s Delight,” in 1979. This song was many Americans’ first brush with hip-hop.
In the 1980s the hip-hop scene expanded and entered the mainstream in the U.S. Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Flash, Public Enemy, and NWA released albums. The first West Coast rap albums came out. The films “Wild Style” and “Style Wars” were released. Def Jam Recordings was established. Two big steps in making hip-hop mainstream were Run-DMC’s release of its version of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” and the group’s nomination for a Grammy. MTV and the radio started to have rap-specific programming with “Yo! MTV Raps!” and “Mr. Magic’s Rap Attack” on the New York FM radio station WHBI.
Two noteworthy women in the hip-hop world in the 1980s were Wendy Clark and Queen Latifah.
At the end of 1980s hip-hop started getting some negative press. Politicians and media personalities painted a picture of commercial hip-hop as music that taught immoral values.
In the 1990s gangsta rap, a type of rap that describes life in inner-city neighborhoods, became commercially popular in the U.S. Even though many people criticized it, this music spoke to youth who could identify with its themes of anger, rebellion against authority, and apathy. Companies who could profit from young consumers caught onto this trend and linked up their products with popular rap music. Some hip-hop fans see the commercialization of hip-hop music as selling out and compromising hip-hop’s original message.
Breakdancing, rapping, scratching, and graffiti art all became part of youth culture’s vocabulary. Looking at the roots of hip-hop, we see a powerful example of human creativity. A group of deprived kids managed to create an entire culture and art-form with the limited resources they had.
The culture, music, and lifestyle known as hip-hop began in the Bronx in New York City. At house parties and community centers DJs mixed songs from different records together. They started extending short drum breaks into longer dance mixes by switching between record decks. Bronx DJs experimented with touching and moving vinyl records with their hands. They also used electronic sounds coming from other places, like Europe. A famous example is Afrika Bambaataa’s use of Kraftwerk’s 1977 Trans-Europe Express.
In 1973 DJ Kool Herc DJed his first party in the South Bronx. The South Bronx was a poor neighborhood isolated from the rest of New York. One factor in this isolation was construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway, which created a scenery of rubble in neighborhoods it ran through. Young people of color found their own way to make these bleak surroundings positive and beautiful. They spray-painted and danced on cardboard they laid on the ground. Hip-hop parties were positive alternatives to gang violence.
Kool Herc, who became known as the father of hip-hop, formed the basis of hip-hop music by experimenting with instrumental breaks of funk, soul, and R&B songs. In the following years hip-hop pioneers such as Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, and Grandmaster Caz start DJing at parties across the Bronx.
The story of Afrika Bambaataa—for example, his life-changing trip to Africa that resulted in his name change and his efforts to transform the South Bronx community—shows how the emergence of hip-hop is connected to identity, race, and place. Reformed gang member Bambaataa defined the four elements of the hip-hop scene. The four elements of hip-hop culture are:
DJing – The art of spinning records at a dance party, picking out songs in a crowd-pleasing sequence. Also the art of touching and moving records with your hands. Cutting (using volume control to drop in a section of music from one turntable into music from another turntable) and scratching (the sound a DJ makes by putting his hand on the record and rubbing the vinyl under the needle in time with the music) are two popular DJing techniques.
Breakdancing – A style of dancing that includes gymnastic moves, head spins, and backspins. Young people who were into dancing to the breaks at Bronx parties started calling themselves B-boys and B-girls, and their style of dancing came to be known as breakdancing. B-boys, B-girls, and members of the Zulu Nation made breakdancing popular.
Graffiti – Visual art, an expression of youth culture and rebellion in public spaces. The first forms of subway graffiti were tags, or signatures of someone’s nickname or crew (group of artists that work together). It has evolved into elaborate scripts, color effects, and shading.
MCing – MC are initials for “master of ceremonies.” MCs originally hosted parties and introduced tracks to the dancing audience. Eventually the term was used to describe rappers. Rapping is the art of saying rhymes to the beat of music. It comes out of the African-American oral tradition of using rhyming language to ridicule your friends or enemies in a clever way. In the early 1970s, this developed into street jive, a type of half-spoken, half-sung urban street talk. Rapping also has roots in Jamaican toasting, a type of lyrical chanting.
Bambaataa also formed the Universal Zulu Nation, a hip-hop awareness group that organized cultural events for youth. The group was an alternative to gang activity for many young people. Over time, the Zulu Nation has spread internationally as a hip-hop awareness movement guided by certain spiritual principles.
The Sugar Hill Gang recorded the first popular commercial rap recording, “Rapper’s Delight,” in 1979. This song was many Americans’ first brush with hip-hop.
In the 1980s the hip-hop scene expanded and entered the mainstream in the U.S. Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Flash, Public Enemy, and NWA released albums. The first West Coast rap albums came out. The films “Wild Style” and “Style Wars” were released. Def Jam Recordings was established. Two big steps in making hip-hop mainstream were Run-DMC’s release of its version of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” and the group’s nomination for a Grammy. MTV and the radio started to have rap-specific programming with “Yo! MTV Raps!” and “Mr. Magic’s Rap Attack” on the New York FM radio station WHBI.
Two noteworthy women in the hip-hop world in the 1980s were Wendy Clark and Queen Latifah.
At the end of 1980s hip-hop started getting some negative press. Politicians and media personalities painted a picture of commercial hip-hop as music that taught immoral values.
In the 1990s gangsta rap, a type of rap that describes life in inner-city neighborhoods, became commercially popular in the U.S. Even though many people criticized it, this music spoke to youth who could identify with its themes of anger, rebellion against authority, and apathy. Companies who could profit from young consumers caught onto this trend and linked up their products with popular rap music. Some hip-hop fans see the commercialization of hip-hop music as selling out and compromising hip-hop’s original message.
Breakdancing, rapping, scratching, and graffiti art all became part of youth culture’s vocabulary. Looking at the roots of hip-hop, we see a powerful example of human creativity. A group of deprived kids managed to create an entire culture and art-form with the limited resources they had.
The culture, music, and lifestyle known as hip-hop began in the Bronx in New York City. At house parties and community centers DJs mixed songs from different records together. They started extending short drum breaks into longer dance mixes by switching between record decks. Bronx DJs experimented with touching and moving vinyl records with their hands. They also used electronic sounds coming from other places, like Europe. A famous example is Afrika Bambaataa’s use of Kraftwerk’s 1977 Trans-Europe Express.
In 1973 DJ Kool Herc DJed his first party in the South Bronx. The South Bronx was a poor neighborhood isolated from the rest of New York. One factor in this isolation was construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway, which created a scenery of rubble in neighborhoods it ran through. Young people of color found their own way to make these bleak surroundings positive and beautiful. They spray-painted and danced on cardboard they laid on the ground. Hip-hop parties were positive alternatives to gang violence.
Kool Herc, who became known as the father of hip-hop, formed the basis of hip-hop music by experimenting with instrumental breaks of funk, soul, and R&B songs. In the following years hip-hop pioneers such as Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, and Grandmaster Caz start DJing at parties across the Bronx.
The story of Afrika Bambaataa—for example, his life-changing trip to Africa that resulted in his name change and his efforts to transform the South Bronx community—shows how the emergence of hip-hop is connected to identity, race, and place. Reformed gang member Bambaataa defined the four elements of the hip-hop scene. The four elements of hip-hop culture are:
DJing – The art of spinning records at a dance party, picking out songs in a crowd-pleasing sequence. Also the art of touching and moving records with your hands. Cutting (using volume control to drop in a section of music from one turntable into music from another turntable) and scratching (the sound a DJ makes by putting his hand on the record and rubbing the vinyl under the needle in time with the music) are two popular DJing techniques.
Breakdancing – A style of dancing that includes gymnastic moves, head spins, and backspins. Young people who were into dancing to the breaks at Bronx parties started calling themselves B-boys and B-girls, and their style of dancing came to be known as breakdancing. B-boys, B-girls, and members of the Zulu Nation made breakdancing popular.
Graffiti – Visual art, an expression of youth culture and rebellion in public spaces. The first forms of subway graffiti were tags, or signatures of someone’s nickname or crew (group of artists that work together). It has evolved into elaborate scripts, color effects, and shading.
MCing – MC are initials for “master of ceremonies.” MCs originally hosted parties and introduced tracks to the dancing audience. Eventually the term was used to describe rappers. Rapping is the art of saying rhymes to the beat of music. It comes out of the African-American oral tradition of using rhyming language to ridicule your friends or enemies in a clever way. In the early 1970s, this developed into street jive, a type of half-spoken, half-sung urban street talk. Rapping also has roots in Jamaican toasting, a type of lyrical chanting.
Bambaataa also formed the Universal Zulu Nation, a hip-hop awareness group that organized cultural events for youth. The group was an alternative to gang activity for many young people. Over time, the Zulu Nation has spread internationally as a hip-hop awareness movement guided by certain spiritual principles.
The Sugar Hill Gang recorded the first popular commercial rap recording, “Rapper’s Delight,” in 1979. This song was many Americans’ first brush with hip-hop.
In the 1980s the hip-hop scene expanded and entered the mainstream in the U.S. Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Flash, Public Enemy, and NWA released albums. The first West Coast rap albums came out. The films “Wild Style” and “Style Wars” were released. Def Jam Recordings was established. Two big steps in making hip-hop mainstream were Run-DMC’s release of its version of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” and the group’s nomination for a Grammy. MTV and the radio started to have rap-specific programming with “Yo! MTV Raps!” and “Mr. Magic’s Rap Attack” on the New York FM radio station WHBI.
Two noteworthy women in the hip-hop world in the 1980s were Wendy Clark and Queen Latifah.
At the end of 1980s hip-hop started getting some negative press. Politicians and media personalities painted a picture of commercial hip-hop as music that taught immoral values.
In the 1990s gangsta rap, a type of rap that describes life in inner-city neighborhoods, became commercially popular in the U.S. Even though many people criticized it, this music spoke to youth who could identify with its themes of anger, rebellion against authority, and apathy. Companies who could profit from young consumers caught onto this trend and linked up their products with popular rap music. Some hip-hop fans see the commercialization of hip-hop music as selling out and compromising hip-hop’s original message.
Breakdancing, rapping, scratching, and graffiti art all became part of youth culture’s vocabulary. Looking at the roots of hip-hop, we see a powerful example of human creativity. A group of deprived kids managed to create an entire culture and art-form with the limited resources they had.
Now, there are too many amazing must-hear hip-hop tracks to even possibly list them all. However, here’s a sampling of a few must-hear hip-hop tracks/videos, with lyrics.
1. Rapper’s Delight,” The Sugarhill Gang
This is the first “real” crossover rap song. Sonically, it provides a bridge between disco and rap with the sampling of Chic’s “Good Times.” Verbally, it highlights the boasting that is indigenous to the African-American toast tradition. One last fact for the classroom: A woman by the name of Sylvia Robinson produced this worldwide hit. Pre-Russell Simmons. Girls should know this. You’ll also notice many songs and rappers have borrowed the “Holiday Inn” line.
I said a hip hop,
Hippie to the hippie,
The hip, hip a hop, and you don’t stop, a rock it
To the bang bang boogie, say, up jump the boogie,
To the rhythm of the boogie, the beat.
Now, what you hear is not a test – I’m rappin’ to the beat,
And me, the groove, and my friends are gonna try to move your feet.
See, I am Wonder Mike, and I’d like to say hello,
To the black, to the white, the red and the brown,
The purple and yellow. But first, I gotta
Bang bang, the boogie to the boogie,
Say up jump the boogie to the bang bang boogie,
Let’s rock, you don’t stop,
Rock the rhythm that’ll make your body rock.
Well so far you’ve heard my voice but I brought two friends along,
And the next on the mic is my man Hank,
C’mon, Hank, sing that song!
Check it out, I’m the C-A-S-A, the N-O-V-A,
And the rest is F-L-Y,
You see I go by the code of the doctor of the mix,
And these reasons I’ll tell you why.
You see, I’m six foot one, and I’m tons of fun
When I dress to a T,
You see, I got more clothes than Muhammad Ali
and I dress so viciously.
I got bodyguards, I got two big cars
That definitely ain’t the wack,
I got a Lincoln Continental and a sunfoofed Cadillac.
So after school I take a dip in the pool,
Which is really on the wall,
I got a colour TV, so I can see
The Knicks play basketball. Hear me talk about
Checkbooks, credit cards, mo’ money
Than a sucker could ever spend,
But I wouldn’t give a sucker or a bum form the Rucker
Not a dime ’til I made it again. Everybody go
Ho-tel, Mo-tel, Whatcha gonna do today? (Say what?)
‘Cos I’m a get a fly girl,
Gonna get some spank n’ drive off in a def OJ. Everybody go
Ho-tel, Mo-tel, Holiday Inn,
Say if your girl starts actin’ up, then you take her friend.
Master Gee! My mellow!
It’s on to you, so whatcha gonna do?
Well, it’s on’n’n’on’n’on on’n’on,
The beat don’t stop until the break of dawn.
I said M-A-S, T-E-R, a G with a double E,
I said I go by the unforgettable name
Of the man they call the Master Gee.
Well, my name is known all over the world
By all the foxy ladies and the pretty girls.
I’m goin’ down in history
As the baddest rapper there ever could be.
Now I’m feelin’ the highs and you’re feelin’ the lows,
The beat starts gettin’ into your toes
You start poppin’ your fingers and stompin’ your feet
And movin’ your body while while you’re sitting in your seat
And then damn! Ya start doin’ the freak, I said
Damn! Right outta your seat
Then you throw your hands high in the air,
Ya rockin’ to the rhythm, shake your derriere
Ya rockin’ to the beat without a care,
With the sureshot MCs for the affair.
Now, I’m not as tall as the rest of the gang
But I rap to the beat just the same.
I got a little face, and a pair of brown eyes
All I’m here to do, ladies, is hypnotize
Singin’ on’n’n’on’n’on on’n’on,
The beat don’t stop until the break of dawn
Singin’ on’n’n’on’n’on on’n’on,
Like a hot buttered pop da pop da pop dibbie dibbie
Pop da pop pop, don’t you dare stop
Come alive y’all, gimme whatcha got
I guess by now you can take a hunch
And find that I am the baby of the bunch
But that’s okay, I still keep in stride,
‘Cos all I’m here to do is just wiggle your behind
Singin’ on’n’n’on’n’on on’n’on,
The beat don’t stop until the break of dawn.
Singin’ on’n’n’on’n’on on’n’on,
Rock rock, y’all, throw it on the floor
I’m gonna freak you here, I’m gona freak you there,
I’m gonna move you outta this atmosphere.
‘Cos I’m one of a kind and I’ll shock your mind
I’ll put TNT in your behind. I said
One, two, three, four, come on, girls, get on the floor
A-come alive, y’all, a-gimme whatcha got
‘Cos I’m guaranteed to make you rock
I said one, two, three, four, tell me, Wonder Mike
What are you waiting for?
I said a hip hop,
The hippie to the hippie
The hip hip a hop, and you don’t stop, a rock it
To the bang bang boogie, say up jump the boogie,
To the rhythm of the boogie, the beat.
A Skiddleebebop, we rock, scooby doo,
And guess what, America, we love you
‘Cos you rocked and a rolled with so much soul,
You could rock ’til a hundred and one years old.
I don’t mean to brag, I don’t mean to boast,
But we like hot butter on our breakfast toast
Rock it up, Baby Bubba!
Baby Bubba to the boogie da bang bang da boogie
To the beat, beat, it’s unique
Come on everybody and dance to the beat!
[Drum break]
A hip hop
The hippie to the hippie the
Hip hip a hop and you don’t stop, rock it
Rock it out, Baby Bubba to the boogie da bang bang
The boogie to the boogie, the beat.
I said, I can’t wait ’til the end of the week
When I’m rappin’ to the rhythm of a groovy beat
And I attempt to raise your body heat.
Just blow your mind, so you can’t speak
And do a thing but a-rock and shuffle your feet
And let it change up to a dance called the freak
And when you finally do come into your rhythmic beat,
Reast a little while so you don’t get weak.
I know a man named Hank
He has more rhymes than a serious bank
So come on Hank, sing that song,
To the rhythm of the boogie, the bang bang da bong!
Well, I’m Imp the Dimp, the ladies’ pimp,
The women fight for my delight.
But I’m the grandmaster with the three MCs
That shock the house for the young ladies
And when you come inside, into the front,
You do the freak, spank, and do the bump
And when the sucker MC try to prove a point,
We’re a treacherous trio, we’re the serious joint!
a-From sun to sun and from time to time
I sit down and write a brand new rhyme
Because they say that miracles never cease
I’ve created a devastating masterpiece
I’m gonna rock the mic ’til you can’t resist,
Everybody, I say it goes like this
Well, I was walking home late one afternoon
A reporter stopped me for an interview
She said she’s heard stories and she’s heard fables
That I’m vicious on the mic and the turntable
This young reporter I did adore,
So I rocked some vicious rhymes like I never did before
She said, “Damn, fly guy, I’m in love with you
The Casanova legend must have been true”
I said, “By the way, baby, what’s your name?”
Said, “I go by name of Lois Lane
And you could be my boyfriend, you surely can,
Just let me quit my boyfriend called Superman.”
I said, “He’s a fairy, I do suppose
Flyin’ through the air in pantyhose
He may be very sexy, or even cute,
But he looks like a sucker in a blue and red suit,”
I said, “You need a man man who’s got finesse
And his whole name across his chest
He may be able to fly all through the night,
But can he rock a party ’til the early light?
He can’t satisfy you with his little worm,
But I can bust you out with my super sperm!”
I go do it, I go do it, I go do it, do it, do it.
An’ I’m here an’ I’m there, I’m Big Ban Hank, I’m everywhere
Just throw your hands up in the air
And party hardy like you just don’t care
Let’s do it, don’t stop, y’all, a tick tock, y’all, you don’t stop!
Go ho-tel, mo-tel, whatcha gonna do today? (Say what?)
I’m gonna get a fly girl, gonna get some spank, drive off in a def OJ,
Everybody go, “Ho-tel, mo-tel, Holiday Inn”
You say if your girl starts actin’ up, then you take her friend
I say skip, dive, what can I say?
I can’t fit ’em all inside my OJ,
So I just tak half, and bust ’em out,
I give the rest to Master Gee so he can shock the house
It was twelve o’clock one Friday night
I was rockin’ to the beat and feelin’ all right
Everybody was dancin’ on the floor
Doin’ all the things they never did before
And then this fly girl with a sexy lean
She came into the bar, she came into the scene
She travelled deeper inside the room
All the fellas checked out her white Sassoons
She came up to the table, looked into my eyes
Then she turned around and shook her behind
So I said to myself, it’s time for me to release
My vicious rhyme I call my masterpiece
And now people in the house, this is just for you
A little rap to make you boogaloo
Now the group you hear is called Phase Two
And let me tell you somethin’, we’re a helluva crew
Once a week, we’re on the street
Just to cut in the jams and look at your feet
For you to party, you gotta have the moves,
So we’ll get right down and get you a groove
For you to dance, you got to be hot
So we’ll get right down and make you rock
Now the system’s on and the girls are there
You definitely have a rockin’ affair
But let me tell you somethin’, there’s still one fact
And to have a party, you got to have a rap
So when the party’s over, you’re makin’ it home,
And tryin’ to sleep before the break of dawn
And while you’re sleepin’, you start to dream,
And thinkin’ how you danced on the disco scene
My name appears in your mind,
Yeah, a name you know that was right on time
It was Phase Two just doin’ a do
Rockin’ you down ‘cos you knew we could
To the rhythm of the beat that makes you freak,
Come alive girls, get on your feet
To the rhythm of the beat to the beat the beat
To the double beat beat that makes you freak
To the rhythm of the beat that says you go on
On’n’on into the break of dawn
Now I got a man comin’ on right now
He’s garuanteed to throw down
He goes by the name of Wonder Mike
Come on, Wonder Mike, do what you like!
I say a can of beer that’s sweeter than honey,
Like a millionaire that has no money
Like a rainy day that is not wet,
Like a gamblin’ fiend that does not bet
Like Dracula without his fangs,
Like the boogie to the boogie without the boogie bang
Like collard greens that don’t taste good,
Like a tree that’s not made out of wood
Like goin’ up and not comin’ down,
Is just like the beat without the sound, no sound
To the beat beat, you do the freak
Everybody just rock and dance to the beat
Have you ever went over a friends house to eat
And the food just ain’t no good?
The macaroni’s soggy, the peas are mushed,
And the chicken tastes like wood
So you try to play it off like you think you can
By saying that you’re full
And then your friend says, “Mama, he’s just being polite
He ain’t finished, uh-uh, that’s bull!”
So your heart starts pumpin’ and you think of a lie
And you say that you already ate
And your friend says “Man, there’s plenty of food”
So you pile some more on your plate
While the stinky food’s steamin’, your mind starts to dreamin’
Of the moment that it’s time to leave
And then you look at your plate and your chicken’s slowly rottin’
Into something that looks like cheese
Oh so you say “That’s it, I gotta leave this place
I don’t care what these people think,
I’m just sittin’ here makin’ myself nauseous
With this ugly food that stinks”
So you bust out the door while it’s still closed
Still sick from the food you ate
And then you run to the store for quick relief
From a bottle of Kaopectate
And then you call your friend two weeks later
To see how he has been
And he says, “I understand about the food,
Baby Bubba, but we’re still friends”
With a hip hop the hippie to the hippie
The hip hip a hop, a you don’t stop the rockin’
To the bang bang boogie
Say up jump the boogie to the rhythm of the boogie the beat
I say, “Hank, can ya rock?
Can ya rock to the rhythm that just don’t stop?
Can ya hip me to the shoobie doo?”
I said, “Come on, make, make the people move!”
I go to the balls and then ring the bell
Because I am the man with the clientele
And if ya ask me why I rock so well,
A Big Bang, I got clientele
And from the time I was only six years old
I never forgot what I was told
It was the best advice I ever had
It came from my wise, dear old dad
He said, “Sit down, punk, I wanna talk to you
And don’t say a word until I’m through
Now there’s a time to laugh, a time to cry
A time to live and a time to die
A time to break and a time to chill
To act civilized or act real ill
But whatever you do in your lifetime
You never let an MC steal your rhyme”
So from six to six ’til this very day
I’ll always remember what he had to say
So when the sucker MCs try to chump my style
I let them know that I’m versatile
I got style, finesse, and a little black book
That’s filled with rhymes and I know you wanna look
But the thing that seperates you from me
And that is called originality
Because my rhymes are on from what you heard
I didn’t even bite, not a go—word
And I say a little more, later on tonight
So the sucker MCs can bite all night
A tick a tock, y’all, a beat beat, y’all
A let’s rock, y’all, you don’t stop
Ya go, “Ho-tel, mo-tel, whatcha gonna do today?” (Say what?)
Ya say, “I’m gonna get a fly girl, gonna get some spank and
Drive off in a def OJ”
Everybody go, “Ho-tel, mo-tel, Holiday Inn”
Ya say if your girl starts actin’ up, then you take her friends
A like that, y’all, to the beat, y’all
Beat beat y’all, ya don’t stop!
A Master Gee, my mellow
It’s on to you so whatcha gonna do?
Well, like Johnny Carson on the Late Show
A like Frankie Crocker in stereo
Well like the Barkay’s singin’ “Holy Ghost”
The sounds to throw down, they’re played the most
It’s like my man Captain Sky
Whose name he earned with his super sperm
We rock and we don’t stop
Get off, y’all, I’m here to give you whatcha got
To the beat that it makes you freak
And come alive, girl, get on your feet
A like a Perry Mason without a case
Like Farrah Fawcett without her face
Like the Barkays on the mic
Like gettin’ down right for you tonight
Like movin’ your body so you don’t know how
Right to the rhythm and throw down
Like comin’ alive to the Master Gee
The brother who rocks so viciously
I said the age of one, my life begun
At the age of two I was doin’ the do
At the age of three, it was you and me
Rockin’ to the sounds of the Master Gee
At the age of four, I was on the floor
Givin’ all the freaks what they bargained for
At the age of five I didn’t take no jive
With the Master Gee it’s all the way live
At the age of six I was a-pickin’ up sticks
Rappin’ to the beat, my stick was fixed
At the age of seven, I was rockin’ in heaven
Don’tcha know I went off
I gotta run on down to the beat you see
Gettin’ right on down, makin’ all the girls
Just take off their clothes to the beat the beat
To the double beat beat that makes you freak
At the age of eight, I was really great
‘Cause every night, you see, I had a date
At the age of nine, I was right on time
‘Cause every night I had a party rhyme
Going on’n’n’on’n’ on on’n’on
The beat don’t stop until the break of dawn
A sayin’ on’n’n’on’n’ on on’n’on
Like a hot buttered de pop pop de popcorn…
ACTIVITIES – CHOOSE ONE OR TWO
Visual Images of Hip-Hop Culture:
Watch one of these videos and reflect on them as a class.
-Afrika Bambaataa Planet Rock (4:00): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lDCYjb8RHk
-Temple of Hip-Hop (7:13): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ukuac6wCWQ&feature=player_embedded (Alternate address: http://www.templeofhiphop.org/) Artistic Brainstorm – Hip-Hop in Society:
Draw a large triangle on the board. At each point of the triangle, write one of these categories: CONTEXT, IDEAS, PEOPLE. In the middle of the triangle, write HIP-HOP. Explain that the goal of this brainstorm is to gather as many vivid adjectives as possible about hip-hop and to re-cap the most important things we’ve learned. CONTEXT includes the structures or systems that hip-hop came out of. Responses under this category might include historical facts, geographical places, or urban policies. The IDEAS category could include artists’ understandings of hip-hop, media stereotypes, or the students’ own beliefs about hip-hop. PEOPLE includes important people in hip-hop such as artists, people who shape our ideas about hip-hop, and consumers of hip-hop.
In the center of the triangle the class will list hip-hop’s essential elements in order to create a working definition of hip-hop. Ask for a couple volunteers to write on the board and another volunteer to get the brainstorm started. Each person to speak will pass off the conversation by calling out another person’s name or passing off an object. The writers should use different colors and ways of representing what classmates say to create a visual collection of ideas on the board. Hip-Hop Controversy:
Find an example of a politician or TV personality’s criticism of rap music and have the class come up with a rebuttal in light of what they have learned about hip-hop. One famous early example is the criticism surrounding Ice-T’s song “Cop Killer” and Tipper Gore’s editorial “Hate, Rape and Rap” (Washington Post, January 8, 1990), where she says that rap glorifies violence and teaches children to hate.
Here are a few excerpts from her article:
…As someone who strongly supports the First Amendment, I respect the freedom of every individual to label another as he likes. But speaking out against racism isn’t endorsing censorship. No one should silently tolerate racism or sexism or antisemitism, or condone those who turn discrimination into a multimillion-dollar business justified because it’s ‘real.’… …Alvin Poussaint, a Harvard psychiatrist who is black, believes that the widespread acceptance of such degrading and denigrating images may reflect low self-esteem among black men in today’s society. There are few positive black male role models for young children, and such messages from existing role models are damaging. Ice-T defends his reality: “I grew up in the streets–I’m no Bryant Gumbel.” He accuses his critics of fearing that reality, and says the fear comes from an ignorance of the triumph of the street ethic. A valid point, perhaps. But it is not the messenger that is so frightening, it is the perpetuation—almost glorification—of the cruel and violent reality of his ‘streets.’ Children must be taught to hate. They are not born with ideas of bigotry—they learn from what they see in the world around them. If their reality consists of a street ethic that promotes and glorifies violence against women or discrimination against minorities—not only in everyday life, but in their entertainment—then ideas of bigotry and violence will flourish.
*Note: ―Cop Killer and Gore’s article contain offensive language and sensitive topics that might not be suitable for the classroom. The teacher should use discretion in presenting the material.
Other variants of this activity could be:
Stage a debate between two (or a few) positions; for example, “Rap is harmful to society” vs. “Hip-hop is a positive force.”
Read a short newspaper article, such as the television review “Breaking down Hip-Hop,” by Sarah Rodman (Boston Globe, February 17, 2007). Use arguments made in the article to provoke discussion.
VI. ASSIGNMENTS – CHOOSE ONE
Read the Hip Hop Declaration of Peace (http://www.declaration-of-peace.com/). The Declaration recognizes hip-hop as an international culture of peace and a positive force in the world. People that helped create it include Afrika Bambaataa, KRS-One, Pop Master Fabel, Harry Allen, and Ralph McDaniels. It was signed by 300 hip-hop activists, pioneers, and UN delegates, along with organizations such as Temple of Hip Hop and UNESCO. The Declaration was presented to the United Nations organization in 2001.Choose your favorite principle, or the one that sticks out to you the most, and read it out loud to yourself a few times. Come up with one question about that principle that you want to ask your classmates. Practice saying the principle, followed by the question, so that you will be ready to speak for about two minutes in front of the class. Make sure to think about things like tone, tempo, breathing, emphasis, and avoiding filler words. In class, we will record an audio-collage of everyone reading their principle and question. We will play the recording back and pause in between each student’s presentation to discuss each one.
On the Internet, research a hip-hop artist or group that offers a unique point of view. Choose one of the artist’s songs, listen to it, and read the lyrics. (EducationWorld note: In order to avoid student exposure to objectionable language or content, teachers may want to pre-screen a few artists or songs and let students choose from these options.) Write a one to two-page journal entry in reaction to the song. Prepare a five-minute presentation for the class where you will play a short clip of the song and summarize what you wrote in your journal entry. Make sure to include at least one visual, as well as your sources. Be ready to answer a few questions from your classmates about your presentation.
Find a recent article about hip-hop online. In light of the discussion in class, talk about how hip-hop is presented in the article. Write no more than one page and be ready to give a five-minute presentation to the class about it. Your presentation should include some kind of media: music, pictures, or videos.
Get together with two or three of your classmates and attend a hip-hop-related event together in your community. It can be a concert, a spoken-word event, a museum exhibit, a film screening, or another activity related to hip-hop. Be creative and resourceful in figuring out what you can do. If there aren’t any events going on near you, then come up with an alternative way to experience hip-hop. You might get together and listen to a hip-hop album all the way through, or go on an online hip-hop adventure together. You can choose any activity that allows you to explore some aspect of hip-hop culture—be creative!Submit a short (no more than one page), formal proposal to your teacher that explains how what you are going to do can be considered hip-hop. Make sure your teacher approves the activity. After the event discuss together what you thought of it, and write a review of the event, no more than 500 words. Make sure to include a title and a rating. You might want to check out some reviews online as a guide.
IV. GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF HIP-HOP HISTORY
The culture, music, and lifestyle known as hip-hop began in the Bronx in New York City. At house parties and community centers DJs mixed songs from different records together. They started extending short drum breaks into longer dance mixes by switching between record decks. Bronx DJs experimented with touching and moving vinyl records with their hands. They also used electronic sounds coming from other places, like Europe. A famous example is Afrika Bambaataa’s use of Kraftwerk’s 1977 Trans-Europe Express.
In 1973 DJ Kool Herc DJed his first party in the South Bronx. The South Bronx was a poor neighborhood isolated from the rest of New York. One factor in this isolation was construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway, which created a scenery of rubble in neighborhoods it ran through. Young people of color found their own way to make these bleak surroundings positive and beautiful. They spray-painted and danced on cardboard they laid on the ground. Hip-hop parties were positive alternatives to gang violence.
Kool Herc, who became known as the father of hip-hop, formed the basis of hip-hop music by experimenting with instrumental breaks of funk, soul, and R&B songs. In the following years hip-hop pioneers such as Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, and Grandmaster Caz start DJing at parties across the Bronx.
The story of Afrika Bambaataa—for example, his life-changing trip to Africa that resulted in his name change and his efforts to transform the South Bronx community—shows how the emergence of hip-hop is connected to identity, race, and place. Reformed gang member Bambaataa defined the four elements of the hip-hop scene. The four elements of hip-hop culture are:
DJing – The art of spinning records at a dance party, picking out songs in a crowd-pleasing sequence. Also the art of touching and moving records with your hands. Cutting (using volume control to drop in a section of music from one turntable into music from another turntable) and scratching (the sound a DJ makes by putting his hand on the record and rubbing the vinyl under the needle in time with the music) are two popular DJing techniques.
Breakdancing – A style of dancing that includes gymnastic moves, head spins, and backspins. Young people who were into dancing to the breaks at Bronx parties started calling themselves B-boys and B-girls, and their style of dancing came to be known as breakdancing. B-boys, B-girls, and members of the Zulu Nation made breakdancing popular.
Graffiti – Visual art, an expression of youth culture and rebellion in public spaces. The first forms of subway graffiti were tags, or signatures of someone’s nickname or crew (group of artists that work together). It has evolved into elaborate scripts, color effects, and shading.
MCing – MC are initials for “master of ceremonies.” MCs originally hosted parties and introduced tracks to the dancing audience. Eventually the term was used to describe rappers. Rapping is the art of saying rhymes to the beat of music. It comes out of the African-American oral tradition of using rhyming language to ridicule your friends or enemies in a clever way. In the early 1970s, this developed into street jive, a type of half-spoken, half-sung urban street talk. Rapping also has roots in Jamaican toasting, a type of lyrical chanting.
Bambaataa also formed the Universal Zulu Nation, a hip-hop awareness group that organized cultural events for youth. The group was an alternative to gang activity for many young people. Over time, the Zulu Nation has spread internationally as a hip-hop awareness movement guided by certain spiritual principles.
The Sugar Hill Gang recorded the first popular commercial rap recording, “Rapper’s Delight,” in 1979. This song was many Americans’ first brush with hip-hop.
In the 1980s the hip-hop scene expanded and entered the mainstream in the U.S. Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Flash, Public Enemy, and NWA released albums. The first West Coast rap albums came out. The films “Wild Style” and “Style Wars” were released. Def Jam Recordings was established. Two big steps in making hip-hop mainstream were Run-DMC’s release of its version of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” and the group’s nomination for a Grammy. MTV and the radio started to have rap-specific programming with “Yo! MTV Raps!” and “Mr. Magic’s Rap Attack” on the New York FM radio station WHBI.
Two noteworthy women in the hip-hop world in the 1980s were Wendy Clark and Queen Latifah.
At the end of 1980s hip-hop started getting some negative press. Politicians and media personalities painted a picture of commercial hip-hop as music that taught immoral values.
In the 1990s gangsta rap, a type of rap that describes life in inner-city neighborhoods, became commercially popular in the U.S. Even though many people criticized it, this music spoke to youth who could identify with its themes of anger, rebellion against authority, and apathy. Companies who could profit from young consumers caught onto this trend and linked up their products with popular rap music. Some hip-hop fans see the commercialization of hip-hop music as selling out and compromising hip-hop’s original message.
Breakdancing, rapping, scratching, and graffiti art all became part of youth culture’s vocabulary. Looking at the roots of hip-hop, we see a powerful example of human creativity. A group of deprived kids managed to create an entire culture and art-form with the limited resources they had.
Visual Images of Hip-Hop Culture:
Watch one of these videos and reflect on them as a class.
-Afrika Bambaataa Planet Rock (4:00): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lDCYjb8RHk
-Temple of Hip-Hop (7:13): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ukuac6wCWQ&feature=player_embedded (Alternate address: http://www.templeofhiphop.org/) Artistic Brainstorm – Hip-Hop in Society:
Draw a large triangle on the board. At each point of the triangle, write one of these categories: CONTEXT, IDEAS, PEOPLE. In the middle of the triangle, write HIP-HOP. Explain that the goal of this brainstorm is to gather as many vivid adjectives as possible about hip-hop and to re-cap the most important things we’ve learned. CONTEXT includes the structures or systems that hip-hop came out of. Responses under this category might include historical facts, geographical places, or urban policies. The IDEAS category could include artists’ understandings of hip-hop, media stereotypes, or the students’ own beliefs about hip-hop. PEOPLE includes important people in hip-hop such as artists, people who shape our ideas about hip-hop, and consumers of hip-hop.
In the center of the triangle the class will list hip-hop’s essential elements in order to create a working definition of hip-hop. Ask for a couple volunteers to write on the board and another volunteer to get the brainstorm started. Each person to speak will pass off the conversation by calling out another person’s name or passing off an object. The writers should use different colors and ways of representing what classmates say to create a visual collection of ideas on the board. Hip-Hop Controversy:
Find an example of a politician or TV personality’s criticism of rap music and have the class come up with a rebuttal in light of what they have learned about hip-hop. One famous early example is the criticism surrounding Ice-T’s song “Cop Killer” and Tipper Gore’s editorial “Hate, Rape and Rap” (Washington Post, January 8, 1990), where she says that rap glorifies violence and teaches children to hate.
Here are a few excerpts from her article:
…As someone who strongly supports the First Amendment, I respect the freedom of every individual to label another as he likes. But speaking out against racism isn’t endorsing censorship. No one should silently tolerate racism or sexism or antisemitism, or condone those who turn discrimination into a multimillion-dollar business justified because it’s ‘real.’… …Alvin Poussaint, a Harvard psychiatrist who is black, believes that the widespread acceptance of such degrading and denigrating images may reflect low self-esteem among black men in today’s society. There are few positive black male role models for young children, and such messages from existing role models are damaging. Ice-T defends his reality: “I grew up in the streets–I’m no Bryant Gumbel.” He accuses his critics of fearing that reality, and says the fear comes from an ignorance of the triumph of the street ethic. A valid point, perhaps. But it is not the messenger that is so frightening, it is the perpetuation—almost glorification—of the cruel and violent reality of his ‘streets.’ Children must be taught to hate. They are not born with ideas of bigotry—they learn from what they see in the world around them. If their reality consists of a street ethic that promotes and glorifies violence against women or discrimination against minorities—not only in everyday life, but in their entertainment—then ideas of bigotry and violence will flourish.
*Note: ―Cop Killer and Gore’s article contain offensive language and sensitive topics that might not be suitable for the classroom. The teacher should use discretion in presenting the material.
Other variants of this activity could be:
Stage a debate between two (or a few) positions; for example, “Rap is harmful to society” vs. “Hip-hop is a positive force.”
Read a short newspaper article, such as the television review “Breaking down Hip-Hop,” by Sarah Rodman (Boston Globe, February 17, 2007). Use arguments made in the article to provoke discussion.
VI. ASSIGNMENTS – CHOOSE ONE
Read the Hip Hop Declaration of Peace (http://www.declaration-of-peace.com/). The Declaration recognizes hip-hop as an international culture of peace and a positive force in the world. People that helped create it include Afrika Bambaataa, KRS-One, Pop Master Fabel, Harry Allen, and Ralph McDaniels. It was signed by 300 hip-hop activists, pioneers, and UN delegates, along with organizations such as Temple of Hip Hop and UNESCO. The Declaration was presented to the United Nations organization in 2001.Choose your favorite principle, or the one that sticks out to you the most, and read it out loud to yourself a few times. Come up with one question about that principle that you want to ask your classmates. Practice saying the principle, followed by the question, so that you will be ready to speak for about two minutes in front of the class. Make sure to think about things like tone, tempo, breathing, emphasis, and avoiding filler words. In class, we will record an audio-collage of everyone reading their principle and question. We will play the recording back and pause in between each student’s presentation to discuss each one.
On the Internet, research a hip-hop artist or group that offers a unique point of view. Choose one of the artist’s songs, listen to it, and read the lyrics. (EducationWorld note: In order to avoid student exposure to objectionable language or content, teachers may want to pre-screen a few artists or songs and let students choose from these options.) Write a one to two-page journal entry in reaction to the song. Prepare a five-minute presentation for the class where you will play a short clip of the song and summarize what you wrote in your journal entry. Make sure to include at least one visual, as well as your sources. Be ready to answer a few questions from your classmates about your presentation.
Find a recent article about hip-hop online. In light of the discussion in class, talk about how hip-hop is presented in the article. Write no more than one page and be ready to give a five-minute presentation to the class about it. Your presentation should include some kind of media: music, pictures, or videos.
Get together with two or three of your classmates and attend a hip-hop-related event together in your community. It can be a concert, a spoken-word event, a museum exhibit, a film screening, or another activity related to hip-hop. Be creative and resourceful in figuring out what you can do. If there aren’t any events going on near you, then come up with an alternative way to experience hip-hop. You might get together and listen to a hip-hop album all the way through, or go on an online hip-hop adventure together. You can choose any activity that allows you to explore some aspect of hip-hop culture—be creative!Submit a short (no more than one page), formal proposal to your teacher that explains how what you are going to do can be considered hip-hop. Make sure your teacher approves the activity. After the event discuss together what you thought of it, and write a review of the event, no more than 500 words. Make sure to include a title and a rating. You might want to check out some reviews online as a guide.
Note: This lesson is borrowed from EducationWorld, who borrowed it from Seattle radio station KEXP, and was created by Tiffany Grobelski, Educational Coordinator-KEXP Documentaries and Michele Myers, Producer-KEXP Documentaries. The lesson plan appears here.
Hello Ladies and Gents,
I hope you all are good today. So, allow me to walk you through (again) what’s going down today, by class. Go into Gradebook and see what you are missing, from there move ahead to the appropriate class below.
For all students:
If you are missing a test/quiz or assessment, please talk to me about making it up before or after school. Those missing grades are hurting your grade majorly. Come see me!
World Studies (Periods 1, 6, 8)
We will finish the movie (Hotel Rwanda) tomorrow. Please make sure you’re here for that. We’ll make sure we have our packets completed and discuss, make any clarifications, and share our thoughts on the film. As for today, I wanted to give you an opportunity to take a look at your grades and if your grade isn’t where you’d like it to be, you can bring it up.
Over on the table by the window, all of the handouts from the quarter are in folders, as well as a list of all the Do Now’s from the quarter:
Genocide Handout #2
Genocide Handout #1
Politics of Racism
Writing Prompts
What’s This Hutu/Tutsi Thing?
A very short history of Rwanda
Introduction to Rwanda
Manipulation Prompt
Darfur Tolls DBQ & Article
Southern Darfur DBQ & Article
Feel free to take one to complete. If there is a handout I forgot, the computer in the front row on the far left is able to print. All handouts are loaded into Gradebook. If you take the last copy out of a folder, I ask that you go into gradebook and print out 10 more copies for others, or ask a classmate to do so for you.
College and Career Readiness (Periods 2 & 4)
STOP!!!!!!! IF YOU ARE MISSING THE COVER LETTER ASSESSMENT, DO THAT FIRST. THAT IS DROPPING YOUR GRADE LIKE A BOMB! THAT IS A TEST GRADE! DO THAT FIRST!!!!
From there, please look at the Do Now list and complete any Do Now’s you are missing.
Very simple.
If you are missing a speaker reflection, do an NEWS ARTICLE SUMMARY for each reflection you are missing, which is on the table as well. I recommend using either http://www.newsela.com , http://www.wbez.org , or http://www.npr.org to find your article.
LAST THING: Use each other as resources. Help each other out. If you and a classmate are working on the same assignment, work together on it. That doesn’t mean copy, but you can research together, etc.
Good day students,
I will not be in today. However there are assignments already in motion that we need to focus on and complete.
WORLD STUDIES (Per. 1,6,8)
So at this point, you should be ready to type up your letter. So please began that today. I will check your progress tomorrow, and check that in as a grade. Do not waste your time today, as these points will not be recoverable. If you finish typing up your letter, go into gradebook and make sure there aren’t any assignments you are missing. You have a very limited amount of time to make up missing work.
COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS (Per. 2, 4)
We are wrapping up our college research project. If you are still working on research, continue to do that. You don’t have much classroom time left to catch up. If you are done with your research, begin typing up your results. That is what we will be focused on this week. If you should finish typing up your research, go into gradebook and be sure you’re not missing any assignments. You have a very limited amount of time to make up missing work.
Have a great day ladies and gents, and I will talk to you tomorrow.
I won’t be in today.I do apologize. Unfortunately, it’ll be hard for you all to dig in to the Rwandan Stories without me there, so I am in turn leaving you with two writing prompts I want you to work on.
Directions: Answer each question using an essay format. Make sure each response has an intro paragraph and a conclusion paragraph. Answer in complete sentences, and be thoughtful in your responses as well. If you do not finish in class, please finish the prompts for homework.
Prompt: When we prejudge something, we form an opinion about it before we find out all the facts. Have you ever jumped to the wrong conclusion? Or thought the wrong way about something before you knew all the facts? Write about a time when you formed an opinion that later changed.
Prompt: Never judge a book by its cover, the old saying goes. It’s not always so easy to be as open-minded in judging people. The clothes someone wears, the color of their skin, their sex, their age—all of these aspects of a person are like the cover of a book. If for some reason we don’t like what we see when we first meet someone, it can be hard for us to see the real material inside. Write about a time when your first opinion about someone changed.
College and Career Readiness
Hey! Please continue working on your college research. If you complete Section 3, please move on to Section 4. We will talk about our research tomorrow. If you do not have your packet, I am attaching it below.
The quiz will be on verbal and written communication skills. All of the information that you will find on the quiz is in the attached PowerPoint Presentation. Talk to me if you have any other additional questions.
Mr. McGill's History Hangout 
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