HIP-HOP ROCKS THE NATION
Hip-hop is everywhere. Disney’s latest album is called “Rappin’ Mickey” and McDonald’s
advertisement shows two lovely toddlers dressed in baggy trousers, rapping their way to a
happy meal.
Two decades after it started on the streets of the South Bronx, hip-hop has become a
dominant force in American pop culture. The hip-hop sound, style and slang is no longer
restricted to New York ghettos. It is now in all the media: movies, television, radio, fashion,
and advertising.
“Kids in Beverly Hills know what gangs are like. Kids in Arkansas know what it’s like
to be necessitous in New York,” says Russet Simons, manager of a rap music shop. “Hip-hop
is a unifying force.”
Yet, many adults feel estranged from this culture that favors electronic rhythms and
special rhymes. No other music since 50s rock’n’roll has caused such trouble.
What people fear most is the violence that seems to run through the veins of rappers.
This shocking violence keeps adults away. “For the young,” says John Katz a media critic,
“hip-hop is a great form of rebellion because it scares so many adults. Some people think they
are not rappers, they’re gangsters who rap. The more offensive, the better. It’s not new!”
June 1997.
I)
Which sentence sums up each paragraph? (5 points)
§1:
a) Walt Disney’s next hero will be called Hip-Hop.
b) Hip-hop is everywhere, even on products for young people. TRUE
c) Disney’s hip-hop will be sold in McDonald’s restaurants very soon.
§2: Hip-hop
a) is only a fad (=something which will disappear very soon)
b) can only be found in the ghettos of New York.
c) has spread everywhere in the US. TRUE
§3: Thanks to hip-hop
a) some kids from Beverly Hills went to Arkansas.
b) people from very different backgrounds know each other. TRUE
c) Russet Simons has built an empire of rap music.
§4: Many adults
a) don’t understand this new musical tendency. TRUE
b) try to organize rap parties.
c) become crazy when they hear rap music.
§5:
a) Many adults prefer rock’n’roll to hip-hop because they think it is a kind of rebellion.
b) Teenagers like this violent music because it is a symbol of independence from adults.
TRUE
c) Teenagers become violent when they listen to hip-hop.
II)
Are these sentences RIGHT or WRONG? Justify your answer by quoting a
sentence from the text (5 points).
1) Hip-hop started at the end of the 70s. RIGHT: “Two decades after it started…” 1997-2*10 =>
End of the 70s
2) Only New York ghettos know this mutual phenomenon. WRONG: “It is no longer restricted
to New York ghettos”
3) Kids from other towns learn about the living conditions of their mates thanks to the hiphop movement. RIGHT: “Kids in Beverly Hills know what gangs are like… Kids in Arkansas…”
4) Hip-hop is the second musical tendency after rock’n’roll to cause such trouble. RIGHT:
No other music since 50s rock’n’roll has caused such trouble.
5) John Katz says that hip-hop is not a means of revolt for young people. WRONG “hip-hop
is a great form of rebellion because it scares so many adults”
III) Choose the right tense. (5 points)
a) He WAS (be) a famous singer in the 70s.
b) My parents don’t like (not like) the same kind of music as me.
c) I am learning (learn) to play the guitar at the moment.
d) He often dresses (dress) in baggy trousers.
e) Listen! He is playing (to play) music.
IV) Written work: (5 points)
Please read your text.