Creative Imagination

RAP INTERPRETATION

Exercise: You’re a stuffy English teacher correcting and translating Classic Rap songs into proper English for this exercise. Of course, part of what makes rap music so great is the feel, attitude, and playfulness of language. So your job is to ruin it completely. Substitute these classic hip-hop lyrics whenever possible, with dry, literary dictionary terms. So you students can get a “C’ in storytelling.

Why: Having to translate meaning, whether from one actual language to another or from a form of street slang to formal usage, makes us analyze words’ meanings, inflections, and usage - to better understand social context and attitude. Language management is an excellent exercise to enhance creative awareness. As it calls upon attention control, cognitive inhibition, and working memory to reframe the story.

Enhances Creative Imagination which includes divergent thinking, brainstorming, removing barriers, and combining ideas without rules or judgments.

Example:

From Jump Around by House of Pain

Word to your moms, I came to drop bombs

I got more rhymes than the Bible's got Psalms

And just like the Prodigal Son I've returned

Anyone stepping to me you'll get burned

The Translation:

Please send a Linguistic element to your matriarchal figure, I arrived to release explosives. I possess a more significant number of resonating words than the Old Testament contains prayerful chants. Like the character from Luke 15:11, I came back. Each and every person who transgresses upon my space shall suffer high-temperature oxidation.

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RAP INTERPRETATION

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Translate these lyrics into formal speak:

From Baby’s Got Back by Sir Mix A Lot

I like big butts and I can not lie You other brothers can't deny That when a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist And a round thing in your face Translation:

From Ms Jackson by the Outkast

My baby's drama mama, don't like me She be doing things like Having them boys come from her neighborhood To the studio trying to fight me She need to get a, piece of the american pie and take her bite out That's my house, I'll disconnect the cable and turn the lights out Translation:

From Dear Mama by Tupac

Now, ain't nobody tell us it was fair No love from my daddy, 'cause the coward wasn't there He passed away and I didn't cry, 'cause my anger Wouldn't let me feel for a stranger They say I'm wrong and I'm heartless, but all along I was lookin' for a father, he was gone Translation:

From King of Rock by Run DMC

I'm the king of rock, there is none higher Sucker MC's should call me sire To burn my kingdom, you must use fire I won't stop rockin' till I retire Translation:

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