Rapping for Shelly

ENGLISH READERS
A2
B1
PALIER 2
Paul Davenport
Rapping for Shelly
Before Reading
1. Look at the characters on the cover and describe them. What
could “Minna’s” be? Where do you suppose they are?
2. Look at the title. Who do you think Shelly is?
3. What do you think this story is about?
PISTE 1
1
5
The Dream
I’m proud 1 to be Latino,
my father from Mexico,
my mother from Puerto Rico,
born in San Francisco,
I want the world to know
where my rap is coming from,
where it’s gonna go 2.
1. I’m proud je suis fier | 2. it’s gonna (going to) go (abréviation
argotique de going to), ça va aller
5
6
The Dream
5
10
15
Sal paused and let his words echo in his ear1. He loved the way the
words ‘rolled’2, as he liked to say. He loved the sounds of words. He
enjoyed putting them together and watching them interact, like
they did in the sentences he had just spoken. The way the words
‘Latino’, ‘Mexico’, ‘Puerto Rico’, ‘San Francisco’, ‘know’ and ‘go’ all
echoed each other. It was like he’d made a necklace3 with words,
linking the words together, like pearls4.
Sal D’Angelo, or Sal D, as he called himself, had a dream. It was
a crazy dream. He wanted – no, he yearned5 – to become a famous
rapper, a rap superstar. He had the talent – a lot of people said
that – and he was willing to work hard6 to develop it.
But, he realized, there were huge obstacles in his way. The main
one, of course, was being a Latino. To most people, the world of
rap music was a black world. They didn’t expect to see a Latino
there. Some didn’t want to see a Latino there. If a guy like Sal tried
to get in7, they would try to keep him out8.
1. (he) let his words echo in his ear il a laissé ses paroles résonner
dans ses oreilles | 2. (they) rolled elles tourbillonaient | 3. a necklace
un collier | 4. pearls des perles | 5. he yearned il désirait | 6. he
was willing to work hard il était prêt à travailler dur | 7. to get in
entrer | 8. to keep him out l’empêcher d’entrer
PISTE 2
2
7
Middle-Class Rap?
Sal also needed to choose his subject. Mainstream1 rap was about
life in the ghetto, a world Sal didn’t know first hand2. His world
was strictly middle-class: large, comfortable homes complete with
two-car garages, in clean and tidy3 neighborhoods, with little or
no crime. He lived near the top of Albany Hill, in the little town
of Albany, ten miles from San Francisco, on the opposite side of
the bay. On clear days – smog-free days4 – he could look out his
bedroom window and see San Francisco and the Golden Gate
Bridge5! On very clear days, he could see much more, a beautiful
panorama including Angel Island, Treasure Island, Alcatraz Island
and a bridge even bigger than the Golden Gate Bridge: Oakland
Bay Bridge.
How can you rap about a place with a million-dollar view6?
And how can you rap about a place you know little or nothing
about? Sal was facing a difficult choice7. If he rapped about the
ghetto he didn’t know about, people would turn away8. If he
rapped about his middle-class world, people would also turn away.
Or would they?
He thought about it carefully. And the longer and harder he
thought about it, the more he realized that what he really wanted
to rap about – what he had to rap about – was his life, not someone
else’s life. He wanted his rap to be real, not fake9. That’s why he
1. mainstream le courant dominant | 2. first hand de première
main | 3. tidy soigné, propre | 4. smog-free days les jours sans
brouillard | 5. Golden Gate Bridge célèbre pont suspendu de San
Francisco | 6. view vue | 7. Sal was facing a difficult choice Sal était
confronté à un choix difficile | 8. people would turn away les gens se
détourneraient | 9. not fake non artificiel
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20
8
Middle-Class Rap?
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wouldn’t rap about the ‘Welcome-to-Awesome1-Albany’ for
tourists. His rap would be about the dark side of Albany, the side
tourists didn’t see. Where there was just as much struggle2 as there
was in the ghetto, only different.
At first glance3, it seemed that kids like him from Albany had a
wonderful life. Their parents took good care of them4. They lived in
nice houses, went to good schools, wore5 the latest styles. But – and
it was a huge but – there was a price for all these privileges. And the
price was high – high pressure. Albany was a high-pressure zone.
Kids from Albany were under pressure to be achievers6. Sure, their
parents did a lot for them, paying for the fitness center, weight
loss camps7, private tutoring8, tennis lessons, riding lessons9, and
all the rest, but they expected a lot in return. They wanted them
to be good, or preferably, excellent. To shine – like a star, get high
marks10 in school, go on to the best colleges, and in the end, find
a high-paying job11.
No wonder12 a lot of the kids from Albany had alcohol and drug
problems.
1. awesome super | 2. struggle la lutte | 3. at first glance a
priori | 4. their parents took good care of them ses parents prenaient
bien soin d’eux | 5. (they) wore ils portaient | 6. achievers des
personnes performantes | 7. weight loss camps camps de vacances
pour perdre du poids (remise en forme) | 8. private tutoring cours
particuliers | 9. riding lessons leçons d’équitation | 10. high marks
bonnes notes | 11. high-paying job des emplois bien payés | 12. no
wonder pas étonnant
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Activities
Chapter 1: The Dream
1. Read and find out about the main character in this story:
1. his first name
2. his family name
3. his stage name
4. his birthplace
5. his father’s native country
6. his mother’s native country
7. the type of music he likes
2. Look at your notes and recap orally about this character.
3. Read the chapter again and pick out:
1. the reasons why he loves rap
2. the main obstacle to his success
4. Make a list of the American rap singers you know.
Rapping for Shelly
Chapter 2: Middle-Class Rap?
1. Listen to track 2 and tell the class:
1. what rap music is usually about
2. what Sal’s rap is about
2. Highlight the places mentioned in the chapter:
Ellis Island
Los Angeles Bay
Treasure Island
Golden Gate Bridge
Oakland Bay Bridge
Alcatraz Island
Angel Island
Albany Hill
3. Now look for a map of San Francisco and spot the places you
have ticked.
4. Let’s work in groups.
Group 1
Take notes about the advantages of kids living in Albany City.
Pick out as much information as you can about:
–– the houses
–– the clothes
–– the schools
–– the parents
–– the hobbies
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Activities
Group 2
Take notes about the drawbacks (les inconvénients) of living in
Albany City. Pick out as much information as you can on:
–– parents’ pressure
–– school pressure
–– colleges
–– jobs
–– alcohol and drugs
5. Now the two groups discuss the advantages and the drawbacks
of living in a place like Albany City.
6. Why is Albany City called “a place with a million-dollar view”?
7. What other cities do you know in the state of California?
Make a list.
Chapter 3: A Rough Scene
1. Listen and tick
the correct informations.
1. Sal has never taken part in a rap battle.
2. Rap battles are often dangerous.
3. Sal doesn’t like violence.
4. Sal’s mother encourages him to take part in rap battles.
5. Sal is not sure judges are always fair in rap battles.