8 Mile

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

• soundtrack
• superstar
• rapper
• almost unheard of

• smash hit song
• one shot
• let it slip
• negative energy

• rags-to-riches stories

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

For those of you who don’t know about 8 Mile, let me introduce you. It’s a great movie starring the superstar rapper Eminem. One of the things that makes it great is the awesome soundtrack. Featuring artists such as Jay-Z, Macy Gray, Xzibit, and Nas, it’s one of the best hip-hop albums of the year.
Both 8 Mile the movie and 8 Mile the movie soundtrack debuted at #1 on the charts. This kind of popularity is almost unheard of. The only person other than Eminem to have a movie and an album at #1 at the same time is Jennifer Lopez.
Read on to learn more!

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

8 Mile is the almost-autobiographical story of Eminem’s life. He grew up in Detroit, Michigan and he was poor. His mother didn’t do a good job of taking care of him. Until he started rapping, he didn’t have any idea what he was going to do with his life. So, most of the music on the soundtrack is about having a difficult life and trying to make it better.
Check out some of the lyrics to the smash hit song “Lose Yourself.” It starts with this:
Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted
In one moment
Would you capture it
Or just let it slip?
Then, the chorus:
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go (oh)
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime (yo)

 

Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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