Name Date

UNIT 6 - BORN WITH A MIC

6A Introduction
A lot of rappers claim that they were born with a mic. Well, what if one of them really was? This is his
story.

6B Song Lyrics
I’m on the subway right now, uh, with my mom, but don’t worry about that part. I’m in London, and I’m on tour. Let me tell
you a little bit of something about myself though.

I had a mic attached to my umbilical chord,

So believe this: I was rhyming as a fetus.
Came out in the world, just to find some new beats,
Looked up at the doctor, said, “Yo, who’s he?
Can he make a phat beat like Biggie’s ‘Juicy’?
Something with some kick to it, like Bruce Lee?”
My birth was not normal or orthodox,
’Cause neither the nurses nor the docs
Had ever seen a baby with skills or prowess like mine.
“You’ve got a son!” Yeah, I’m ready to shine.
Mom wrapped me up and brought me home,
Started to nurture me and help me grow.
But, um, I had a temper,
You don’t want to tamper or mess with my temper,
I’m a devil in Pampers.
I needed some maternal care, that’s from my mom,
But I also needed to blow up the charts like a bomb.
So I recorded a song, wild and bold,
To make people forget that I was just nine months old.
So follow my narrative, my story unfolds,
They called me Emcee Baby Food.
Made my stage debut at the age of two,
First time I stepped on the stage they paid me, too.
They couldn’t fathom, understand or figure
How this little baby with a mic was the nicest spit-kicker.
The crowd was bewildered, all confused,
Until I busted like Busta Rhymes and showed the dudes.
I never got snared in the snare or caught in the beat,
So I finished the show and hopped in my Jeep.
Okay, it wasn’t an authentic or real Jeep,
It was plastic, it went beep-beep on the sidewalk.

But all the one-year-old ladies,

They thought I was crazy.
They all called me Baby,
“Emcee Baby Food is crazy!”

page • 1
 Name Date

My album dropped, people bought it like candy,

I was always clever, smart and canny.
Flew to L.A. just to win a Grammy,
Didn’t go alone; I brought my nanny.
A No. 1 single, that was “mission accomplished,”
People catered to my needs, did what I wanted.
The most intense moment, the climax,
Was when they made a movie about me in IMAX.
But a few days later I turned on the news,
And saw another baby straight rapping for dudes.
Called him Lil’ Tito and the dude could kick it,
Had the nice flows, yeah, the kid was wicked.
So I confronted Tito at his next show,
Came face-to-face with him to let him know
That Emcee Baby Food was number one,
Said, “Pack up your toys, Tito—you’re done!”
That was the start of the biggest baby beef
Since…well, it was probably the biggest baby beef ever.
He said, “Oh, you want to battle?
Drop your mic right now; pick up your rattle.
Emcee Baby Food, you’re so soft and mushy,
Lil’ Tito goes hard, so don’t push me.”
I looked the dude up and down, and then I told him this:
“My good looks make the baby models nervous,
I’m not all up in the club but I’m getting bottle service.
Is that your crew? You should call them off,
Don’t mess with my toddler entourage.”

Hook

Yeah, yeah, yeah, what’s up man? This is Lil’ Tito right here, you know what I mean. We squashed our
little beef, and all that, our little battle. You know what I mean? We’re gonna let bygones be bygones.
We’re gonna come out with a new tape, you know what I mean? Ga-ga-goo-goo records. Check us out.
Googoo me. Uh-huh. Somebody get my bottle, man.

page • 2
 Name Date

6C Words Defined
authentic / bewilder / canny / cater / climax / confront / debut / fathom / maternal / narrative / nurture / orthodox / prowess / snare / tamper

Below you’ll find each vocabulary word that was used in the song. Each word is followed by the
part of speech, a simple definition and a meaningful sentence. Some words will also have
synonyms, antonyms and other forms of the word listed.
1. authentic (adj) genuine; real; true

While digging in our backyard, Wing and I found an authentic Native American arrowhead.
Synonyms: actual, valid
Antonyms: fake, false, counterfeit
Other forms: Do you really question this painting’s authenticity (noun)?

2. bewilder (verb) to puzzle completely; confuse

The high school basketball team, bewildered by the nontraditional style of their ape opponents, lost to
the “Chimp All-Stars” in overtime.
Synonyms: baffle, fluster
Antonyms: clear up, explain

3. canny (adj) smart and careful; watchful of one’s own interests

While General Motors was still building big trucks and SUVs, Honda made the canny decision to focus
on smaller cars that were better for the environment.
Synonyms: shrewd, prudent
Antonyms: foolish

4. cater (verb) 1. to try to satisfy the needs of; try to make things easy and pleasant 2. to supply food
and service

1. The cereal company finally catered to popular demand and put its “Frosty the Ferret” cartoon character back on
the box. 2. We had the big dinner catered, so we didn’t have to cook a thing.
Synonyms: 1. humor, indulge

5. climax (noun) the highest or most intense moment in the course of something

Marley’s year reached its climax when she hit the game-winning home run and found out she got into college on the
same day.
Synonyms: top, apex, pinnacle

6. confront (verb) to stand up to; to face boldly

I confronted the bully after school and told him I wasn’t giving him any more quarters.
Synonyms: resist, oppose
Antonyms: back down
Other forms: The protest became violent after a confrontation (noun) between protesters and the police.

7. debut (noun) a first public appearance

A famous actor decided to wear shorts and a tank top to his movie’s debut.
Synonyms: beginning
Antonyms: closing, finale
Other forms: The show debuted (verb) on Broadway last June.
page • 3
 Name Date

8. fathom (verb) to figure out; to understand; to get to the bottom of

I can’t fathom why you would want to buy those shoes when you already own a pair just like them.
Synonyms: discern
Antonyms: misunderstand
Other forms: A fathom is also a unit of measurement for measuring the depth of the sea.
9. maternal (adj) of or like a mother

Thanks to its maternal instincts, the wolf successfully raised the human child.
Synonyms: motherly, protective

10. narrative (noun) a story; a detailed report

You’ll love reading the narrative of Frederick Douglass.

Synonyms: account
Other forms: I don’t like abstract poems; I prefer narrative (adj) poems.

11. nurture (verb) to bring up, care f,o trrain, or nourish

I tried to nurture the plant, but I must have done something wrong because it died.
Synonyms: raise, cultivate
Antonyms: ignore, neglect
Other forms: Is it nature or nurture (noun) that’s made you so goofy?

12. orthodox (adj) in agreement with established or generally accepted beliefs or ways of doing things,
especially relating to religion

Rejecting her parents’ lifestyle as too orthodox, Julie decided to go live alone on a mountain.
Synonyms: conventional, customary
Antonyms: unconventional, unorthodox, heterodox

13. prowess (noun) great skill or ability

Few fighters had the swagger, the prowess, and the charm that Muhammad Ali had.
Synonyms: expertise, mastery
Antonyms: inability, weakness

14. snare (verb) to trap, catch, or get

Using his trap, old Jim McGreevey snared two plump rabbits.
Synonyms: entrap
Antonyms: liberate, let go
Other forms: The squirrel dodged the snare (noun) and ran home.
15. tamper (verb) to interfere with; to mess with rashly or foolishly

Someone has been tampering with this lock; I can tell because the combination is off.
Synonyms: meddle, tinker

page • 4
 Name Date

6D Fix the Mistake

authentic / bewilder / canny / cater / climax / confront / debut / fathom / maternal / narrative / nurture / orthodox / prowess / snare / tamper

Each of the sentences below has a mistake. The wrong vocabulary words have been
used, so the sentences don’t make sense. Rewrite each sentence using the correct
vocabulary word from this unit.

1. If my parents hadn’t done such a good job of tampering me when I was a kid, I wouldn’t be
the brilliant and amazing person I am today.

_______________________________________________________________________
2. Karen hopes her degree will help her bewilder a great job when she gets out of college.

_______________________________________________________________________
3. When I catered Pablo for talking about me behind my back, he totally lied and said it
never happened.

_______________________________________________________________________
4. Dirk was sent to the office for snaring with the fire alarm.

_______________________________________________________________________
5. Erin’s authentic feelings toward her dog are sweet, but it’s kind of weird that she feeds him
with a bottle.

_______________________________________________________________________
6. I was completely confronted when my teacher told me he was actually a Zorploink from the
planet Clamcracker.
_______________________________________________________________________
7. I was worried when Max tried to start his own business, but it turned out he made a bunch of
orthodox decisions and his little company began to grow.

______________________________________________________________________
8. The television actress was booed off the stage at her Broadway climax; she never acted
onstage again after that.

_______________________________________________________________________
9. My grandmother has such a maternal outlook that she still thinks it’s weird for boys to have
long hair.

_______________________________________________________________________
10. I prefer canny orange juice to that horrible sugary stuff called “orange drink.”

_______________________________________________________________________

page • 5
 Name Date

11. The only reason Frederick liked reading the prowess was because it was about sea monsters.

_______________________________________________________________________
12. I was on the edge of my seat during the movie’s exciting narrative, but before that, I didn’t
really care what happened.

_______________________________________________________________________

13. I really can’t nurture why Monique would come to school wearing a giant inflatable pumpkin
on her head.

_______________________________________________________________________

14. The reason why Shaq has such debut on the basketball court is because he’s the size of four
men put together.
_______________________________________________________________________

15. It’s so annoying that my parents fathom to my sister’s every demand.

_______________________________________________________________________

page • 6
 Name Date

6E Pick the Winner

authentic / bewilder / canny / cater / climax / confront / debut / fathom / maternal / narrative / nurture / orthodox / prowess / snare / tamper

Circle the word that best fits into the sentence. Then write a sentence below that uses the
word you didn’t pick in a meaningful way.

1. You have to watch TV tonight; I’m making my acting (debut OR climax) on the show
A Monkey Bus Filled With Foovicvicls.

_______________________________________________________________________

2. The easiest way to (fathom OR bewilder) Monica is to pretend you don’t speak the same
language as her.

_______________________________________________________________________

3. I’m worried about what will happen when Sammy (snares OR confronts) me about
having a crush on his sister.

_______________________________________________________________________

4. Stefanie was bummed when she learned that her bag wasn’t (authentic OR canny); it was
a cheaply made copy.

_______________________________________________________________________

5. The chimpanzee had such (orthodox OR maternal) feelings toward the hippo that she even
tried to nurse the giant beast.

_______________________________________________________________________

page • 7
 Name Date

6F Draw the Relationships

authentic / bewilder / canny / cater / climax / confront / debut / fathom / maternal / narrative / nurture / orthodox / prowess / snare / tamper

In each grouping of eight words below, draw straight lines between the synonyms (words that
mean similar things) and squiggly lines between any antonyms (words that mean nearly opposite
things). Every word should have at least one line connected to it. Some may have more.

bewilder explain
back down smart
1
confront nurture
neglect canny

motherly prowess
maternal expertise
2 authentic trap
snare fake

tamper real
fathom most intense moment
3 authentic meddle
climax misunderstand

cater closing
unconventional orthodox

4 debut supply food/service

story narrative

page • 8
 Name Date

6G Understanding What You Read

authentic / bewilder / canny / cater / climax / confront / debut / fathom / maternal / narrative / nurture / orthodox / prowess / snare / tamper

Read the passage below. Then answer the questions.

The Roxanne Wars

From the early days of hip-hop, rappers have been involved in rivalries. One rapper will release
a single “dissing” (or making fun of) another rapper. The rapper who has been dissed will then record a
response. The rappers don’t often confront one another face-to-face; they usually just battle each other
on record. However, a few rivalries have gotten out of hand; for instance, a rivalry between East Coast
and West Coast rappers in the 1990s climaxed with the murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G.
Most of the time, though, these rivalries are just a sassy way of challenging someone’s prowess on the
mic.
One of the first hip-hop rivalries is also one of the strangest. In 1984, the hip-hop trio U.T.F.O.
released their debut single, a song called “Hanging Out.” The song did not sell well, until DJs began
flipping the record over and playing the track on the opposite side—a song called “Roxanne, Roxanne.”
“Roxanne, Roxanne” was a narrative song about a girl who didn’t really exist. In the song, the
members of U.T.F.O. try to get Roxanne’s attention, but she ignores them. The song pokes fun at
Roxanne for being stuck up. “Roxanne, Roxanne” became a huge hit due to its funny lyrics and catchy
hook. Although Roxanne was not based on an authentic person, U.T.F.O. hired an actress named
Adelaida Martinez to play Roxanne in the video.
Not long after the song became a hit, U.T.F.O. canceled an appearance on “Rap Attack,” a New
York radio show hosted by DJ Mr. Magic. Mr. Magic was annoyed, so he hired a 14-year-old rapper
named Shanté Gooden to work with producer Marley Marl to record a response to “Roxanne, Roxan-
ne.” The result was the single “Roxanne’s Revenge,” released under the name Roxanne Shanté. Unlike
“Roxanne, Roxanne,” “Roxanne’s Revenge” directly dissed real people—the members of U.T.F.O.
“Roxanne’s Revenge” was also a smash hit, and the battle was on.
With both songs on the charts, the canny members of U.T.F.O. recognized the potential to keep
the rivalry going. They recorded another song called “The Real Roxanne,” with vocals by Adelaida
Martinez. After this single, others started to jump on the bandwagon. Another female rapper, Sparky D.,
released a song called “Sparky’s Turn (Roxanne, You’re Through).” Both Shanté and Martinez released
follow-up singles. A group called Crush Groove released a song called “Yo, My Little Sister (Roxanne’s
Brothers)” from the perspective of Roxanne’s older brothers. All told, more than 30 songs were relea-
sed in the battle…a battle about a person who never even existed!

1. According to the author, how often do rap rivalries get out of hand?
(A) Never
(B) Rarely
(C) Most of the time
(D) Always

page • 9
 Name Date

2. Why is it strange that “Roxanne, Roxanne” became a hit?

(A) It was not meant to be a single.
(B) It did not have very good lyrics.
(C) It was the first song by a female rapper.
(D) It did not get played on the radio.

3. Why did Mr. Magic record “Roxanne’s Revenge”?

(A) He wanted to make Roxanne Shanté a star.
(B) He thought the song would make a lot of money.
(C) He was mad at the members of U.T.F.O.
(D) The song was about his little sister.

4. Who is Adelaida Martinez?

(A) The woman who recorded “The Real Roxanne”
(B) The woman who played Roxanne in the video for “Roxanne, Roxanne”
(C) Both A and B
(D) Neither A nor B

5. How many Roxanne songs were released?

(A) 3
(B) 7
(C) 30
(D) More than 30

page • 10
 Name Date

9H Thinking Creatively
authentic / bewilder / canny / cater / climax / confront / debut / fathom / maternal / narrative / nurture / orthodox / prowess / snare / tamper

Answer each question below. Don’t be afraid to think creatively.

1. What’s a good way to bewilder someone?

_______________________________________________________________________
2. Describe what would happen at the debut performance of the most awful indie rock
group anyone has ever heard.

_______________________________________________________________________

3. What’s a diffi cult thing for you to fathom?

_______________________________________________________________________

4. You walk out of class to find an alien tampering with your locker. What happens next?

_______________________________________________________________________

5. Describe a time when you did something canny.

_______________________________________________________________________

Word Breakdown

The word orthodox is a combination of the Greek roots ortho-, meaning “straight or correct,”
and doxia-, meaning “opinion.” So to be orthodox is to have “the correct opinion.” Since it’s
difficult to know what the “correct” opinion is about anything, the word is more often used to
mean “conservative.” It’s often applied to religion, as in “Orthodox Judaism” or “Orthodox
Christianity.”

The word maternal comes from the Latin root mater-, meaning “mother.” A complementary
word for maternal is paternal, which means “of the father.” These words are easy to
remember as a pair, because they start with ma and pa!
page • 11