There you have it, some street slang spoken with an American accent. The dialogue basically focuses on a number of vowels but mainly 2: /æː/ /ʌ/. Now usually vowel /æː/ is short but in some parts of the US and the speakers’ style, some Americans may pronounce it as a long vowel, they stretch it. That is why I put those two arrows next to it indicating that it’s now longer than usual. The /ʌ/ vowel is short. When you pronounce the /ʌ/, make sure you relax your jaw and lips and don’t make any effort with your mouth muscles, unlike /æː/, which is longer and more tense, your lips spread back a little and your jaw opens a bit wider.
Song Featuring 2 Vowels
So here are the lyrics with some pronunciation notes to help you practice with the clip, and also an explanation of the street slang expressions in the text.
| Text/Lyrics | Slang expressions |
|---|---|
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bud: buddy, friend, pal step on the gas: hurry up |
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get off your butt: come help me, don’t just sit there |
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schmuck: stupid, a fool stuck in a rut: rut is trouble, a bad situation can: jail, prison |
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i don’t give a rat’s ass: i don’t give a damn, i don’t care at all hulk: monster, the famous green monster he had it comin’: he deserved it slums: underworld, possibly where bad people and criminals live scum: rubbish, garbage, very bad people dubbed: called, named ([d] in Devin should’ve been in upper case) |
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yo: hi or hey put him back on the right track: change his bad direction, save him from trouble, prevent him from making a mistake didn’t cut it for him: was not enough for him, was not good enough for him, it didn’t work for him |
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lame duck: loser, unsuccessful person hook me up with: arrange for me, provide me, give me (some drug) trash: asshole, bad person guck: rubbish, drug ugly mug: ugly face |
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what a drag: what a horrible situation, what a pity, too bad grub: food |
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dumbass: stupid, idiot can: jail, prison pass the buck: pass the blame, blame someone else for the problem pal: friend |
Enjoy the clip
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