Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
An alter ego is like another person living inside of you. Think of Superman and Clark Kent, Batman and Bruce Wayne…or Nicki Minaj and Roman Zolanski.
Wait, who? Nicki Minaj is a female rapper. Some people think she is the best female rapper to come along since Lil Kim. And Roman Zolanski…well, Roman Zolanski is also Nicki Minaj. It’s her alter ego.
Minaj says she started creating different characters for herself when she was a little kid. Whenever she felt sad or scared, she would pretend that she was someone else. Now she sometimes pretends she’s someone else while she’s rapping. Her alter egos are just one way she’s making a name for herself. Learn more about Nicki Minaj from Beren and Ella.
Dialog
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
![]() |
![]() |
Beren: I just watched a documentary on MTV2 about Nicki Minaj.
Ella: Really? I was trying to look her up on Wikipedia. There’s not much information about her out there.
Beren: She’s kinda, you know, like a newer artist, and I think she’s mostly known for being in Young Money, which is Lil Wayne’s posse. But, I don’t know, she just released her first solo album, Pink Friday, and I kinda want to hear it. I think she’s a excellent rapper.
Ella: I know, I like all the songs that she’s been in, that she’s done with other people, so…I hear there’s some singing in it, too, so that should be interesting and a different side, ‘cause you always see her as, you know, Lil Kim’s protegee almost, ‘cause she’s the next female rapper and she’s always rapping. But I hear on the CD there is singing, so…
Beren: Well she has such an interesting voice, and she uses different personas. On her new album Pink Friday, she uses a male alter ego that battles Eminem’s Slim Shady, and I think the song’s called “Roman’s Revenge.”
Ella: Huh. That seems like it’s pushing it a little there, I mean…that just seems too far-fetched.
Beren: Really? I think it’s an interesting thing to do. It’ll give her a chance to explore like a different voice.
Ella: I mean, that’s true. But it…who is Nicki Minaj really?
Grammar Point
Go Super to learn "Phrasal Verbs" from this lesson
Quizzes
Lesson MP3
The iTEP® test
-
Sponsored by
Discussion
Beren is impressed with the new artist Nicki Minaj. She watched a movie about the rapper’s life and was interested in her alter egos. Beren thinks that Nicki Minaj has a great voice and a lot of creative talent.
Ella is also a fan of Nicki Minaj and likes how she both raps and sings on her new album, Pink Friday. But she doesn’t know Minaj uses a lot of alter egos. She thinks it’s strange to have so many different personalities, and she wonders who the “real” Nicki Minaj is.
Do you ever act like a different person? Do you prefer female artists who rap or sing?
Comments
Morocco |
United States |
United States |
Turkey |
Iran, Islamic Republic Of |
Saudi Arabia |
Viet Nam |
Germany |
Saudi Arabia |
Sudan |
Egypt |
Bahrain |
Saudi Arabia |
China |
Colombia |
China |
Iran, Islamic Republic Of |
Share this lesson:
Post Ebaby! lessons on your blog:
