Jingjing visits Mark where he works.

京晶拜访马克工作的地方

Mark: How now, Jingjing? Have a seat. Let me just print something off, and then I can shut down my computer and get out of here for lunch.

马克：最近还好吧，京晶？请坐。我先打印些东西，然后就可以关掉电脑，出去吃午餐了。

Jingjing: OK. No rush. I don't have to be back at my office until 1. (Jingjing hums to herself while waiting.)

京晶：好的，不急。我1点之前都不用回办公室。（京晶边等边哼着小曲。）

Mark: OK, done! Let's get a table somewhere before it gets too crowded.

马克：好了，完事！我们现在就去吃饭的地方，再过会儿桌位该不好找了。

Jingjing: Same place as last week, OK?

京晶：还去上周那家餐厅，是吧？

Mark: Sure, let's give them a try. Say, what were you listening to on your earphones? May I ask?

马克：当然，我们再去试试吧。可以告诉我你正在用耳机听什么吗？

Jingjing: It was rap from Zhongguo You Xiha. Do you know that TV show?

京晶：《中国有嘻哈》节目的一首说唱，你知道这个电视节目吗？

Mark: I've seen bits of it, but wouldn't be able to name any of the artists.

马克：看过一些，但一个歌手的名字也说不出。

Jingjing: The show is pretty hot. Do you think Chinese rap could become a major thing?

京晶：这节目现在很火。你觉得中国的说唱音乐能成为一个文化现象吗？

Mark: I don't see why not. It might just be a fad. But I think Chinese is a language that could sound very good in rap.

马克：我不觉得不能。目前可能只是一种时尚，流行风潮，但，我觉得用中文说唱可能会非常好听。

Jingjing: It's pretty tough to come up with lyrics that can be rapped.

京晶：创作出适合说唱的歌词非常困难。

Mark: How so? Most words are one or two syllables. I always thought that would make it easy, to keep the rhythm and put whatever you want in the song.

马克：为什么？大多数说唱歌词用的都是单音节或双音节词。我一直认为这样会让说唱更容易，更易保持节奏，也更方便在歌曲中随心所欲地填入自己想要的歌词。

Jingjing: Well, the tones make it harder. We follow tones more than syllable stress in songs, especially rap.

京晶：其实是声调的事情，让它有难度。我们在唱歌时更倾向于跟随声调，而不是音节重度，说唱乐更是如此。

Mark: Hmm, I guess that would be tough.

马克：嗯，我觉得这的确有点难。

Jingjing: And, most of all, we can't make as many obscure word choices in song lyrics—or rap—as you English speakers.

京晶：而且，最重要的是，我们不能像你们说英语的人那样，在歌词中使用很多含糊晦涩的词语。

Mark: Ha ha. I remember a lyric from one of my favorite rappers, including the word "discombobulated". So, you can't do that in Chinese, eh?

马克：哈哈。我记得我最喜欢的一位说唱歌手的一首歌的歌词中用了“discombobulated”这样的单词，中文歌这样肯定不行是吧？

Jingjing: No. word choices should be natural, like conversation. Let's talk more when we sit down for lunch.

京晶：的确不行，歌的用词要求自然，就像平常说话一样。我们吃午餐时再好好谈论下这个话题。

New words: 习语短语

print something off 打印

Send a document to the printer, so that you have a hard copy—and then you don't have to do anything more with it.

bits of (something) 一段

small parts of a radio/TV broadcast, or a film, but not enough for continuity—as opposed to seeing/hearing something end-to-end (i.e. "I've seen bits of Kung Fu Panda when my friends' kids were watching it at different times; but I've never sat through the whole film.")

a major thing 文化现象

a big phenomenon in culture/society, something people take seriously (i.e. "Milk tea is a major thing in China, though you can only find it in a few big cities in America.")

fad 一时之风尚

something that is very popular for a short time, especially if it's somewhat silly (i.e. "Cheese tea is a major food fad in China right now.")

come up with 想出，创造

create, compose

obscure 费解的，复杂的

not so common, not used much (i.e. "The word absurd is quite common, while the word surd is so obscure that I've only seen it in print once and have never heard it in conversation.")

Dialogue 2

Jingjing and Mark are at the restaurant, waiting for their food.

京晶和马克在餐厅，等待上餐

Jingjing: Who was the rapper you were talking about earlier, the one who used "discombobulated"?

京晶：你刚刚说的是哪位说唱歌手，就是那个歌词中使用“discombobulated”的？

Mark: Oh, that was Da Brat. She's from Chicago.

马克：哦，Da Brat，一位来自芝加哥的女歌手。

Jingjing: Is she old school or new school?

京晶：她是老派说唱还是新派说唱？

Mark: New school, I'm pretty sure. Her stuff came out in the 90s and early 2000s.

马克：新派的，我很肯定。她的作品主要发行于上世纪90年代至2000年前后。

Jingjing: Old school is from before the 1990s, right?

京晶：老派就是90年代之前的，对吧？

Mark: Yeah, I think that's because the late 80s and early 90s were full of R&B artists. So there were a few years when not so many rap albums were coming out.

马克：没错，我想这是因为上世纪80年代末到90年代初是节奏蓝调音乐盛行的年代。所以，有那么几年说唱歌曲专辑发行的比较少。

Jingjing: Do you listen to any old school rap?

京晶：你平常也听一些老派说唱歌曲吗？

Mark: Well, I liked NWA when they were big, and followed Ice Cube. One of my favorite songs of his is "Be True to Your Game." I was really moved when I saw the music video for that.

马克：嗯，NWA正火的时候，我曾经喜欢听他们的歌，还有Ice Cube的歌。我最喜欢的Ice Cube的一首歌是“Be True to Your Game”。那首歌的MV真的让我很感动。

Jingjing: I know Ice Cube, but I don't think I've heard that song. What's it about?

京晶：我知道Ice Cube，但我应该没听过那首歌。它是关于什么的？

Mark: It's about recording artists and other people who turn their back on African American culture, as Ice Cube saw it, to try to get more fans.

马克：它是关于一些唱片艺术家和其他一些人背弃了非洲裔美国黑人文化，在Ice Cube看来，他们这样做是为了获得更多的粉丝。

Jingjing: That's an interesting topic. I'll have to listen to that song.

京晶：这是一个有趣的话题。我会去听一下这首歌的。

Mark: I've got it in my favorites and will send it to you. There's a Snoop Dogg song with the same title you might want to avoid.

马克：我已经把这首歌加入收藏夹了，回头发给你。Snoop Dogg也有一首名字一样的歌，你搜索的时候可能得避开那首歌。

Jingjing: Why's that? I like Snoop Dogg.

京晶：为什么？我挺喜欢Snoop Dogg的歌。

Mark: Yeah, me too. Rap sounds good when it's easy and natural. Not when the rapper is trying too hard. Snoop Dogg, Warren G, Ice Cube too—they make it sound easy to rap.

马克：我也是。说唱轻松自然的时候是非常好听的，唱得过分努力，反而不怎么好听。Snoop Dogg，Warren G，Ice Cube的歌都挺轻松的。

Jingjing: It's not, though. I tried writing a rap.

京晶：并不简单。我在尝试写一首说唱歌词。

Mark: If it was in Chinese, I can understand why it wasn't easy. Anyway, you'll have to sing it to me sometime, now that you've mentioned it.

马克：如果是一首中文说唱歌，我可以理解为什么难。反正，你得找个时间唱给我听听，既然你提到了。

Jingjing: Yeah, but not right now. It looks like our food's coming.

京晶：没问题，但不是现在。好像我们点的餐上来了。

New words: 习语短语

came out 发专辑

released by a recording company

moved 感动

deeply affected, so that a person has strong feelings or changes their attitude

turn their back on 背叛 ，忽略

betray, neglect

try too hard 过于努力做某事以致于有点过头了

work harder at something than others, making it seem uncomfortable (i.e. "I talked with her, to be polite, but felt awkward because she was trying too hard to keep the conversation going.")

old school 守旧派，旧式嘻哈

anything that is from an earlier era and may be considered old-fashioned (usually used to show that something has lasting value)

中国有嘻哈 Zhongguo You Xiha

The Rap of China