Gorillaz are a British musical and visual project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. The project consists of Gorillaz itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a “virtual band” of cartoon characters. This band has four animated members: 2D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle and Russel Hobbs. The band’s first single, “Clint Eastwood“, was released on 5 March 2001. It was produced by Dan the Automator and originally featured Luton-based rap group Phi Life Cypher, but the version that appears on the album features American rapper Del the Funky Homosapien (taken verbatim from Wikipedia).
English Slang
The word ain’t is a very common English slang word, and it is commonly used in hip-hop and rap songs. It is used by the working class in England as well as the southern United States, especially in informal conversation. Many people in the middle and upper class do not like this word.
Ain’t is a contraction of:
- am not
- I ain’t hungry. I just ate a very big sandwich.
- I ain’t sleepy. I had three cups of coffee, and I’m wide awake!
- are not
- You ain’t the boss of me. You can’t tell me what to do.
- You’re smart, but you ain’t Albert Einstein.
- is not
- He ain’t a little boy. He can take care of himself.
- She ain’t my girlfriend. I don’t know where she got that idea from.
- has / have not (for present perfect)
- You ain’t heard nothing yet!
- I ain’t ever been to the Great Wall of China.
- do not / does not / did not
- I ain’t got much money.
- He ain’t go to work today, so he can help you move furniture.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Writing Task
Answer these questions using ain’t.
- Are you an alien from a different planet?
- Are you Barack Obama?
- Do you have $150,000,000,000,000?
- Have you ever seen a person with two heads?
