Shadowing Practice: Snoop Dogg - USC Marshall 2025 Commencement Guest Speaker - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Fight on.
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Thank you so much, Jonathan.
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And a particular thanks to you for emphasizing the fact
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that in a world of the disruptions and opportunities created by globalization and technology,
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the most important thing for us all to remember is that being human is the best thing we can do.
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And the best way to be human is to have lots of interpersonal connections.
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So Jonathan, thanks for those very wise words of wisdom.
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Okay, we only have one last speaker.
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I'm afraid I don't see him, so maybe I'll have to do an introduction that otherwise would not be necessary.
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So let me start by saying our speaker today is someone who needs no introduction, but I'm going to introduce him anyway.
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an entertainment industry mogul who has reigned for nearly three decades,
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an unparalleled force consistently raising the bar,
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a globally recognised innovator nobody is going to be looking at me within five seconds,
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a multi-platinum rapper, a singer,
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a songwriter, an actor, a record producer,
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producer, a DJ, a media personality, a businessman, an icon.
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One of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world for 2025.
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Over the course of his storied music career he has released 22 studio albums sold more than 40 million albums worldwide,
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reached number one countless times on the Billboard charts in the US and internationally and received 20 Grammy Award nominations.
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His career also spans television where he He recently
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served as a coach on NBC's four-time Emmy Award-winning musical competition series,
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The Voice, claiming his red chair for the first time for season 26.
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With an incredible life story that's just made for the big screen,
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Universal is currently developing his biopic.
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And I think we all know that he was a breakout star on NBC's coverage of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
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In addition to hosting on the screen, he was seen throughout the Games, attending competitions, visiting with athletes and exploring that incredible city.
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He's also a philanthropist, launching a youth football league 17 years ago
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that has now sent more than 40 players to the NFL.
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As part of the league, he ensures kids with physical, mental, developmental disabilities get the chance to participate and thrive.
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He is constantly, strategically growing and leveraging his brand.
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He has long been involved in numerous innovative entrepreneurial endeavors in tech,
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entertainment, lifestyle and global consumer brands.
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And last but not least, or maybe this will be penultimate for me, in 2024 he had the honor
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and we had the honor of of awarding him the Entrepreneur
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of the Year Award at the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial
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Studies where he generously gave his time to share advice with students.
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He told me before we came here that he first came to the Coliseum a long time ago.
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Am I allowed to say how long ago it was?
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1978. He's back here now and we are thrilled to welcome him to campus.
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Snoop D-O-double-G
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The End
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The End
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The End
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I'm sorry.
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Yeah!
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Yes, sir.
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Yes, sir.
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Somebody say, fight on.
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Y'all can say it louder than that.
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Say, fight on.
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I've been saying this for a long time, man.
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I want to talk to the graduates today.
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How y'all doing out there?
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From underdog to boss dog.
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Yes, that's what's happening.
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So, graduates, today I just want to say congratulations.
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Y'all made it.
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You climbed that mountain.
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You did that work.
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You stayed strong even when the odds were stacked against you.
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And let me tell you something.
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All my life, I was the underdog.
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They told me I wasn't good enough.
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They told me I was dreaming too big.
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They said a kid from the LBC couldn't make it. But guess what?
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I didn't let none of that stop me.
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I stayed true to myself.
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I stayed focused on the vision.
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And I turned them no's into yes's.
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See, adversity is like the gem for your soul.
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It hurts.
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It's heavy.
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but it builds you up.
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Every time you wanted to quit, every time life tried to break you, you chose to stand tall.
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That's what makes you great.
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Today ain't just about a piece of paper.
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It's about the grind, the sleepless nights, the sacrifices, the prayers you whispered when nobody was watching.
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It's all about those moments when you could have folded, but you didn't.
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You see, the underdog story is the realest story there is.
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Because when you come from nothing, you appreciate everything.
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You hustle different.
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You love different.
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And you lead different.
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So today, I want you to do three things.
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Stay humble.
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Never forget where you came from.
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Stay hungry.
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Keep that fire in your soul. And stay true.
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Always be real with yourself and the world.
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Because the world don't need no more copies.
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It need originals, and trust me, ain't nobody else who can do what you do like you do.
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So I want you to walk across these stages today like the champion you are.
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Smile wide, hold your head high, and when they ask you how you made it, you tell them, I believed in myself and nobody else did.
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Keep pushing, keep winning, and remember, it's always the underdogs who end up running the game.
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Trust me, that's why I'm running the game.
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So to all of my graduates and undergraduates, congratulations on this feat for 2025,
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and I look forward to seeing some of y'all in the real world in the next few days or two,
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because I feel like this experience is going to take you off into another realm of life.
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Something about these graduates from SC, they're going to be special people in life.
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And as I look through the crowd right now, I see a bunch of special people.
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So do some great things and make your family proud.
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Make the people who trusted in you and believed in you, make them proud.
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How many people out here are the first time graduating from their family?
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Raise your hand.
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See, that's what I like to see right there.
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Change the narrative.
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Be the first but not the last.
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So all of you legends out there, you know the road.
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Fight on!
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Let's get this party started.
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Bang out!
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The End
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The End
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Oh, oh, oh, oh!
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Please join me in welcoming back,
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leaving the stage, the one, the only Snoop D-O-double-G.
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It's going to be a challenge for us all, but let's see if we can keep all the energy in in the stadium as everybody else now gets to graduate.
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So let's get this graduation party started.
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Thank you, Snoop.
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Thanks everybody.
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Congratulations to the class of 2024, 2025.
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2025. I was just checking to see if anybody was listening.
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Let's go. That was...
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Snoop Dogg - USC Marshall 2025 Commencement Guest Speaker”. This video has 126 sentences and 1136 words to shadow. The speech runs for 13:45. The speaker talks slowly, about 83 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| underdog noun | /ˈʌndɚˌdɔɡ/ | A competitor thought unlikely to win. |
| entrepreneurial adjective | /ˌɑn.tɹə.pɹəˈnɝ.i.əl/ | Having the spirit, attitude or qualities of an entrepreneur; enterprising. |
| adversity noun | /ædˈvɜː.sɪ.ti/ | The state of adverse conditions; state of misfortune or calamity. |
| biopic noun | /ˈbaɪ.oʊ.pɪk/ | A motion picture based on the life (or lives) of a real, rather than fictional, person (or people). |
| breakout noun | An escape from prison. | |
| generously adverb | In a generous manner, in a way that is giving or ample. | |
| globalization noun | /ˌɡloʊ.bə.laɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/ | American and Oxford British English standard spelling of globalisation. |
| innovator noun | /ˈɪnəˌveɪtəɹ/ | Someone who innovates; a creator of new ideas. |
| interpersonal adjective | Between two or more people. | |
| penultimate adjective | /pɪˈnʌl.tɪ.mɪt/ | Next to last, second to last; immediately preceding the end of a sequence, list, etc. |
| philanthropist noun | A person who loves humankind in general. | |
| sleepless adjective | /ˈsliːpləs/ | Characterized by an absence of sleep: wakeful. |
| strategically adverb | In a strategic manner. | |
| unparalleled adjective | Having no parallel; without equal; lacking anything similar or worthy of comparison. | |
| endeavor noun | /ɛnˈdɛv.ɚ/ | A sincere attempt; a determined or assiduous effort towards a specific goal; assiduous or persistent activity. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| do out verb | To decorate, tidy, or clean (a place). |
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. |
| look forward to verb | To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to. |
| look through verb | To take a view of the contents of; search in, either with the eyes or by hand. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Am I allowed to say how long ago it was?
- I've been saying this for a long time, man.
- They told me I wasn't good enough.
- I didn't let none of that stop me.
- That's what makes you great.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has reigned · has released · has now sent |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was seen · been involved · were stacked |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | someone who needs · people who trusted |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 15 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, ain't, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thrill /θɹɪl/, thrive /θɹajv/, athlete /ˈæθ.liːt/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: globalization /ˌɡloʊ.bə.laɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/, disruption /dɪsˈɹʌpʃən/, nomination /ˌnɑmɪˈneɪʃən/, graduation /ˌɡɹæd͡ʒuˈeɪʃən/, influential /ɪnflʊˈɛnʃəl/
- Long words — get the stress right: entrepreneurial /ˌɑn.tɹə.pɹəˈnɝ.i.əl/, adversity /ædˈvɜː.sɪ.ti/, globalization /ˌɡloʊ.bə.laɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/, innovator /ˈɪnəˌveɪtəɹ/, penultimate /pɪˈnʌl.tɪ.mɪt/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like underdog, entrepreneurial, adversity.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.