10 Nerds to Know

At the forefront of the Nerdcore scene are Frontalot, mc chris, MC Lars, and YTCracker. Front is the godfather of the scene, coining the term and embracing all that is nerdy, dorky, dweeby, or geeky; you all know him and love him… and if you don’t, you should. mc chris doesn’t like to call himself Nerdcore, but due is a nerd rapper extraordinaire; you know him as MC Pee Pants and Hesh, or perhaps the dude who did that funny track about Boba Fett driving a Corvette. MC Lars is fun and enjoyable; he’s likely you’re friend on Facebook already, having nearly as many friends as Tom has on MySpace. YTC is a cracker and hacker turned emcee; Nerdrap Entertainment System still stands as a unique and groundbreaking work.

Beyond the big four, this illustrious site has covered the likes of Beefy, Shael Riley, Dual Core, and The ThoughtCriminals/Mikal kHill, as well as nerdy acts that don’t identify specifically with the subgenre like Pigeon John. However, today presents a great time to give the readers a brief primer of some other things the world of Nerdcore has to offer. Here are 10 more nerds that you need to know:

Mega Ran (aka Random)

A Philly native, relocated to Arizona, Random has embraced an alter-ego that nods to his love of video games. Not all of his output qualifies as Nerdcore, but all of it is quality. With a HOT new album entitled Forever Famicom, expect a review and more news about Ran on TPM soon.

ZeaLous1

You may know him as a guest on the DG track “Do the Bruce Campbell” but he’s more than that. As a member of the Scrub Club Records family, he is storming the Nerdcore scene. Tracks “Level Up” and “Boss Fight” are among his claims to fame, but don’t take my word for it when I say this guy is the real deal, check out the free music section of the Scrub Club site.

Doctor Popular (aka Doc Pop)

Doc Pop designs video games for a living and is an awesome illustrator. In addition to this, he’s a frequent Nerdcore collaborator. His production is top notch and his skills are undeniable. Oh, and good has like MAD yo-yo skills. Like MAD MAD MAD yo-yo skills… fo’ rizzeal.

Kabuto the Python

One of the funkiest and coolest flows in Nerdcore and beyond. He makes being a nerd seem hard; and, I mean, “hard” as in tough and thuggish, not “hard” as in difficult. He wears the Guy Fawkes mask made popular by V for Vendetta and can be downloaded for free at the Scrub Club site.

Schaffer the Darklord

STD is NOT a rapper; contrarily, he is THE rappist. Often crude and irreverent, sometimes nerdy beyond belief, STD is ALWAYS clever and entertaining. After getting into Shael Riley, I was introduced to Mark Schaffer’s musical output and, dare I say, I was quite pleased. Check him out and hear what all the fuss is about.

MC Hawking

I said before that Kabuto seemed hard… but compared to the Hawkman, he’s softer than the Pillsbury Doughboy. Even heard gangsta rap about science done through a voice box? If not, there’s no time like the present. Personal favorite tracks are “Entropy” and “E=MC Hawking” though his verse on Frontalot’s “Nerdcore Rising” is quite hot, as well.

Kasparov

Kasparov is a turntablist and producer, as well as another member of the Scrub Club family. Another artist first exposed to me through Shael Riley, Kasparov has a freely distributed album with Entity on the Scrub Club site and routinely works on phat remixes and collaborations with all of the major and minor Nerdcore players.

Jesse Dangerously

Dangerously is associated with the Nerdcore scene, but not necessarily considered a Nerdcore artist by many. Who cares? Honestly, he’s an awesome MC and that’s what matters. Clever, enjoyable, and Canadian, the artist formerly know as Jesse McDonald was described in this way by mc chris:

The truth is I’m kicking every other rapper like me’s ass up and down the boardwalk. I only like one and will say his name quite happily. Jesse Dangerously. He’s good. The rest suck.

SJ the Wordburglar

Another emcee straight out of Halifax. Canada surely represents in the nerd scene. Another guy who’s not really Nerdcore, maybe even less so than Dangerously… but he’s obviously a big nerd and he kicks ass on the mic. The track “Hat Trick” won me over… and a collab with Pigeon John sure doesn’t hurt.

Wheelie Cyberman (Optimus Rhyme/Supercommuter)

My favorite awesome Nerdcore funk-rap band is now defunct, but their attack on wackacons and pure funk basslines will remain forever. Very possibly some of the hottest hip hop oriented music you’ll ever hear, though listening to it may make you cry when you realize that you hopped on the boat a bit too late. I know I cried when I got into them only to find out they broke up. In fact, I was sitting in an alley of Seattle bawling my eyes out when the comforting hand of Wheelie Cyberman touched my shoulder and helped me up. He led me to a small room and played me a track. He told me it was his new supergroup called Supercommuter and my eyes dried up. Everything in the world was again in balance… the wackacons would not prevail!

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~ by thepaintedman on June 2, 2010.