When it comes to being a geek, some of us hide it from the world like a cyborg ninja in thermoptic camouflage and some of us embrace it full force. I’m definitely the latter and as a blogger that little to no one pays attention to, I feel it’s my duty to spread the word about some pretty amazing musicians that also embrace the geek culture.
MC Frontalot is the godfather of nerdcore hip-hop and was documented in the film Nerdcore Rising which can be found on Netflix. The film features interviews with various other nerdcore rappers but Front is the primary focus. Rapping about various topics like Magic: the Gathering, ZORK (as seen below in It Is Pitch Dark) & Star Wars, Frontalot not only embraces the nerd subculture, he pioneered an entire genre of music.
The Left Rights are a psychotic side-project of Mindless Self Indulgence members Little Jimmy Urine & Steve, Righ?. It’s no secret that the members of MSI are nerds with their fans gifting them at shows with classic Atari games and Jimmy Urine lending his vocal and musical talents to SUDA 51’s Lollipop Chainsaw. Where MSI are more “technical”, for lack of a better term, listening to The Left Rights is like watching a Troma film on bath salts. One song in particular, Genesis 16:12, reminisces about the 16-bit glory days of the Sega Genesis, name drops Altered Beast and calls new gamers pussies for having the option to save their progress.
MC Chris is probably the most well known of the nerdcore rappers, although sometimes he doesn’t like to be labeled as such. He was the voice of Hesh in Sealab 2021, various characters in Aqua Teen Hunger Force and is currently working on a free show in Colorado to benefit the victims of the Dark Knight Rises shooting earlier this year. Regardless of the negative press he received for kicking a fan out of a show for slamming his opening act on Twitter, I’ve seen MC live, got some autographs and he was a stand up guy the entire time. He made sure to talk to every single fan that was in line, took pictures, gave out free patches and played an awesome set that night. He’s a comic book nerd, a gamer and toy collector that annually auctions off items from his personal collection to help fight cystic fibrosis.
Creating a sound that was once dubbed “Nintendocore”, HORSE the Band fuse 8-bit synth with intense metal riffs that needs to be seen live to be completely appreciated. With lyrics metaphorically recognizing Super Mario Bros. 2, The Legend of Zelda & Megaman, the meaning behind the songs themselves are actually a lot deeper than they lead on.
Well, I think 5 videos is enough for today. If you’re a fan of music, I hope you give each of these musicians a fair shot. Who knows? Maybe you’ll even discover your new favorite band. I’m always open to suggestion as well, so feel free to drop a comment below and throw some other artists my way.
Cheap Boss Attack 