Nerdcore for Life
Huw Neill

After rap star Nas started an international debate about whether hip-hop really was dying, a new generation of geek rappers, more concerned with science fiction and gadgetry than life in the hood is about to have its say.

Alan McGee, the founder of Creation records and the man who launched the Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream and Oasis amongst others (he knows a little about music), recently claimed that since hip-hop’s 1980s heyday, nobody has come forward and challenged the ambition and creativity of artists such as Eric B & Rakim or Public Enemy. The scene fragmented during the nineties and with a few notable exceptions, many people felt Hip Hop reached a plateau with few new places, musically or lyrically to go next.

One tangent that Hip Hop has taken has been largely underground and ignored by the public. The subculture of ‘Nerdcore’ has been secretly gaining momentum in dark corners where the bling, guns and bitches set don’t dare venture. Generally thought to have started in the late nineties, Nerdcore has remained under most music fans’ radars as commercial releases have been very rare; with most of it being it released free online, conforming to Nerdcore’s strict DIY ethic. All this may be about to change with Dan Lamoureux’s forthcoming film, Nerdcore for Life.

Nerdcore MC Fanatical

Outside the scene, not a lot is known about Nerdcore, but let’s be clear from the outset, this is not a parody, far from it. Whilst many rap artists talk about life in the hood, pimping and doing crack, most Nerdcore artists tend to be white, suburban kids who’ve never been to the hood, they’re probably too scared (probably like the majority of kids that buy mainstream hip-hop). This sub-genre has been created by nerds for nerds, rhyming over hip-hop beats about what they get off on, which is predominantly in the realm of how great they are at computer programming, SciFi and fantasy books and films, Japanese anime and Dungeons & Dragons.  There’s been no discernable attempt to break out of this self-produced, self-distributed scene (although some artists actually do leave their bedrooms and play live), and as yet, no major record labels have wanted to release it, so there’s been no compromise, no piss-taking.  They’re not in it for the money or the ho’s, they’re in it for themselves.

Director of the forthcoming documentary film Nerdcore for Life, Dan Lamoureux, is aiming to create a serious study of this, let’s face it, bizarre subgenre of what can at times be the most aggressive, misogynistic music form out there.  Admitting that there can be comedic aspects to many of the songs, Lamoureux claims these guys have a genuine pride in the subjects they choose to sing about.  In fact, Nerdcore wouldn’t have sustained itself for nearly a decade now if the songs and rhymes were entirely crap.

Even though most of the music is made at home on their computers and distributed via the internet, Nerdcore isn’t without its fair share of internal politics.  There are strict criteria which have to be conformed to in order to be accepted as an official Nerdcore rapper and there have even been feuds (the first major one was between MC Plus+ and Monzy, apparently over their prowess with computers and other technical abilities). 

Should we be surprised at the underground popularity of Nerdcore though.  HipHop has always been a musical form for the disenfranchised, those without a signficant voice, to communicate their disaffection to society at large – why should geeks be any different?

In order to be ‘Nerdcore’, the following conditions have to be met:

Contents – sing about what you want, but topics usually focus no different aspects of life as a geek

Acceptance – accept that you’re a geek or a nerd (there is a difference) and make no apologies for it

Nerd Pride (fronting) – much the same as traditional hip hop, but more satirical in style

Technology – create your music using tools available to consumers and beats that are typically homemade

Distribution – albums cannot be found in record store, but is mostly available for download online.  A few tracks can be found for purchase online, but are predominantly shared within the community

Probably the most well-known artist in Nerdcore is MC Frontalot (the World’s 579th Greatest Rapper), who coined the term in his 2000 track, “Nerdcore HipHop”.  Other notable artists are MC Hawking, MC Chris, Commodore 64 and Optimus Rhyme.  There are few ‘officially recognised’ artists, possibly due to the strict guidelines about becoming ‘Nerdcore’, but this has led to a purity about the scene and prevented a non-nerd bandwagon growing.  Ultimately though, it’s these rules may stifle what could be a truly interesting musical movement.

Don’t expect to see any of these artists on MTV any time shortly, they don’t play live let along make videos for public consumption – there’s nothing to sell after all - but with Nerdcore For Life coming soon to a cinema near you, there may still be life in the scene yet.

nerdcoreforlife.com
myspace.com/nerdcoreforlife