solipsistic NATION No. 4: Nerdcore

When solipsistic NATION was broadcast over the air I was limited by our station’s ramshckle software and hardware. Even doing a decent segue, so essential to electronic music, was difficult to pull off. When I made the decision to relaunch solipsistic NATION as a podcast I wanted to be ambitious and pursue the projects I could never do at Free Radio San Diego.
From time to time I will release documentaries on a specific genre of electronic music and to get things started, this week’s solipsistic NATION features a documentary on Nerdcore.

Nerdcore hip hop, or geeksta rap, is a subgenre of hip hop music that is performed by nerds or geeks, and is characterized by themes and subject matter considered to be of general interest to nerds. Nerdcore has no unifying musical manifesto, and the sound of nerdcore varies wildly from artist to artist. One common theme, especially in the early days of the genre, is uncleared sampling.

MC Frontalot
MC Frontalot is the stage name of Damian Hess, a hip hop musician and self-proclaimed “world’s 579th-greatest rapper.”

Many consider Frontalot, if not the founder of nerdcore, certainly the man who shone the torch on it. Front himself though is quick to point out the many artists who came before him.

Ultraklystron
Ultraklystron is a staff writer/producer for ToonZone.net. He is also Nerdcore’s expert on all things anime and manga. Ultraklystron is currently a CS student but represents the Otaku lifestyle in his work.

Ultraklystron’s most recent release is Revision4920. Through some unexplainable twist of events, it actually did better than any of his previous individual efforts to sell my music before and resulted in some interesting media attention.

High-C
High-C is a programmer, writer, rapper, metalhead, inventor and long time nerd. There are probably 10 High-Cs, one in the same state as him. There’s even a punk band named High-C.

High-C has released the seminal nerdcore compilation CDs, Rhyme Torrents volumes 1-4. He is currewntly hard at work assembling Rhyme Torrents volume 5 which, with any luck, will be released any moment.

YTCracker
YTCracker began producing rap music in 1998 in the genre that has since become known as nerdcore hip hop. His early work mainly focused on documenting and amusing the participants of the America Online hacking scene.

YTCracker is a self-proclaimed “jack of all trades”, also making a name for himself as a professional disc jockey, computer programmer, graphics designer and webmaster.

funky49
Using two boomboxes and a Casio SK1 keyboard, funky49 came up with audio projects for school and personal use as a teenager. He also ran sound for a stage production in a drama class and made Amiga MOD tracker songs on the computer.

funky49 is the official tour DJ for Spinal Tap. As soon as a new drummer is found, tour dates will be released.

Ham-STAR
Ham-STAR is the world’s greatest hamster rapper. Accept no imitations, burdened by the limitations of spitting out lines not from their own mind. Unlike the others, Ham-STAR doesn’t do covers. He drops his own fresh rhymes, every time.

His biggest influence is Blackalicious, whose “improptu rapping about food is a hotter cut than half the shiny mass-produced (c)rap out there today.”

Beefy
If you’re a pretty lady willing to send Beefy pictures of yourself scantily clad he will do anything you ask. He’ll also do it for some duckets, cause he’s a big sellout.

Beefy geeks out by drawing comic. However, with the music becoming the biggest part of his life, comics have gone on the back burner. He still doodles and a new comic may not be too far off.

Photo Credit: Ludwig van Jaethoven

MC Frontalot “Goth Girls”

Ultraklystron “There’s The Beef (Ft. MCeeP)”

Meter Versus Yard “Divided States (Kid Charlamaign Bass Remix)”

YTCracker “Legacy”

funky49 “Never Going Back (to Dialup)”

Ham-STAR “Legend of Ham-STAR”

Beefy “I Don’t Wanna Be Right”