Nerdcore

This article is about nerdcore music; for the blog of the same name, see Nerdcore (blog) .

Nerdcore pioneer MC Frontalot at the Penny Arcade Expo 2004, according to his own statement in the outfit of a 1970s math teacher.

Nerdcore (also known as Geeksta ) is a sub-genre of hip-hop . The name is made up of nerd and the ending -core , which is available in numerous musical styles. So it's nerd hip-hop .

Musical characteristics

The music is often a bit weird and less catchy than in normal hip-hop. It is generated with electronic instruments. The texts often deal with natural sciences and computers , but also fictional worlds such as Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings . In order to be counted as nerdcore by the scene, an artist, similar to the rest of hip-hop, has to demonstrate his pride in the nerd scene. Typical venues are the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and the Penny Arcade Expo .

The 1999 song It's All About The Pentiums by Weird Al Yankovic , a parody of P. Diddy's It’s All About The Benjamin , and his later song White and Nerdy (parody of Chamillionaire's Ridin 'Dirty ), can be regarded as an early forerunner of the scene . who so far shows relatively all nerd clichés based on one person. MC Frontalot also counts artists like Kool Keith or MF Doom among the role models of the nerd corers.

Representative of the genre

The name comes from Nerdcore founder MC Frontalot , who first used it in his song Nerdcore Hiphop . Other well-known artists in the genre are 2 Skinnee J’s , Beefy , mc chris , MC Hawking , MC Lars , MC Plus + , ytcracker , MC Paul Barman , 1337 G33k B3at (1GB), Lords of the Rhymes , Optimus Rhyme , Dan Bull or Ultraklystron . The rappers Prinz Pi , NMZS and the hip-hop group Blumentopf each released a few tracks that can be assigned to the nerdcore genre, but do not form a nerdcore scene.

In contrast to the rest of hip-hop, nerdcore protagonists are almost exclusively white, many have studied at Ivy League universities. The relationship to established hip-hop is unclear. Despite their often satirical texts and parodies of hip-hop clichés, the nerdcore protagonists themselves emphasize their respect for hip-hop and urge fans to take a closer look at hip-hop. However, it is also understood as a parody of white middle-class youth on hip-hop culture. However, nerdcore fans and critics agree that, unlike other “white rappers”, the scene does not primarily work towards recognition by the established hip-hop scene, but rather builds its own institutions and networks. Nerdcore artists value authenticity. For example, MC Frontalot says, "I end up rapping on internet porn and Star Wars conventions because that's what I know about."

reception

The XXL -Hip-Hop-Magazin even attested the subculture in October 2005: “Regardless of its mainstream success, hip-hop is still a source of inspiration for those on the outermost edges of society. Revolutionaries, criminals, maladjusted and other unheard have long discovered that rap is a powerful medium. The newest group is one of the most unexpected: computer nerds. "

There are now the two documentaries Nerdcore for Life and Nerdcore Rising about the genre and a Nerdapalooza festival in Eureka, California. Further acceptance in the mainstream is also shown by the fact that the nerdcore rapper Mc chris went on tour with the rock bands New Found Glory and Sum 41 in 2007 and that the hip-hop group Blumentopf on their 2010 album We some dem Nerdcore genre assignable titles provides.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Website for the film “NerdcoreforLife”: Nerdcore ( Memento of the original from December 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ↑ ^{a b} Brian Braiker: Geeksta Rap Rising ( Newsweek ).
3. ↑ weeklydig.com "MC Frontalot" ( Memento of the original from November 9, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
4. ↑ Alex Williams: Dungeons, Dragons and Dope Beats , in: The New York Times , August 5, 2007.
5. ↑ xlr8r: "What is Nerdcore" ( Memento of the original from December 14, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
6. ↑ ProHipHop.com "Beyond the (White) Rapper"
7. ↑ “For all of Hip-Hop's mainstream success in bum-rushing mainstream American culture, it's still an inspiration to those on the outmost fringes of society. Revolutionaries, criminals, misfits and the otherwise voiceless have long found rap a potent medium of expression. The latest such group to use Hip-Hop as a means of communication may also be one of the least likely - computer nerds. " Quoted from: Website of the film “Nerdcoreforlife”: Nerdcore ( Memento of the original from December 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
8. ↑ fm4.orf.at flower pot: We

Web links

• Toby Scott: Beware Geeks Bearing Riffs . In: The Guardian , June 17, 2002.