Hoje vamos iniciar a nossa incursao em torno do movimento nerd no hiphop, vamos perceber o que é e como começa.O texto vem em ingles mas espero que percebem.Vou preparar uma materia pessoal de modo a explicar aqui alguns termos que nao sejam perciptiveis como nerd,geek ,etc. Esta materia é dedicada ao meu amigo Neoman, cujo endereço é a net, dedico também a toda gente que vive do debugging, compiling e companhia limitada.
The new face of hip-hop might not be what you’d expect.
In a day when just about anyone can produce a track on his or her home computer, a new spin on the genre is sprouting in dorm rooms and computer science departments across the country.
Called nerdcore hip-hop, it combines the simplicity of old-school hip-hop with the do-it-yourself ethic of punk and the aesthetic of geek culture.
While some dismiss it as a joke, nerdcore hip-hop – which addresses important issues such as Star Wars and JAVA script – is gaining a loyal following.
“Nerdcore hip-hop could reign supreme,” raps Boston resident Damian Hess on the pivotal song “Nerdcore Hip-hop.” Hess, one of the frontrunners of the genre, is better known to Internet surfers as MC Frontalot, the world’s “579th greatest rapper.”
Frontalot and other similarly nerdy rappers have been popping up on the Internet in growing numbers. Their unusual stylings are not without precedent in mainstream popular culture.
Early precursors to the nerd-rap phenomenon are songs such as “Weird Al” Yankovic’s parody, “It’s All About the Pentiums,” and nerdy rock bands such as They Might Be Giants.
But the recent development of easy-to-use music-editing software and recording equipment has made it possible for any would-be rapper with a laptop and a microphone to produce professional-sounding tracks.
“In 1999 my computer had suddenly become fast enough to do hi-fi multitrack recording,” says Frontalot. “I was trying to figure out how to do something with it. Really, I was inspired by wanting to learn how the software works.”
Another Boston resident, Ken Leavitt-Lawrence – also known as MC Hawking – began recording nerd-rap tracks in 1999. He started experimenting with the vocal sounds of a Macintosh computer program that reads text aloud in a voice similar to the simulated vocals of famed physicist Stephen Hawking.
What started as a joke has blossomed into A Brief History of Rhyme, out on the Brash Music label.
Frontalot considers nerdcore hip-hop to be the “natural sort of bedtime fantasy for anyone who kind of grew up being a nerd.”
Other acts have sprung up nationwide. Many nerdcore rappers are college students making music on their laptops. Some members of the nerdcore group Futuristic Sex Robotz are students, and the breakthrough artist MC Lars began making music in his room in a college residence hall.
Musically, nerdcore borrows heavily from the legends of gangsta rap with its boastful lyrics. But the rhymes in nerdcore songs are often meant to be taken tongue-in-cheek.
The main distinction between nerdcore and traditional hip-hop is its lyrical content, which references geeky topics from Star Trek to Craigslist.org or just revels in geeky irony.
Nerdcore has even spawned its own subgenres, such as computer science gangsta rap, typified by the music of Purdue University doctoral candidate Armand Navabi (aka MC Plus+).
Rapping about computer science-related issues, Plus+ has created a niche market among computer science students who understand his jargon-filled lyrics. Recently, however, Plus+ has faced competition from Stanford University’s Monzy.
The feud between the two “C.S. Gangstas” has brought publicity to the burgeoning genre.
Still, the definition of nerdcore remains blurry.
MC Hawking compares it to the Supreme Court ruling on pornography, saying, “I know it when I see it.”
MC Plus+ maintains that it is strictly hip-hop music, while others, such as MC Hawking – who also raps in the nerdcore rap-metal outfit Dark Matter – claim that the music is not limited solely to rap.
“They Might Be Giants are like the kings of geek-outreach music,” says MC Frontalot, who names that band as a major influence.
Most nerdcore artists are linked by similar lyrical topics, an ironic sense of humor and a do-it-yourself production ethic.
And despite the genre’s embrace of a lo-fi sound, some have dismissed it because of the homegrown production, which they say drags the genre down.
Coaxke, a producer and rapper for the Futuristic Sex Robotz, is one of them.
“The production is awful,” says the group’s de facto leader.
“A goal for me is to try to make the production as good as possible.”
The relatively inexpensive cost of production has allowed many nerdcore artists to offer their music free on the Internet.
MC Hawking, MC Lars, mc chris and MC Frontalot all have CDs for sale, but they also offer tracks for free download. Others, such as MC Plus+, also have full-length albums posted as free MP3s on Web sites.
The issue of commercializing nerdcore is looming for its artists.
“It’s a little idealistic or maybe naive, because our audiences are probably the most used to or adept at pirating stuff off the Internet,” says Frontalot.
“It’s this other model where you think, I’m cool, so you should kind of donate $12 and here as your incentive gift is this CD.
“It’s kind of like the PBS pledge-drive model, and hopefully it works.”
MC Hawking echoes a similar sentiment.
“This stuff is hard work, so if people appreciate it, it’s nice to get some restitution for it,” he says.
“(A Brief History of Rhyme’s) not doing 50 Cent friggin’ numbers, but for a small record label it’s doing pretty well,” says Hawking.
Frontalot’s album, Nerdcore Rising, sold out its first pressing, and is now available on Frontalot’s Web site as well as on Amazon.com.
Another nerdcore rapper is getting widespread exposure on the cable networks.
Mc chris, from Libertyville, Ill., is known for his appearances on Cartoon Network’s “Sealab 2021,” and “Aqua Teen Hunger Force.” He has been called the first nerdcore superstar by several nerdcore rappers, and his “Revenge of the Nerd” tour has shown nerdcore’s commercial potential.
“We had kids that went to see like 12 shows and kids that started to like follow us around the country,” says mc chris.
While nerdcore does not reject commercialism, some artists choose to stick to the free music route.
“I don’t think lots of really true geek rap will ever be able to get widespread popularity,” says Monzy, noting that some of his lyrics have obscure references that make his music less accessible to a larger audience.
“It hurts the artist if they think they could sell it,” says MC Plus+. “We don’t got that kind of a following.”
Even if nerdcore doesn’t have a huge following now, the scene is growing quickly. The Internet has made it possible for artists to network.
Frontalot collaborates with DJs online over AOL Instant Messenger and uses sharing software to get his beats, while Plus+ and Monzy download their samples and beats.
Web sites such as Songfight.org allow Internet musicians to compete for bragging rights and to gain fans.
“We gotta come together and see what we can do with this music scene,” says Plus+.
Despite the genre’s reliance on humor and nerdy references, most of these up-and-coming nerdcore rappers see it as a legitimate subcategory of hip-hop.
“People approaching rap from a C.S. perspective may bring an interesting new insight to hip-hop,” says Monzy.
“It’s nice to have a little diversity in hip-hop.”
Contact the A&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
fonte:http://media.www.dailytarheel.com/media/storage/paper885/news/2005/12/08/DiveOnline/Nerdcore.HipHop-1368405.shtml
