Radio Free Hipster Ep. 3 – The Evolution of Nerdcore (As Told By Z.)

I love nerd music. That’s why I started this blog. That’s why I continue to try new things (like podcastsing), to approach different artists to share their views, and to seek out new avenues through which to I may do my small part to promote my nerdly compatriots. Still, as much as I say this isn’t just a nerdcore music site, that (sub)genre does hold prime real-estate in my heart. I love the beats. I love the rhymes. I love the sci-fi references. I love the rampant profanity. But mostly, I adore the eclectic group of artists who make with the funky shit.
I’ve been side-stepping the subject of my own personal views in nerdcore for a while. What can I say? I’m no fan of conflict, and I don’t wanna spark any further division. Still, I reckon since everyone else has had their say, I too should make with the dropping of my own unique brand of knowledge.
Now don’t get me wrong; words are my friends. I love ‘em, and they’ve served me well for three decades. Still, there are some things that are best communicated via example. Therefore, I have summarily combined these two elements to form my third podcast. There’s some talking – some drawling, as it were – and some songs to serve as illustrations. It’s like a book. A book made purely of sound… and nerd love.
For me, nerdcore is not merely an art form, but a living, breathing, ever-changing entity that grows and evolves; strengthened by each new artist’s own distinctive style and personality. The catch is, unlike evolution in a strictly scientific sense; the evolution of nerdcore – this growing and changing – is not in response to any environmental difficulty or fundamental flaw. Early nerdcore artist are no less important (or stylistically developed) than their n00b counterparts. They are all important. And, to paraphrase one of the oft-repeated YTCracker jewels, we are all family.

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 3 – The Evolution of Nerdcore (As Told By Z.) Size: a whopping 72.2 MB Running Time: an interminable 78.55

RFH Ep. 3 – The Evolution of Nerdcore (As Told By Z.) Show Notes

Intro: Beastie Boys – “Shake Your Rump”
Nerdcore cavemen? Maybe. I just remember, as a kid, this being the first rap group my friends could all agree on. I was always more of a Run-DMC type of cat, but you just can’t fuck with the Beasties.
Z’s 1^st interlude: “Protonerd”
There were actually some artists from this section that got cut out too. Hopefully, I’ll keep doing this podcast long enough to get around to everyone!
Track 1: MC 900 Ft. Jesus -- “Buried at Sea”
This isn’t Jesus’s most hip-hoppy track, and it’s by design. This is a good example of the kind of stuff I relate guys like myf, Doc Pop, and Shael Riley too; cats unafraid to add nontraditional ingredients to the recipe.
Track 2: Kool Keith – “Lost in Space”
Kool Keith is the original Black Elvis. He was also nice enough to participate in the Rhyme Torrents compilation.
MAJOR EDIT: Kool Keith was Dr. Dooom not MF Doom!!! I was thinking one thing but said something different. Sorry for making a total cock-hole of myself there, folks. I really do know what the hell I’m talking about… most of the time... honest. Christ, I really gotta start writing scripts for these things.
Track 3: Handsome Boy Modeling School – “Rock n' Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This)”
I feel like I didn’t say enough about Prince Paul during the podcast. Lucky for you there’s Wikipedia! Rap can be a tad humorless sometimes, so I think producers like Paul and Dan did us all a favor by lightening shit up a little.
Track 4: MC Paul Barman – “Make No Mistake”
I cut Paul some slack. If he doesn’t wanna be part of the club, I’m cool with that. Still, I consider him to be an important stop on this journey through nerdcore.
Z’s second interlude: “Founding Fathers”
This is where things get confusing. This is also where things get really interesting. Coincidence? I think not! The line between first and second generation (or first and second wave for my rudeboys) nerdcore is thin at best. Who came fist and who influenced whom? We may never know.
Track 5: MC Frontalot (feat. Baddd Spellah, Jesse D., MC Hawking) – “Nerdcore Rising”
When I said buy the album, I meant it. Don’t forget to buy Spellah, Jesse, and Hawkman merch too! This may be my favorite nerdcore track of all time.
Track 6: mc chris – “DQ Blizzard”
I’m not gonna bitch about mc. As I said, whether you like him or you don’t, he influenced a lot of people to try out there skills behind the mic. I love this track and I always will.
Track 7: Optimus Rhyme – “Just Forget It”
Depending on which day of the week you ask, I will either tell you that Optimus or MC Hawking was the first nerdcore act I ever heard. I’m old and prone to forget such simple things. Either way, I think you understand why I became so enthralled with it.
Track 8: YTCracker & Router – “Nerd Love”

The YTCracker you hear on the tracks is the real YTCracker. But he’s a nerd, you say, how can he be so down? No one knows, but that’s what makes him so unique. YT lives the nerd life. I’d love to tell you where I got this track, but that info is another thing that age has robbed me of. Try his MySpace.

Z’s 3^rd interlude: “Proudly Nerdcore”

The following artists wear the badge of “nerd” proudly. I respect that. It’s as simple as that.

Track 9: Ultraklystron – “Five to Nine”

I don’t generally watch anime. I mean, I love giant robots and shit, but your average otaku on the street doesn’t generally wanna hear me wax poetic about the incredibly unsafe toys of my youth. 70s nostalgia aside, Karl Olson is a musician/writer/anime freak that I have immense respect for. He’s an incredible talent, and an incredibly nice guy.

Track 10: Beefy – “Internet Celebrity”
Where my podcast should rightly be finishing up, this one is just getting its second wind. :) I mention Beefy a lot around here. He’s a pal and a big supporter of the blog. Hell, he even offered to host my podcast over at Nerdcast! I really dig this song because I think it’s something a lot of us can relate to. Who doesn’t wanna be Gabe and Tycho?
Track 11: Futuristic Sex Robotz – “Back in the Day”
The entire Hotel Coral Essex album is free from the FSR site. You’ve already downloaded it, right? When I heard about George Takai coming out of the closet I thought: good for him – it’s never too late to unapologetically let the world know who you are and what you’re about! Then I saw the guy and felt stupid for not realizing it sooner. I mean, shit, he looks better at 68 than I do at 30. You just don’t see a lotta straight guys who take that good care of themselves! ;)
Track 12: Former Fat Boys – “Party in My Basement”

Am I the only one who thinks it’s clever to have a FUTURISTIC Sex Robotz track about the PAST paired with a FORMER Fat Boys Track about the PRESENT? I reckon if it was a clever as I’d originally thought I wouldn’t be explaining it now…

Z’s 4^th interlude: “The Sound of Nerd to Come”

When I right it out like that, it really seems kinda dirty. Still, I think you feel me on this one. The following acts are perfect examples of new-er nerdcore that brings in interesting elements. All three tracks are from the Rhyme Torrents compilation project.

Track 13: Myf (feat. Masta Cwik)– “Top Secret!”

As I mentioned, myf is a very cool, very talented cat. I know for a fact that he’s working up some new phatness for the next RT disk, and that’s a fact that allows me to sleep soundly at night. He also has some quality stuff at OverCLocked ReMix that you should definitely check out.

Track 14: Nursehella – “Nursehellamentary”

If ‘Hella never releases another track, I can say with some certainty that she’s left her mark on nerdcore. She’s sparked fierce debate, been the target of damning allegations, and evoked quite a bit of ire within the scene; all unintentionally, I might add. All I can speak is my own mind, and as far as I’m concerned Nursehella is perfectly welcome within my nerdcore worldview. Last I heard; she and Baddd Spellah were diligently working on the rest of debut album. This is another release that I look very forward to.
Track 15: Rai – “Sunny Sunny Sunday”
J-Nerdcore. I don’t even know if that’s a genre, but it should be. I have heard exactly two tracks from Rai, and they were two of my favorite RT submissions. She’s got an album in the works as well, and she’s agreed to talk to me about it prior to its release. Judging by the tone of her messages on the ol’ BBS, I think talking to her will be a blast!

Z’s final interlude: “…”

The dirty truth is as follows: Y’all got a 79 minute podcast because the original 130-someodd minute ‘cast was just too goddamn long and I lacked the strength to do the whole thing again for a third time. This one’s still too long, and I apologize. Will anyone actually listen to the whole thing? I’m kinda doubtful.

Track 16: MC Wreckshin – “I Want Candy”

With an hour of nerdcore already busting the seams of this ep., I needed something special to take this one home. Wreckshin provided this in spades. There really is a lot of excellent nerdcore coming out of Florida. And, in case you can’t tell, those FLA nerds know how to have a good time. I think I picked this track up from Wreckshin’s MySpace.

And so concludes my thoughts on nerdcore. Consider this my two cents. Two very, very long cents. Let the debate commence... um... I mean... continue.