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PAGE 5 lAI 11l s v PIANO MAN ... Billy Joel box set a work of genius B WOT JUST FOR WIMPS ... John Mayer sings the blues on new LP ■ UTTER DARKNESS ... Campy Brits release rockin' follow-up r ((((((((((((( ((((( C-CC.CC GCCCC CCCCC CCCCCC ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( C( ( ( t U (( (CCU tuts (( (( CC rr (( (( (( (( (( (( (( ( C c( C( (( (( (( C( (.( (( (( U u u tv ((((((( ( ( ( f ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( c ■ ( ( ecu C C ( t (((((((((( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ((((((( ((((( ( ( ( ( ( C ( ( (CCCCC G ( ( C C (CCCCC C C tc H ##(. c c c c r c c c r r r c r r r r c ecu c c c c c c c c (( u c c u c t c c c c ecu rr ((((((((( ((((((( ((((( CCCCC c C C C C( C c c C C C ( ( C ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( CCCCC CC A NEW TWIST ON AN OLD GENRE IS POPPING UP ACROSS THE COUNTRY (BUILT ON THE SHOULDERS OF NERDS) BY BRYAN REED STAFF WRITER Tin- new face of hip-hop might not be w hat you’d expect. In a day when just about anyone can produce a track on his or her home com puter, anew spin on the genre is sprout ing 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, nerd core hip-hop w hich addresses impor tant 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.” 1 less, one of the frontrunners of the genre, is better known to Internet surf ers 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 prec edent in mainstream popular culture. Early precursors to the nerd-rap phe nomenon are songs such as “Weird Al" Yankovic's parody, "It’s All About the Pentiums," and nerdy rock hands such as They Might Be Giants. But the recent development of easy-to use music-editing software and record ing equipment has made it possible for any would-be rapper w ith a laptop and a microphone to produce professional sounding tracks. “In 19.99 my computer had suddenly become fast enough to do hi-fi mul titrack 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 know n as MG Hawking began recording nerd-rap tracks in 199.9. He started experimenting with the vocal sounds of a Macintosh computer program that reads text aloud in a voice simi lar to the simulated vocals of famed physicist Stephen 1 law king. What started as a joke has blossomed into. 1 Uric/ History of Rhyme, out on the Brash Music label. Frontalot considers nerdcore hip hop to he the "natural sort of bedtime fantasy for anyone who kind of grew up being a nerd.” ()thcr acts have sprung up nationwide. Many nerdcore A hf Diversions Www.dailytarheel.com rappers are college students making music on their laptops. Some members of the nerdcore group Futuristic Sex Robot/ are students, and the breakthrough artist MC I -ars began making music in his room in a college residence hall. Musically, nerdcore borrows heavily from the legends of gangsta rap w ith its boastful lyrics. But the rhymes in nerd core songs are often meant to he taken tongue-in-cheek. The main distinction between nerdcore and traditional hip-hop is its lyrical con tent, which references gecky topics from Star I rek to Craigslist.org or just revels in gecky irony. Nerdcore has even spawned its ow n 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 lyr ics. Recently, however, Plus+ has faced competition from Stanford University ’s Mon/y. The feud between the two “C.S. Gangstas” has brought publicity to the burgeoning genre. SEE NERDCORE, PAGE 6 Slip Saily (Tor Jifri THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2005 ■r v . 3p|P ► kk kkkkk kkkkkk kk kk kkkk kk ►► *k kk kk kk kk kk * kkk kk kk kk kk kk kk kk kk .► V*-*- kk kk kk kkkkkk kk kk kkk kk kk kk kk kk kk kk kk fck ** * kkkkk kk kk kk kk k kkkkk kk kk kkkkkk kkkkk +* kk kk kk kk kk ►**kk kk kk kk kkkkkk kk kk k* kk kk kk kk kkkkkk ikkk kk kk kk kk kk kk kk kk k kk kk •* kk k*kkk fc* k-te V*> k + kk kk tetekk*.* k-k kk kkkkk k kk kkkkk kk kk kk kk kk kk kk kk kk kk kk kk kk kk kkk kk kk kk kkkkkk kkkkkk kk kkk kk kkk kk kk kk kk kk kk kk kk kk w BY BRYAN REED *• STAFF WRITER w . Biggie and Tupac. Jay-/ and Nas. w The Game and 50 Cent. “ And now, MC Plus* and Mon/y. v That's right nerds got beef. - It all started with Stanford >. Uni\ersity graduate student Mon/y s first single, "So Much Drama in the Ph.D.,” w hich features brutal disses directed at Purdue’s premiere com puter science gangsta, MC Plus K In the song, Mon/y claims his "flow is so intense that (he) w ill overflow (Plus+'s) buffer," among other com puter science-ladcn insults. MC Plus+ reacted strongly to Mon/y s recent insults. "As far as the beef with Mon/y goes, it cant go far because lie’s only got one track,” say s MC Plus+. “1 le’s got to put out more shit if he w ants to be taken seriously. I haven't seen Mon/y come out w ith any thing new." His retaliation track, “Diss JAVA,” has not officially been released, but a leaked demo is available for down load on w w w*.csgangstarap.com. In the song, MC Plus+ samples Dr. Die’s "Nothin' But A ‘G’ l liang,” and calls Mon/y a "small-tinier’” and a “nOOh" lnternet slang for a new comer. Despite the harsh words, both rap pers acknowledge the publicity benefits of their conflict. SEE BEEF, PAGE 6 j wmjm jl 1
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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