MC Frontalot: The originator of nerdcore
By: Patrick Valenzuela
Damian Hess is a hop hop innovator. For the last decade, he's has been perfecting his rhyming skills while developing a cult following. And he's a nerd.
That's right: Hess is best known as MC Frontalot, the originator of the term nerdcore hip-hop. Before even thinking of defining the nerdcore, it's best to start at the beginning. What's a nerd?
"A nerd is defined by what he's not," Hess said. "Nerds are not cool."
"It's an identity formed by external pressures. Some part of you is ashamed, but as you grow up, some part of you cherishes what you got out of that."
As someone who obviously knows what he's talking about, Hess differentiates between a nerd and a geek.
"Most people use the words interchangeably, but when I say geek I mean someone who has specialized knowledge," Hess said. "A geek has to be good at something - even a jock can be a car geek."
One could say that nerdcore is hip-hop dealing in the subject matter of social outcasts and the intelligent.
"It's exactly like regular hip hop, except totally different," Hess said. "Regular hip hop, almost by definition, is about being cool."
Hess began experimenting with hip-hop near the end of the '90s where his audience was considerably smaller than his current legion of Internet fans.
"My audience was a couple of anime figurines sitting on top of my monitor," Hess said.
While it is undisputed that Hess invented the term nerdcore hip hop, other nerdcore rappers have been getting more attention. One such rapper is MC Chris, known not only for his music, but also appearances as "MC Pee Pants" on the Cartoon Network show Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
Hess is not upset that he's not the one getting TV appearances. He's actually happy for MC Chris and his success. He believes it's good for him as well since fans will be led to him after a few simple clicks online.
Hess' new album as MC Frontalot is called "Secrets from the Future". While you may expect the record to be a collection of blathering video game ramblings, Secrets is not a gimmick or a gag.
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binary gangster
posted 10/21/07 @ 8:39 AM MST
frontalot is going to be in CO, CA area in november... too bad he doesn't have anything scheduled for AZ...
binary gangster -- keeping it nerdy
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