A nerd is a person seen as overly intellectual, obsessive, introverted or lacking social skills. Such a person may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, little known, or non-mainstream activities, which are generally either highly technical, abstract, or relating to topics of science fiction or fantasy, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Additionally, many so-called nerds are described as being shy, quirky, pedantic, and unattractive.
Trevor George Smith Jr., known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes. He has received 12 Grammy Award nominations for his work, making him one of the most-nominated artists without winning.
Nerdcore is a genre of hip hop music characterized by subject matter considered of interest to nerds and geeks. Self-described nerdcore musician MC Frontalot has the earliest known recorded use of the term in the 2000 song "Nerdcore Hiphop". Frontalot, like most nerdcore artists, self-publishes his work and has released much of it for free online. As a niche genre, nerdcore generally holds to the DIY ethic, and has a history of self-publishing and self-production.
Damian Hess, better known by his stage name MC Frontalot, is an American rapper and web designer. Hess began releasing music as MC Frontalot in 1999. His first successes came through Song Fight!, an online songwriting and recording competition, where he became known for consistently beating opponents. Throughout his history at Song Fight!, he has never lost a competition as MC Frontalot, although he has entered only seven entries in that name. In one such song fight, entitled "Romantic Cheapskate", he likens Song Fight! to a neglected lover who favors him regardless of how he treats her. The song went on to garner a total of 614 votes, while the next closest song ended the round with 28.
Bryce Case Jr., otherwise known as YTCracker, is an American rapper from La Mirada, California. His stage name derives from having formerly been a black hat hacker. Case is best known for his contributions to the nerdcore hip hop subculture.
Optimus Rhyme was a hip hop group from Seattle, Washington. Optimus Rhyme is most widely considered a nerdcore group because of the nerdy nature of their lyrics. The name of the band as well as the stage names of the members and many of their lyrics refer to the Transformers franchise. Their music is a combination of rapped hip hop lyrics with funk rock music. Optimus Rhyme formed in Seattle in 2000.
Dan Maynes-Aminzade, mononymously known as Monzy, is a nerdcore hip hop artist and software engineer at Facebook.
Raheem Jarbo, also known by his stage names Mega Ran and Random, is an American underground nerdcore rapper, chiptune DJ, and record producer. In February 2015, he changed his stage name to Mega Ran, removing Random from any releases.
Keith A. Moore is a nerdcore rapper, better known by the stage name Beefy, from the Tri-Cities, Washington.
Nerdapalooza was an annual nerd music and arts festival in Orlando, Florida, United States, the first of its kind to invite all genres of the nerd music movement under one roof, including geek rock, nerdcore, chiptune, and video game music. The festival was conceived by John "hex" Carter, who hosted a nerdy music themed radio show through KRFH, the student-run radio station at Humboldt State University. The word is derived from nerd and palooza, a reference to Lollapalooza. Nerdapalooza, LLC was dissolved on October 29, 2013.
Nerdcore for Life is a 2008 documentary film about the world of Nerdcore hip-hop directed by Dan Lamoureux and produced by Crapbot Productions.
"Lookin Ass" is a song by American rapper and singer Nicki Minaj. It was produced by Detail and Choppa Boi. It was recorded by Minaj for the Young Money Entertainment compilation album Young Money: Rise of an Empire (2014). The music video for the track was released on February 14, 2014. The track is a hip hop song which lyrics criticize stereotypical behaviors commonly associated with men.
Star Wars Kid is a viral video made in 2002 by Ghyslain Raza in which he wields a golf ball retriever in imitation of Darth Maul's lightsaber moves from the film Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. At the time, Raza was a 15-year-old high school student from Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada. He had not intended for the video to become public, but its subsequent release led to ridicule, during which Raza chose to distance himself from the video. Raza since has affirmed his identity and has used the video to help to speak on the effects of bullying and harassment.
Sci-Fried is an American Independent music geek rock band from Orlando, Florida, United States, that performs original and parody songs with lyrics mostly about pop culture, science fiction, video games and comic books.
The Doubleclicks are a nerd-folk musical duo based in Portland, Oregon and Los Angeles, California, consisting of siblings Laser Malena-Webber and Aubrey Turner. They first became known for performing nerd-friendly comedy music, including songs about Dungeons & Dragons, dinosaurs, and other geeky themes. While their later songs retain those elements, there has been a stronger focus on feminist and other social issues, and more personal themes.
"Thank You" is a song by American rapper Busta Rhymes. It was released on November 7, 2013 by Cash Money Records and Republic Records as the intended second single from his tenth studio album, Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God. The album, released October 30, 2020 by Conglomerate and Empire, excluded both "Thank You" and "#Twerkit", the album's intended lead singles.
Nerd music is the overall category of music collecting the musical genres that grew from nerd culture; different styles that share the same common ground.
Richie Branson is an American music producer, game designer, and nerdcore rapper from San Antonio, Texas. His stage name is derived from that of British entrepreneur Richard Branson. He has also made various ending themes for the Rooster Teeth web series Camp Camp. He is also known as the "Otaku King" and founder of the group Otaku Gang.
Juan Irming, also known as Amplitude Problem, is a Swedish-American musician and producer currently based in Los Angeles. While the former hacker has had a long career in music beginning in the underground demoscene in Europe, he is best known for his chiptune, synthwave, and nerdcore tracks.
"Super Gremlin" is a song by American rapper Kodak Black, released on October 30, 2021, from the Sniper Gang label compilation Sniper Gang Presents Syko Bob & Snapkatt: Nightmare Babies, a Halloween-themed project. It impacted US urban contemporary radio on January 11, 2022, and peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is also included on Kodak's fourth studio album, Back for Everything. The song’s cover artwork features Sniper Gang members Sykobob and Snapkatt. The artwork was photographed by Zac Schuss and Ryan Rolo in Broward County, Florida.
