Nerdcore Rising
Nerdcore is a micro-genre of hip hop, created by some hardcore nerds who like to rap about computers and the dorkiness of their lives. At the center of this documentary is MC Frontalot, the “godfather of nerdcore.” (Check his website http://frontalot.com/). The film follows him and his group out of Brooklyn and on the road to various obscure college towns for their first national tour in 2007. Playing to crowds of maybe 10 hardcore fans who drive hours to see them, the four guys see nerdcore as a possible way to reach fame beyond being a web designer(!). The tour culminates to play to a crowd of 7000 at a video gamer’s convention (Penny Arcade Expo.)
Negin Farsad’s documentary is hilarious even when the music is a bit grating. It gives a peek into the lives of those couples who meet at Star Wars conventions and guys who spend more time playing Word of Warcraft and other role playing games, than they do working. And they wonder why they haven’t gotten laid in over a year… Most of the nerdcore rappers are white males, and their rhymes of “lonely me, I’m a dork,” couldn’t be further from mainstream hip hop, which glorifies rappers and their bling. You have to admire Frontalot’s tenacity. Rent it now!
