Today's song: Part One by mc chris
Today is new comic day. So I went with the Batman song. If it was another day the song would probably be Fett's Vette. Both songs are excellent examples of hip hop. mc chris shows that he has the skills to hang with any rapper; however, mc chris is normally identified with a specific sub-genre of hip hop: nerdcore.
I had no idea this sub-genre existed last week. While I was working on the William Shatner entry earlier this week I came across this College Humor Video in one of the Ben Folds search results. (You thought I was going to finally stop talking about Ben Folds, not today.) The video included mc chris as one of the performers. I thought I recognized the Bobba Fett song, but could not place it, so a quick Google search ensued. As a result of the search I learned of a corner of hip hop that was previously unknown to me.
It seems that for more than a decade there have been rappers doing songs about things other than gold chains, guns, drugs, drug dealing, and fat asses. Nerdcore raps about anything from politics to science fiction. Favored topics also include Star Wars, comic books, RPGs, and fantasy tropes. This is not necessarily new ground, Metal has been bangin' heads to sci-fi and fantasy themes forever. In fact the exact origins of this sub-genre are not clear. The Wikipedia tells us the first recorded instance of the use Nerdcore is attributed to MC Frontalot in 2000. (Wiki.) The same article reminds the reader that in 1998 the Beastie Boys released Hello Nasty, an outer-space sci-fi themed album that included,"among other potentially influencing tracks, the spacey robotic Intergalactic and the distinctively video game sound themed song UNITE." (Id.) (For those of you who do not recognize the term, "Id," it is a fancy way lawyers say, "I copied this from the same place as the last thing I copied.)
Now that I know this stuff exists it isn't likely that I am going to go out an buy up a bunch of it. It is cute, and some of it is incredibly technically proficient. But hip hop is not my thing. I will confess that I have been listing to mc chris a lot this week; nothing is certain except change and maybe more nerdcore will change my mind about hip hop. Plus, you gotta show a little love to a guy rapping about Twin Peaks.
For those of you who clicked on the link to Fett's Vette and were struck with the nagging feeling that you had heard it before, maybe you have. Have you seen Zack and Miri Make a Porno? If you have, that is where you heard it. If you have not seen it, then I recommend that you watch it. Seth Rogann is funny, Elizabeth Banks is funny, hell, most of the people in it are funny. It also includes gratuitous nudity which is welcome to anyone who grew up watching 80's comedies, or really anyone that likes hot naked chicks, which is all men. (Except dudes who are into men; if you are such a dude watch Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin has got your back.)
It's been a long day and since I doubt I can top implying George R.R. Martin has an unhealthy fascination with the male member today, I'll bid you adieu.
Later
Bob
Id. seems to be a shortened version of what those of us who study literature would put as ibid.
ReplyDeleteAlways gotta have your own thing. Just like Von, later is not enough for you so it must be "lates".