MC Frontalot is bringing nerdy back

The rapper likes to poke fun at Otaku.

By Andrew Terry

Published Nov. 10, 2008

Internet and nerd culture is very esoteric and mysterious, dominated by video games, cartoons and, as of 1999, hip-hop. With his new release Final Boss, MC Frontalot has presented a new sub-genre of rap he calls "nerd-core."

MC Frontalot is a San Francisco-based rapper who, contrary to popular belief, plays to a very large market. Once tied to the idea of an unemployed, middle-aged man who lives with his parents and has an obsession with comic books, nerds have since become a large piece of pop culture. The idea of a nerd has changed so much that it's no longer taboo to be one in music.

MC Frontalot uses hip-hop humor to poke fun at his own crowd and, at the same time, pay homage to the things that makes nerd culture what it is.

After "Wallflowers," an opening electrical dance mix with preposterous lyrics telling us to dance the "Margaret Thatcher," MC Frontalot throws out "Shame of the Otaku." For those unfamiliar, Otaku is a Japanese word to denote people who are obsessed with videogames and anime. "Shame of the Otaku" features a Japanese woman singing the chorus, and it would be really cliché if it weren't a parody. Even though it's a parody, it doesn't exempt it from sounding fantastic.

That's the great thing about this album's theme: Nearly every song is ripe with nerd references, but it never gets old.

MC Frontalot manages to make his rap unique. His is not today's radio rap, with trite beats and frivolous lyrics, but instead it contains unique compositions that feel individual. Even if the entire album isn't appealing, there is bound to be a song or two that will catch listeners' ears.

At the same time, that is one of the problems with the album. While there are a handful of gems, there are also forgettable songs that take you out of the experiences. Even though MC Frontalot's lyrics are remarkably fresh and new, the music behind his vocals is somewhat hit-or-miss. Although there's a desire to do something unique, there comes a point where it actually just sounds bland, such as on "Listen Close."

MC Frontalot is also no stranger to skits, having created two for the album. They are remarkably stupid, but that is where the charm lies. The skits manage to make listeners laugh even though they really may not want to. "A Skit About Vocations" is an actual self-deprecating approach to MC Frontalot's own style of rap, metaphorically stating that nerd-core is a "weird and potentially self-limiting designation."

MC Frontalot doesn't take himself seriously, and this is completely apparent through his music - and not necessarily a bad thing. He is a fresh experience from the vainglorious copy-and-paste rappers who plague the airwaves. He presents a potentially neo-classical hip-hop feel, channeling rappers of yesteryear. It is by no means a smash hit, but it is definitely something that should be checked out, if only for the handful of songs that truly stand out.