Revenge of the Nerds: Show 11 - Nerdcore

Nerds had their shining moment on Yo! KALX Raps! with an entire hour devoted to nerdcore artists and generally nerdy songs. As a proud nerd myself, I thoroughly enjoyed geeking out in the studio and hopefully bringing listeners some stuff they'd never heard.

Continue reading for additional nerdcore-related reading, some personal musings on nerdcore hip-hop and the playlist.

Here's some good additional reading if you find your interest piqued by my nerdcore set: a fantastic article from Wired. Not directly related to nerdcore, but here is an amusingly insightful Nerd Handbook, which is particularly useful for those of you who find yourself in a relationship with a nerd. I speak from experience. Also, if you, too, are proud of your nerd status, then head over to Threadless and procure the "Nerds Forever" t-shirt (pictured) and we can be twins. Being nerdy never looked so damn good.

Onward to musings. Interestingly, a majority of nerdcore artists are white (at least from what I could find). I don't think that this is a coincidence. Possibly nerds are predominantly white and that reality is reflecting itself in my cursory, unscientific sampling. That would be a scientific, decidedly nerdy explanation and a perfectly acceptable one at that. I could go into a whole thing about race, socioeconomic status and opportunities for nerd-dom, but I think that would only interest me. A more fundamental point is the undeniable fact that hip-hop is first and foremost a genre dominated by people of color in which the white rapper is a rare novelty, often something more to be ridiculed than respected. Shows like VH1's "White Rapper" are a testament to this. It is certainly arguable most white rappers come off as disingenuous imitations. Don't get me wrong, there are obviously exceptions to this, i.e. the Beastie Boys, Ra Scion of Common Market, Brother Ali, 6th Sense, to name a few. So I'm not arguing that white people can't rap, but I digress. The concentration of white emcees in nerdcore makes sense because it is uncharted territory in the hip-hop genre in which newer, unknown emcees are afforded the freedom to break with the genre's conventions. In other words, white emcees found a niche sub-genre in which they could express themselves without necessarily being subject to the rules of mainstream hip-hop. It is a space where they can be exceptional without becoming a novelty.

In another interesting note, there are a lot of white DJs and producers and this has never struck me as remarkable. The whole exceptionality of the white rapper doesn't seem to apply to the white DJ. I'd have to give that more thought and it seems like material more appropriate for another post.


Show 11 - Nerdcore
30 March 2009

1. Zealous1 - "Welcome to Our Block (feat. Beefy)," Collaboc1de
2. Mic Break: Kid Koala - "Roboshuffle," Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
3. Giant Panda - "Do the Robot in Cyberspace," Electric Laser
4. YTcracker - "Meganerd," N.E.S. (Nerd Entertainment System)
5. People Under the Stairs - "Gamin' On Ya," Fun DMC
6. MC Router - "Control Panel"
7. Handsome Boy Modeling School - "Metaphysical (feat. Miho Hatori & Mike D)," So How's Your Girl ...
8. Blackalicious - "Chemical Calisthenics," Blazing Arrow
9. MC Frontalot - "Nerdcore Hip-Hop 2006"
10. Mic Break: Deltron 3030 - "3030," Deltron 3030: The Instrumentals
11. MC Hawking - "Entropy," A Brief History of Rhyme - MC Hawking's Greatest Hits
12. Sweatshop Union - "Time Machine (feat. Mat the Alien)," Water Street
13. The Mighty Underdogs - "Science Fiction," Droppin' Science Fiction
14. Optimus Rhyme - "Cybernetic Circuits," Optimus Rhyme
15. MC Lars - "No Logo," This Gigantic Robot Kills
16. Sandpeople - "Synthetique Princess," Honest Racket
17. Mic Break: MC Plus+ - "Lord Illingworth Anthem," Chip Hop
18. Deltron 3030 - "Virus," Deltron 3030

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Next On Yo! KALX Raps!: Hip-Hop Nerds of the World Unite!

With the rise of nerdcore — hip-hop for and by self-proud geeks and nerds — "geekstas" and ultra-computer-savvy emcees have carved out their own niche within the genre. They reach out to their fellow nerds with insider jokes and references to Lord of the Rings, programming languages, video games and science. On the next Yo! KALX Raps!, I'll take a look at how nerdcore artists put a twist on gangsta rap and draw from the DIY aesthetic of other alternative sub-genres like backpacker hip-hop. We'll hear from nerdcore artists like MC Hawking and Futuristic Sex Robotz and listen to songs by better-known artists such as Blackalicious that dabble in the nerdcore aesthetic.

Get your geek on with Yo! KALX Raps! tomorrow, Sunday March 29 at midnight.And here is the rest of it. Read more!

New Project: Blogging Rolling Stone's Top 250 Albums

enerally speaking, I don't take much stock in the meaningless popularity contests of endeavors like Rolling Stone’s “Top 500 Greatest Album’s of All Time.” Much like the annual farces that are the Grammys, Academy Awards and Emmys, these sorts of grand gestures are tiring parades of frivolity and the public at large's unabashedly blunt sense of taste. If I’m being too discharitable, it’s probably because I’ll never get over the fact that Leanne Rimes beat out No Doubt for the “Best New Artist” Grammy, Wall-E wasn’t even nominated for Best Film this year, and Battlestar Galactica was awarded a Peabody but not a single Emmy over it’s genre-breaking five seasons.

Yes, I am bitter.

Now that I’ve spent a good paragraph explaining why I find these sorts of things to be utterly inane, I suppose I’ll have to explain why on earth I’ve decided to launch a new personal project to listen to and blog the top 250 albums on Rolling Stones’ epic Top 500 list. As someone with a great love of music and who listens to A LOT of it, it elicits some pain and embarrassment to admit that I haven’t actually heard most of the classics. Consequently, I have a particularly underdeveloped grasp of musical history and context, which probably hampers my capacity for understanding and appreciating music to a much more informed degree. So, in a larger sense, this is project of self improvement. To make a clarifying point, I don’t think you need to know everything about the history of rock ’n’ roll to enjoy what artists are currently doing, but it would certainly provide a higher degree of insight to be familiar with their musical influences and forebears. The quest for knowledge and higher understanding aside, the RS 500 is also an effective tool for systematically expanding upon my music library and listening to the albums I’ve procured but not yet enjoyed (of which there are many). So there are philosophical as well as practical reasons for this project.

Onto another matter: Why the top 250 and not the list in its entirety? First of all, the latter half of the list seems, frankly, somewhat arbitrary and at times just down right inaccurate, unabashedly flying in the face of both reason and logic. Take for example the fact that No Doubt’s “Tragic Kingdom” (#441) -- undoubtedly the band’s magnum opus and an amazing album to boot -- comes in 100 places behind the much inferior (though admittedly still enjoyable) “Rock Steady” (#316). As an inveterate No Doubt fan (yes, many things come down to No Doubt for me, this is the universe that I operate within) AND an appreciator of a wide variety of music, I have at least some authority in arguing that this ranking is simply flat out wrong. (Parenthetical Aside: Having awarded both albums four stars, All Music Guide is frustratingly neutral on the matter. And to make things even more interesting, “Return of Saturn” was given four-and-a-half stars, and rating that I would also take issue with.)

Ultimately, this is a large reason that the list seems pretty bogus to me, so I figure I can get around that by ignoring the latter 250 albums. Also, I tried to start the project by listening to #500, Eurythmic’s “Touch,” and while it wasn’t as bad as I was anticipating (certainly deserving of a spot on the Top 500), it was a difficult album for me to sit through since I was frequently terrified by the mental image of Annie Lennox’s gaping maw.

Obviously, the bigger issue here is the sheer quantity of 500 albums. While doing just the Top 100 felt as though I was leaving out a lot of potential listening, 500 is way, way too many. Having already attempted one false start with this project, I was quickly overwhelmed by the daunting task of tackling 500 albums. 250 seems much more manageable, therefore drastically mitigating the likelihood of failure by forfeit. In other words, 250 is literally and figuratively good middle ground from which to begin.

Finally, it seems prudent to set down some ground rules.

RS Top 250 Rules of Engagement (subject to change):

1. All 250 albums will be listened to in the order in the descending order presented by Rolling Stone. No albums may be skipped regardless of how much I may dislike them.
2. Each album must be listened to in it’s entirety in a single sitting.
3. All album reviews shall be read after and not before listening to the album at hand.

Let the listening being Read more!

Show 10: Just Another Mashup Monday

How can a fan of indie rock and hip-hop reconcile their disparate interests? With a mashup, of course. Lucky for hip-hop heads who also enjoy the gentle crooning artists like Sufjan Stevens, Montreal-based producer Tor recently released a free remix mixtape, Illinoize, which brings together said indie tunage with the likes of Outkast, Big Daddy Kane and others. In the spirit of this unexpected combination, I explore all things mashup on Yo! KALX Raps!


For those with a passing interest in culture and media studies (pardon my bias, I was a communications major in college), mashups are good fodder for conversations about the postmodern aesthetic and music. I'd give you a crash course in postmodernity, but that's what wikipedia is for and I'm also, by no means, an expert. But let me put it this way: Mashups are shining examples of many of the fundamental characteristics of postmodern works, which have been traditionally applied to other areas of artistic expression, mainly visual and literary arts -- i.e. allusion to other works both within the genre itself and to other very different genres (a fundamental aspect of hip-hop in general) and a certain irreverance for lines traditionally drawn between "high" and "low" art (i.e. sampling classical music with contemporary music). If you feel like reading something more in depth (and I don't feel like writing something more in depth), here's something I stumbled across.

Now, on to the playlist.

Show 10 - Mashups
23 March 2009

1. Tor & Sufjan Stevens - "The Tallest Man/I Like It (feat. Grand Puba)," Illinoize
2. Mic Break: Radiohead & Panzah Zandahz - "No Surprises," Me & This Army: Radiohead Remixed & Mashed Up by Panzah Zandahz
3. DJ Moule - "Black Sabotage (Beastie Boys vs. Led Zeppelin)," Best of Bootie 2006
4. Girl Talk - "Play Your Part (Pt. 1)," Feed the Animals
5. The Kleptones - "Breathe In the Summertime," Yoshimi Battles the Hip-Hop Robots
6. Bullion - "God Only Knows," Pet Sounds: In the Key of Dee
7. Bullion - "You Still Believe In Dee," Pet Sounds: In the Key of Dee
8. Minty Fresh Beats - "No Karma," Jaydiohead
9. Mic Break: World Famous Audio Hacker - "Doin' Time (4PM Dub)," Thievery: The Very Best of World Famous Audio Hacker
10. DJ Cappel & Smitty - "Nasty Boy/For Man There's a Woman (Notorious B.I.G. vs. Frank Sinatra)," Blue Eyes Meet Bed-Stuy
11. Three 6 Mafia - "Late Night (Unstoppable Mix)," Top Ranking
12. Radiohead & Panzah Zandahz - "Itsoweezee (De La Soul)," Me & This Army
13. Blue Scholars - "Inkwell (Crashed-Cop-Car Remix)," Unknown Album
14. The Kleptones - "Bite," A Night At the Hip-Hopera
15. Mic Break: Bullion, "That's Not Dee," Pet Sounds: In the Key of Dee
16. Danger Mouse - "What More Can I Say," Grey Album

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OMFG: NO DOUBT ANNOUNCES SUMMER TOUR

AND I HAVE TICKETS.

In case you couldn't tell, I'm a HUGE No Doubt fan -- habit from grade school that I just couldn't shake (nor did I want to). I've seen them live 3 or 4 times and they are a truly amazing live show. I will be hitting up their 17 July show at the White River Amphitheater in Auburn, WA, with my fellow No Doubter Mel. Guaranteed, we will be right up front and center singing our throats sore. You can't see me right now, but I'm giddy like a little school girl. Expect many related posts in the future. Also, here's an interview with Gwen Stefani about the tour.

O.M.F.G.
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Show 9 - All My Ladies: Celebrating Women's History Month - Women in Hip-Hop

I've been sitting on this show idea since December when I read this Slate article about the historical and contemporary dearth of female MCs. Turns out March is Women's History Month, so I finally had a timely opportunity to explore the contributions that women have made to hip-hop. I started off with Sister Nancy's "Bam Bam" as an ode to hip-hop's roots in reggae music (I think it's fair to look at the reggae toast as the progenitor of rapping) and played cuts from legends like MC Lyte and up-and-comers like Dessa (pictured) of Minneapolis' Doomtree collective.

I had to do a lot of research for this show, which is pretty sad given that I am a woman of color with a deep love of hip-hop. But I was pleased to discover that I had more than enough truly phenomenal material for a one-hour show. In fact, something that I found interesting was that a lot of the albums by female MCs from the '80s appealed to me more than albums from their better-known male contemporaries, and I generally as a rule dislike anything from the '80s.

Most of mainstream hip-hop, like a lot of other music, has taken a turn for the worst in terms of quality and having anything interesting or thought provoking to say. The contrast between MC Lyte and Trina is striking. While I admire (to a certain degree) rappers like Lil' Kim who rough and tumble with the boys, I can't say they are necessarily helping the cause of advancing the female MC as something deserving of the respect granted their male counterparts and their rightful place as an integral part of the hip-hop movement. This is why I'm excited about MCs like Dessa and Jean Grae who are multi-dimensional, quick witted, incisive and, perhaps most importantly, extraordinarily talented. And not talented for a female MC, as some might be tempted to say, but as talented as any other MC on the mic today.

Show 9 - Female MCs
9 March 2009

1. Sister Nancy - "Bam Bam," One, Two
2. Mic Break: M.I.A. - "Paper Planes (Instrumental)," Paper Planes (Homeland Security Remixes)
3. Roxanne Shanté - "Roxanne's Revenge," Roxanne's Revenge
4. Missy Elliott - "Izzy Izzy Ahh," Supa Dupa Fly
5. Salt-N-Pepa - "Doper Than Dope," Blacks' Magic
6. The Conscious Daughters - "Not Bad But Good," The Nutcracker Suite
7. Lady Sovereign - "I Got You Dancing ...," Jigsaw
8. Mic Break: Eve - "Satisfaction (Instrumental)," Satisfaction (Single)
9. Dessa - "Mineshaft," False Hopes E.P.
10. Mystic - "Once a Week," Cuts For Luck and Scars For Freedom
11. Jean Grae - "This World," Jeanius
12. MC Lyte - "MC Lyte Likes Swingin'," Lyte As a Rock
13. Rah Digga - "What They Call Me," Dirty Harriet
14. Queen Latifah - "Wrath of My Madness," All Hail the Queen
15. Lauryn Hill & the Refugee All-Stars - "The Sweetest Thing (Instrumental)," The Sweetest Thing
16. Lauryn Hill - "Doo Wop (That Thing)," The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

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Show 8 - Bringing the Noise Pop

In the spirit of the 17th annual Noise Pop indie music festival here in San Francisco, I decided to take a look at the handful of hip-hop acts on the lineup.

Even though the festival is dedicated specifically to indie pop and rock, they were able to wrangle some impressive hip-hop names, mainly Kook Keith of the Ultramagnetic MCs who was scheduled to do a Dr. Octagon vs. Dr. Dooom show. Also of interest was N.A.S.A., which isn't a bunch of astronauts spitting about landing on the moon (though that sounds pretty awesome), but a DJ from Brazil and an American DJ which gives them their name North America South America. Their debut album is a smorgasborg of artists from different genres from Santogold of Seu Jorge. The track I played for Yo! KALX Raps! featured David Byrne singing the hook alongside Blacklicious' Gift of Gab, Chali 2na from Jurassic 5 and Z-Trip. This is undoubtedly one of the most exciting, interesting and unique releases of the year that is likely to have a lot of strange bedfellows bumping the same tunes.

I also played one of my all-time favorite live tracks from the Roots and offered some cuts from hip-hop acts that will be featured at the upcoming Sasquatch Music festival this summer in Washington.

It should be mentioned that my good buddy, Gaz, was visiting from Los Angeles and joined me in the studio! She was a lot of fun to have with me and reminded me that I should really look into getting a Yo! KALX Raps! sidekick. Anyone interested?

Show 8 - Hip-Hop @ Noise Pop
23 February 2009

1. Zion I - "The Takeover," The Takeover
2. Mic Break: Exile - "It's Coming Down," Radio
3. N.A.S.A. - "The People Tree," The Spirit of Apollo
4. Kutmasta Kurt - "Pmd (Of Epmd) - Straight From the Heart," Redneck Olympics
5. Crown City Rockers - "No Sense," Earthtones
6. Mike Relm - "My Heart," Spectacle
7. Dr. Octagon - "Blue Flowers," Dr. Octagonecologyst
8. Mic Break: Exile - "Stay Tuned (here)," Radio
9. The Roots - "The Seed/Melting Pot/Web (Live)," Home Grown! The Beginner's Guide to the Roots, Vol. 2
10. Mic Break: Exile - "Love Line," Radio
11. K'naan - "America," Troubador
12. The Knux - "Cappuccino (Remix)," The Hole
13. Exile - "Jeppy," Unknown Album
14. The Grouch - "Show You the World," Show You the World
    

Notes:

• All the mic beds featured music from Exile in order to highlight his new release, which was forthcoming at the time the show was broadcast.
• In reality, only one mic set was dedicated entirely to Noise Pop, which is because there weren't that many hip-hop acts at the festival, it being an indie rock/pop festival and all. I decided to play the Roots track in the spirit of live shows and because it's one of my favorite live tracks. I actually prefer the live version of "The Seed" featured on that track to the original recording.
• I played K'naan also to feature an upcoming and noteworthy release.
• The Knux are going to be playing at the Sasquatch Festival this summer at the Gorge in Washington, so that was another nod to live shows.
• I ended with the "Show You the World" because it features Raphael Saadiq, who I was going to see perform at the Fillmore.
  

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Show 7 - Special Visitor & Hip-Hop Favorites

I had a very special guest in the studio with me for Show 7. None other than my favorite and only brother, DJ Scoop Rubio of UW's Rainydawg Radio fame! We each supplied half of the show's playlist with our favorite hip-hop tracks. It was such a blast having him in the studio with me and we had a good time looking back at the songs that fostered our love of hip-hop. It was SUPER special for me, because my brother is actually the person who got me into hip-hop in the first place.

Also, a fun anecdote: We befriended the fellow working at Top Dog, where we dropped by for a late night snack. My brother asked if he had been listening earlier and explained that we had been the DJs on air. Hot dog dude explained that he had enjoyed the show and that he was excited to have something fun to listen to as he had just switched shifts to Sunday nights. He advised that I drop by after my shows, which I have done and will continue to do.

Top Dog is officially the post-Yo! KALX Raps! hang out spot. So, you now know where to find me at 1 a.m. every 2nd and 4th Monday morning of the month. My dog of choice? The Weiner, of course. Hands down the best vegetarian hot dog you will ever sink your teeth into.

Show 7 - Hip-Hop Favorites with Scoop Rubio
9 February 2009

1. Missy Elliott - "The Rain," Supa Dupa Fly
2. Mic Break: The Notorious B.I.G. - "Mo Money Mo Problems (Instrumental)," Mo Money Mo Problems (Single)
   
3. Slick Rick - "Children's Story," The Great Adventures of Slick Rick
4. 2Pac - "How Do U Want It," How Do U Want It (Single)
5. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - "The Crossroads (DJ U-Neek's Mo Thug Remix)," Tha Crossroads (Single)
6. Mic Break: Lil' Kim - "Not Tonight (Remix Instrumental)," Not Tonight (Single)
7. The Fugees - "Fu-Gee-La," The Score
8. Busta Rhymes - "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See," When Disaster Strikes
9. Q-Tip - "Vivrant Thing," Amplified
10. Blue Scholars - "The Ave," Blue Scholars
11. Wu-Tang Clan - "Gravel Pit," The W
12. Mic Break: The Fugees - "Fu-Gee-La (Refugee Camp Remix Instrumental)," Fu-Gee-La (Single)
13. Common - "I Used to Love H.E.R.," Resurrection
    

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Show 6 - The Shape of Things to Come

To kick off 2009 on Yo! KALX Raps! I looked forward to upcoming releases, some with slated release dates, some anticipated and others pure speculation (the Fugees?? I'm not about to hold my breath ... but a girl can wish.)

Show 6 - Upcoming Releases
12 January 2009

1. The Fugees - "Ready or Not (Clark Kent/Django Remix)," The Complete Score
2. Mic Break - Busta Rhymes - "It's a Party," It's a Party
   
3. Dangerdoom - "The Mask," The Mouse & the Mask
4. Rob Swift - "Cutting Class," Soulful Fruit
5. Minty Fresh Beats - "99 Anthems," Jaydiohead
6. Mos Def - "Sex Love & Money," The New Danger
7. Dälek - "Atypical Stereotypes," Gutter Tactics
8. Mic Break: Rob Swift, "A Natural High" and "A Scratch is a Musical Note," Soulful Fruit
9. Conscious Daughters - "Female Vocalism," Gamers
10. Rakim - "The Master," Strong Island
11. The Notorious B.I.G. - "Respect," Ready To Die
12. Deltron 3030 - "Things You Can Do," Deltron 3030
13. Mic Break: Bone Thugs N Harmony - "War (The Gorgonite Instrumental)," War
14. Q-Tip - "Believe," The Renaissance

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It's Been a While ... Show 5 Playlist

I shouldn'ta left you ... without a dope beat to step to. By beats, I mean playlists for Yo! KALX Raps! or any other kind of music related posts. I don't even have a good excuse for not blogging, so I'm just going to skip the usual written self-flagellation for not updating and just get on with.

After the jump you'll find the first of a few Yo! KALX Raps! Playlists that I've neglected to post until now.

Wow, I have to reach all the way back to December for my Show 5 playlist, that's how inattentive I've been. Better late than never, I suppose. My last show of 2008 was a look back at the year in hip-hop with some of my favorite tracks from '08.

Show 5 - Hip-Hop in 2008
22 December 2009

1. Animal Farm - "Rookie of the Year," The Unknown
2. Mic Break: Lil' Wayne - "Lollipop (Instrumental)," Tha Carter III
3. Buckshot & 9th Wonder - "Man Listen," The Formula
4. Q-Tip - "Official," The Renaissance
5. The Mighty Underdogs - "Victorious," Droppin' Science Fiction
6. 88-Keys - "Ho' is Short for Honey," The Death of Adam
7. The Roots - "I Will Not Apologize," Rising Down
8. The Cool Kids - "88," The Bake Sale
9. Mic Break: Kanye West - "Robocop (Instrumental)," 808s and Heartbreak
10. Common - "Make My Day," Universal Mind Control
11. Chali 2na - "Join the Dots," Fish Market
12. Jakeone - "White Van," White Van Music
13. Del tha Funky Homosapien - "Workin' It," Eleventh Hour
14. Giant Panda - "Laser Ray," Electric Laser
15. Mic Break: Blue Scholars - "BUTTER&GUN$ (Instrumental)," BUTTER&GUN$ E.P.
16. New Jack Hustle - "Last Newport," Sound Check

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