Nerdcore

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 (to describe this genre) in the 2000 song "Nerdcore Hiphop".^[5] 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.^[6]

Though nerdcore rappers rhyme about anything from politics to science fiction, there are some perennial favorites in nerdcore subject matter, including anime, Star Wars, role-playing games, science, fantasy and computers.

Music with similar themes, but different musical styles can be found in the filk and geek rock genres. There are hip hop artists who have recorded compositions which focus on similar topics, but who are not generally considered nerdcore. Examples would be Blackalicious, a group which does not claim to be nerdcore, despite science-oriented songs like "Chemical Calisthenics", and MF DOOM, who was heavily inspired by comic book supervillains but is generally seen as more conventional hip hop. Conversely, one does not need to concentrate on those topics to be nerdcore: most of the songs by Frontalot do not focus narrowly on stereotypically nerdy topics. The difference is largely one of self-identification; the group Blackalicious does not identify as "nerds", while Frontalot does.^[7]