Sexiest Geeks Alive

You know those movies that you hear about long before they’re actually released, those movies that you start talking up to your friends even before you’ve seen them, those movies that you rally a group to see without reading a single review? Well Nerdcore For Life was one of those movies for me. And let me tell you: it did not disappoint! After waiting for it for months, I saw it at its only San Francisco screening, as part of the Frozen Film Festival.

I first heard about the film when I was trolling the Rhyme Torrents boards. This was while I was getting ready to direct the video for an MC Chris song, Nrrrd Grrrl. I confess I was unfamiliar with “nerdcore” (aka “geeksta rap”). For those of you who are as lost as I was, nerdcore is rapping that’s by and for nerds, about topics like WoW, programming, comic books, etc. There’s a huge range of sounds and people out there making it. As soon as I heard about it, I was curious. As soon as I heard it, I was hooked.

The movie “Nerdcore for Life” is a documentary about this music and it is fantastic. The director, Dan Lamoureux, gives us a good picture of a new field as it’s emerging, introducing not just music but the people as well. The film features so many of my new faves, Optimus Rhyme, YTCracker, MC Chris, MC Hawking (”what if Stephen Hawking was a rapper?”), Lords of the Rhymes (who rap about Tolkein), and so many more. It gets into the history and politics of nerdcore, including the ongoing battles between Monzy and MC Plus +, and between MC Router and Nurshella, two of a rare breed: female nerdcore rappers. The film’s title comes from a great laid-back track by Beefy.

After the screening, the producers organized a free show up the street where Nomad showed he’s not your everyday black geek rapper and Doc Popular wowed us both with his rhymes and his amazing yoyo skills (be still my heart!). A special shout out goes to MC Lars, who won me over by rapping about Moby Dick and introducing me to his oh-so-cute parents at the afterparty - they are his roadies and biggest fans!

I highly recommend catching the film if it comes to your town - or maybe you should sponsor a screening to get it there!