At the forefront of the Nerdcore scene are Frontalot, mc chris, MC Lars, and YTCracker. Front is the godfather of the scene, coining the term and embracing all that is nerdy, dorky, dweeby, or geeky; you all know him and love him… and if you don’t, you should. mc chris doesn’t like to call himself Nerdcore, but due is a nerd rapper extraordinaire; you know him as MC Pee Pants and Hesh, or perhaps the dude who did that funny track about Boba Fett driving a Corvette. MC Lars is fun and enjoyable; he’s likely you’re friend on Facebook already, having nearly as many friends as Tom has on MySpace. YTC is a cracker and hacker turned emcee; Nerdrap Entertainment System still stands as a unique and groundbreaking work.

Beyond the big four, this illustrious site has covered the likes of Beefy, Shael Riley, Dual Core, and The ThoughtCriminals/Mikal kHill, as well as nerdy acts that don’t identify specifically with the subgenre like Pigeon John. However, today presents a great time to give the readers a brief primer of some other things the world of Nerdcore has to offer. Here are 10 more nerds that you need to know:

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What could be a better way to finish up a busy week and roll into the weekend that a free Flynn Adam joint? I can’t think of any.

If you don’t know Flynn, perhaps you’ve been living under a rock. Most recently, he’s released 4 solo EPs in a years time while finding time to squeeze in a project with Pigeon John called Rootbeer. But if you’ve had a busy year, maybe you’ve somehow missed all of this… perhaps you remember him as the dope producer, rapper, and entertainer that once helped save Joey Lawrence from a mannapping… or perhaps you know him as the collaborator extraordinaire who has worked with everyone from industry giants (Will.I.Am, Madlib, Prince Paul) to your buddy down the street… but if you don’t know who he is, there’s no time like the present!

With a new EP out soon, Flynn has leaked a teaser track. The title track of the forthcoming Bang the Drums EP can be downloaded for FREE here. Only a fool would pass up on the opportunity to download what is sure to be your new favorite party joint.

Gorillaz Plastic Beach
Plastic Beach=Fail. Where’s the funky beats and fun lyrics?
Alicia rates this album 4 out of 10
(TPM feels quite similarly)

Pigeon John …And the Summertime Pool Party
Pigeon’s unique blend of rapping and singing will conquer hiphop.
Aaron rates this album 9 out of 10.

Operation Ivy Hectic/Energy
Don’t forget to break this one out every few months
Matthew rates this album 8.5 out of 10

DJ Shadow The Outsider
I threw it out the window of my moving vehicle.
Mikal rates this album 3 out of 10.

Childish Gambino I’m Just a Rapper 2
Great indie rock samples, clever rapping… lyrics a bit repetitive
Aaron rates this album 6 out of 10.

Spinal Tap Shark Sandwich
Shit Sandwich
Jacob rates this album 0.5 out of 10.

The Ramones The Ramones
And so it begins.
Aaron rates this album 10 out of 10.

MC Frontalot Zero Day
Nerdcore with no limits. Fresh, fun: his best album yet.
Benjamin rates this album 8.5 out of 10.

The White Stripes Under Great White Norther Lights
The White Stripes rock hard live… new studio album please.
Aaron rates this album 9 out of 10.

Johnny Cash The Collection: Disc 2
The Man in Black’s best songs all on one disc.
thepaintedman (that’s me) rates this album 9.5 out of 10.

Thanks to Alicia, Matthew, Aaron, Jacob, and Mikal for their reviews. Don’t forget to email me and claim your kick ass prizes (speaking of “kick ass” Kick Ass came out today, anyone wanna come babysit so I can see it?)

thepaintedman rates this:

Remember the 90’s dance music machine C&C Music Factory? Well, this is by no means them. Rather, it’s the newest release by Jason “CookBook” Soto and Rene “Uno Mas” Palma, C&U Music Factory, released on Just-US/Audio Sketch Book Records. Presente!

Complete with some great guests like Evidence of Dilated Peoples, Pigeon John, Site Raw, Sareem Poems (fka Sharlock Poems of LA Symphony), DJ Rhettmatic, King Charizmatic, Scarub of Living Legends, and Raquel Rodriguez, this CD demonstrates the skills of Cook and Uno, two Latino MC’s with pride for their roots and love for their fans and their craft. If you aren’t familiar with this duo, suffice it to say that they’ve been around the block a few times and have been doing it together for over a decade. Formerly part of the well-known Christian hip hop collective LA Symphony, they’ve continued to forge on despite the demise of the seminal outfit. In the past few years, they’ve released a few releases together, many made available to their fans for free, and Cook released his first solo effort last year. Now, with C&U Music Factory, they continue their legacy of releasing great hip hop that is both commercially viable and uncompromising, something very uncommon in today’s big budget bling rap world.

15 tracks and a bonus cut makes 16 tracks in all. All 6 are solid, but there are a few that standout to me. “When You Rock & Roll” features Evidence, another great MC, making the duo a trio; this is a great hip hop track with a fun hook, plus I like any hip hop track that has the words “rock” and/or “roll” in the title. “Our Life Sounds Nice” just flows so perfectly, if it doesn’t make you bounce (like I am doing in my chair as I type this) then you may need to check your pulse. “Just-Us” has a rock vibe to it and some Santana-like intricacies in the guitar work, which is always a good thing for me (a guy who named his son Cash Hendrix); Raquel’s vocals are great in the hook and Site Raw lays down a nice verse. “AM Radio” is all about the verses that Cook, Uno, King, and Sareem lay down, with a perfectly understated backbeat. “Where Ya Been All My Life?” features my favorite MC, so how can it not be fresh?

But my favorite track is “Monster Mosh”. This is quite possibly due to my recent interest in all things monster and horror related, but I think that it can also be credited to the hot beat and the playful and entertaining lyrics. Complete with references to too many horror flicks and monster myths to name, the lyrical content is extremely fun. The chorus is very catchy as they “turn hip hop audiences into a mosh pit”. I guess all there is left to say about this track is that the diabolical laughing at the end is kinda creepy and I’ll have to make a point to find out who that was next time I get the chance to talk to the fellas.

Overall, it’s fair to say I’m not hip hop authority, but when a 16 track CD has 8 or more tracks that will be continually getting play on my iPod for weeks, months, and years to come, it’s also fair to say that this is a solid outing. Enjoyable, sometimes thought provoking, and always fun… once again Cook and Uno show that they love hip hop, their God, and making music together.

As I sit here, snowed in, for the second time in a week, I am watching Independence Day on VHS. Since today is a cold day, where I need something to warm me up, I decided to start off with a bit of the sound of the surf to open this one up. The closer: (Pictured on the right) Michael Signorelli’s winning entry for the ReverseRemixThis! Contest in which entrants were asked to prepare lyrics and vocals for a great instrumental track by the VBM band, Map. In between, new track from Cook & UNO, killer hardcore from Twin Killing and Debtor, and a whole lot more. ENJOY!

1. Mainsail’s “Endless Summer” is the opening track off of the recent release from Joel Bennett’s latest musical endeavor. Buy the CD on iTunes here.

2. Debtor’s “Escape” is also a leadoff track. It’s from their EP entitled Deliverance. Spirit Filled Hardcore is back!

3. Twin Killing’s “Hard Times” is one of my favorite tracks from their 2008 release, …If This Could Last Forever. A real hardcore song in a world where mallcore reigns. Love it!

4. Cook & UNO’s “Where Ya Been All My Life?” (Featuring Pigeon John) is off of C&U Music Factory, the newest release from the duo formerly known as “The Eternals”. Throw in my favorite MC and it’s a trio to swoon over. Expect a review of the album within the next week.

5. The Glass Gentlemen’s “Ocean Stars” is another example of this indie band’s talent and ability. Brad and Brad continue to crank out viable, relevant music, even if most of the world has no idea who they are.

6. Jennings’s “Surrender” is a killer track from this future pop starlet. Get on board now… and, check out a review of the Storybook EP.

7. Megaphone’s “My Favorite New Disaster” is an enjoyable track from this radio friendly rock act. Look for a review on the site soon.

8. The Pimps of Joytime’s “Joytime Radio”. What do I need to say about a band called The Pimps of Joytime? How can this not be a song you want to hear?

9. Look Mexico’s “You’re Not Afraid of the Dark Are You?” is a track by this solid Lujo Records act. If you are familiar with Lujo, you know that they produce quality music.

10. TechnoBears’s “Night of the Brainless Date” is another breath of fresh air. TechnoBears has entered several of the TPM remix contests and I’ve always enjoyed his contributions. This is no different. Enjoy.

11. CONTEST WINNER: Map’s “Issues and Subscriptions” (featuring Michael Signorelli of the85bears). Michael did a great job with this. Of course, he had a great backdrop to work with… but he delivered, earning himself Map’s entire discography as his prize. Congrats, Mike Email me with an address to send your prize to).

Like Mike’s take on this Map track? Check out more by his band, the85bears.

But, wait there’s more…

12. BONUS TRACK (Runner up): Map’s “Issues and Subscriptions” (featuring David Paskey).

13. BONUS TRACK (Runner up): Map’s “Issues and Subscriptions” (featuring Kiko Correa).

14. BONUS TRACK (Runner up): Map’s “Issues and Subscriptions” (featuring Daniel Stirling).

(You three should also Email me for your prizes).

Last week I asked what song you’d sing on an American Idol audition, to which I received some great answers, including Skot’s CD-winning-worthy tune from Les Miserables (Hit me up for your choices, Skotty). This week, I think the question is easily as awesome… or even awesomer!

In light of the review I posted earlier today, I thought to myself,

Self, if you were a dope master of the ceremonies like Kevin “Kwalified” Richie, what would your name be?

A truly interesting question, I found myself with many options, some that were quite fly and others that would not fly at all. I mean, think of all the great names that my favorite MCs go by: Beefy, Mos Def, Pigeon John, Uno Mas, Blackthought, CookBook, MC Frontalot, thekeenone… but what to name myself?

First, I thought,

What about “MCJC”, I mean Justin Charles… JC… ah, I guess that sucks. Oh, I know, I could make it a play on one of my favorite MCs, like I could “Dos Mas” or even better yet “Whitethought”… no wait, that sounds like a white supremacist rapper, if there is such a thing.

I realized that as creative as I thought I was, I wasn’t. In fact, the name I chose was the easiest of all… and a name that my wife’s grandpop came up with to begin with… so here it is (stand in awe of my wit and wisdom!): “thepaintedman”.

HA! I am awesome. So, now it’s your turn. What would your rap name be?

My favorite answer gets a Hip Hop prizepack. Word?

Word.

thepaintedman rates this:

Kevin Richie, aka Kwalified Emcee, is indeed a qualified MC. Like my boy CookBook (who has a new joint releasing on the 26th with Uno Mas), Kwalified’s newest release is a concept album based on 80’s culture… though Kwalified is a bit more focused, specifically on the classic TV show The Wonder Years. If you are not familiar with the adolescent drama that ran from 1988 through the early to mid 90’s, then you need not read on, because you are not the target audience. If you, however, didn’t live under a rock during this time (or through the late 90’s and early 2000’s when it hit a second audience in syndication), then you should be able to appreciate Kwal’s Kevin Arnold EP.

Each track has its own flavor, some with a very blatant nod to the show and some that seem only vaguely connected, but the EP flows very well and makes this Wonder Years fan very nostalgic. Interwoven clips from the show and lyrics about Kevin’s big brother Wayne and his love interest Winnie Cooper (who is still quite hot, by the way) capture Kwalified desire to pay homage to a show that was ever present in the adolescent lives of many 20-somethings like myself.

The opening track sets the tone with a great clip, a little bit of the Joe Cocker theme, and a great intro song to the EP that features a chorus that quotes the famed lyrics originally sung by Ringo Starr. The seventh track concludes the homage to the show with Kwalified relating Kevin Arnold’s life to his own.

After these 7 tracks, Kwal includes 3 additional tracks that continue to highlight his talents (even though it seems that the right people have yet to discover him, as he declares in “Exit the Wonder Years” that he has yet to “make a dime” from “writing a rhyme”). My favorite track on the album, perhaps due to my own nerdiness as much as anything, is one of these 3 tracks. It is entitled “I Like She Like” and features the chorus, “I like Batman, she likes Superman.” Of course, I side with him and am not quite sure I could dig on a gal who prefers Superman (my wife much prefers Bruce Wayne’s alter-ego to Clark Kent’s, so I’m all good on that tip).

My other favorite tracks on this EP are “Winnie Cooper” (included on the January mixtape) and another of the 3 post-Wonder Years tracks entitled “Ohdee!” The old school WWF references hook me early on the latter track. Worth mentioning here, one of the sweet things about indie hip hop vs. indie rock is that self-produced hip hop doesn’t hurt the experience the way it can cripple a band trying to use Pro Tools on their laptop in a basement studio.

All in all, a fantastic effort by a nerdy MC that is likely to join the ranks of Pigeon John, Wyclef Jean, CookBook, Uno Mas, Int80, Beefy, and Mos Def in my personal pantheon of the dopest in the biz.

thepaintedman rates this:

The 3rd day of Christmas (at least by thepaintedman’s math), brings more fresh hip hop, in fact… what I am presenting to you is the freshest Christmas themed hip hop since Rev Run, Darryl McDaniels, and the Jam Master presented us the classic tune of which I shared with you yesterday.

This 10 song compilation is thoroughly enjoyable and can spice up you Christmas playlist very easily, as it has mine. All 10 songs are solid, featuring artists like LA Symphony (including my boys CookBeezy and Uno Mas, who incidently I saw on JCTV yesterday while flipping channels), MG! the Visionary (a man responsible for getting me much deeper into hip hop than I ever had been before when he released Transparemcee…), Scribbling Idiots (JustMe, Cas Metah, Mouf Warren, Theory Hazit, and Wonder Brown), Sintax the Terrific (free download of track “Snow Day” coming on Friday’s mixtape), Page One, Elias, Caramel Skillington, and Sivion. And while, I can honestly assert that all 10 tracks are fun, enjoyable, and well made, here are my top 4, in David Letterman-esque fashion:

4. LA Symphony’s “Christmas Song”

While I have not confirmed this, I assume this is an older LA Symph track, notably because of the presence of Pigeon John on the track. The beat takes a back seat to the rhymes of this all star cast of MCs. (Their other track on this comp is a sweet track, too. It’s entitled, “It’s Christmas” and has a beat I dig a bit more, but the lyrics and showcasing of the delivery of these talented MCs on this track make it my favorite of the two).

3. Elias’s “Maria”

Different than the other tracks here, Elias’s track is not really a hip hop track, but rather an acoustic reggae track ala Bradley Nowell of Sublime. A fantastic track for fans of hip hop and those who don’t bump much hip hop alike. Been stuck in my head for a few hours now (as I type this I am singing the song aloud in my office).

2. Page One, Theory Hazit, MG! the Visionary, and DJ Because’s “We Three Kings”

I’m just such a sucker for MG’s flow and adding a few other fantastic artists into the mix doesn’t hurt. I wholly dig the jingle bells and how they pair with the scratch work and the backbeat. Hot track. Period.

1. Scribbling Idiots’ “Jingle Bell Knock”

Sampling “Jingle Bell Rock” is genius for this track. The construction of the beat is phenomenal. While the LA Symph track noted above is almost entirely about the MCs on the track for me, this selection as my favorite track is easily as much about the production and beat as it is about the rhymes and flows. A very well put-together track from the collective that seems to be at the helm of all that is Illect.

Download these tracks today from sphereofhiphopstore.com or on coming soon on iTunes… you won’t be sorry. And then you can come back and tell me which tracks are your favorite. Maybe, JUST MAYBE, telling me about your favorite track(s) will pay off with a little Christmas surprise in the way of some free music.

Without further ado, here’s my first ever podcast… thepaintedpodcast 1.0: What a Tangled Webb We Weave features 2 tracks by Derek Webb and a full length interview I did with him with phone for Decapolis. While I work my butt off transcribing the full interview for Decap, I figured I’d share it as a podcast with my loyal TPM readers.

This week is Contest Week, so I can’t just post something without including a small contest now, can I?

This is the first and simplest contest… follow these 3 easy steps and you may be the winner of a copy of one of my all-time favorite CD’s, a sealed copy of the out-of-print original pressing of Soul-Junk’s 1956. This CD if the very CD that introduced me to Pigeon John, who has become my favorite emcee over the years… here is what you gotta do.

1. Download the Podcast.
2. Tell me what was the most interesting thing Derek talked about to you by commenting on this post.
3. Email me at justincharlesharlan@gmail.com with a follow up question to Derek that I can pass along to him.

Enjoy the conversation with Derek, he’s quite the interesting artist and you won’t have to take my word for it. Contest will run through Friday, so you’ve got a week to listen to the coolness of Derek and the not-quite-as-coolness of me.