XPost: rec.music.hip-hop.nerdcore, alt.rap, alt.rap.highc   
   XPost: rec.music.alternative, alt.mp3, alt.flame   
   XPost: alt.rock-n-roll.metal.death, alt.nerd.obsessive, alt.os.linux   
   From: jasonzc@yahoo.com   
      
   Ah, Rhyme Torrents, the nerdcore hip-hop compilation CD project. I'm the   
   guy who put it together, but I don't think that should stop me from   
   reviewing it. In fact, it would probably give people an idea of why I   
   used the tracks I used, and also allow me to give some constructive   
   feedback in a somewhat objective manner. After all, no one has more   
   insight into the process than I.   
      
   This first disc is a bit "name" heavy, I feel. I wish I had been able to   
   spread these tracks more evenly over the first two discs, but I wanted to   
   give the early adopters the first slots. Still, time constraints, late   
   entries and other factors disrupted even that plan. Mainly because I lost   
   track of who signed on first when things began to get most hectic on the   
   announced day of release.   
      
   0. MC Frontalot with Baddd Spellah - "Nerdcore Hip-Hop 2006". This song   
   was a natural for inclusion. An entirely new remix of the song that   
   started it all. It hits so damn hard with Spellah's beat, I've almost   
   forgotten about the original, and the first remix. This is the defacto   
   standard for nerdcore. Front's rhymes are still fresh some six years   
   after the fact, and his MC persona shines through, complimenting the   
   backing track perfectly. Few of us will ever write a track this perfect   
   in our lives. The new mix includes moonshine jugs and slide whistles, and   
   even the addition of some six seconds of new Frontalot. ; ) Consider it a   
   teaser for his next CD, which promises to be a monster. A new track would   
   have been nice, true, but he was on tour at the time. Support him by   
   buying his CDs, shirts and going to shows, and you're assured a steady   
   flow of new tracks.   
      
   1. YTcracker - "White Warrior (Chris Diss)" If I didn't have the   
   Frontalot track to open the CD with, I would have gone with this. It is   
   the most scathing attack on MC Chris that you could imagine. YT flips the   
   Robotussin beat coupled with a little Gauntlet tie-in. Lyrically, he   
   emasculates Chris, pointing out that his fame comes mainly from his   
   Cartoon Network relationship rather than any extraordinary rhyme skills,   
   he sounds like a damn woman, and he's a bit of a poseur, overall. This   
   track is hard, and I kept it a secret for as long as I could, knowing   
   that so many Rhyme Torrents artists are MC Chris fans. Or, were, at   
   least. Many people were a bit perturbed by Chris's refusal to participate   
   in the project, or even respond to any email on the subject, instead   
   electing to have his lawyer or manager reply, asking for money. Way to   
   shoot your foot off, Chris. In true hip-hop style, YT climbed to the top   
   over the corpse of a former top dog. Lots of geek cred in this one,   
   including a few references to YT's somewhat legendary hacking skills.   
      
   2. Benjamin Bear - "Interlude" I probably shouldn't have placed this   
   track where I did, as it really sort of disrupts the musical flow early   
   on. Oh, well. Consider it a palate cleanser. It's a sharp jab at WoW   
   obsessives and the like, or as Futuristix Sex Robotz would say "internet   
   teenagers pretending to be gangster ass players". He even manages a   
   perfect Mike Myers imitation near the end. This is just a preview of how   
   cool Benjamin Bear is, with a mix of his street cred style coupled with   
   intimate geek knowledge.   
      
   3. Oddioblender - "Zombie Panic" This space was originally Odd's   
   "Gustuf's Blues", but he and I decided to move that to disc two, and   
   substitute this track instead. Mainly because so many people seem really   
   uptight as to what qualifies as 'nerdcore', and the whining hurts my   
   ears. Having said that, I'm glad we did it. It's a bass-heavy, ominous   
   track that really suits the theme of the lyrics, which should be obvious   
   based on the title. He's a hell of a producer that's starting to make   
   beats for all sorts of NCHH artists, and also a solid lyricist/MC in his   
   own right. The overall track and flow propel you forward with an actual   
   sense of tension and panic, which is a sign of good songwriting, I'd say.   
   The chorus is another bit of cleverness, as it's an emergency broadcast   
   riff that compliments the rest of the track well. Very much written like   
   a well-made Zombie video game. I'd like to hear more of this type of   
   track from Oddioblender.   
      
   4. Ham-STAR - "Off The Wheel" Ham-STAR really evokes a reaction from   
   listeners. People either dig it or loathe it. I think he's one of the   
   best lyricists on the discs. Working within the rapping hamster genre   
   (how nerdcore is that?), he weaves a tale of geeks finding their true   
   calling by abandoning their daily grind cubicle slave positions. It's   
   inspiring stuff, very original, and it's not just talk. Ham-STAR is   
   living the life. Instrumentally, the piano is nice, but the track does   
   lack a little 'oomph' in the production department. Still, it fits the   
   overall theme and style of Ham-STAR's work. Aside from the lyrics,   
   another stand-out part of the track is the sung chorus. And as for his   
   voice, if nerdcore is cool with men who sounds like ten year old girls,   
   girls who sound like ten year old boys, and crippled voice synthesizer   
   MCs, there is definitely room for a Ham-STAR in the pantheon of nerdcore   
   artists.   
      
   5. Beefy - "Tub of Tabasco" Beefy ended up being a huge disappointment.   
   He seems to entirely regret his involvement with the compilation, which   
   is a shame. Eh, he's pretty young, so I guess I shouldn't be bothered so   
   much. At any rate, this is a great track, better than anything he's ever   
   done before. It has a great backing track by Doc Popular, which is very   
   driving and varied. Lyrically, like all Beefy tracks, it's about himself   
   and his nerdcore cred. He's a peculiar beast, as he swings wildly from   
   low self-esteem to overestimating his importance in the scheme of things.   
   I guess one attitude is nerdcore and the other is hip-hop, so it's almost   
   logical, if a bit schizophrenic. The breakdown in the middle is a real   
   treat, with Beefy and his roommate/cohort attempting to rob a comic book   
   shop. In fact, Jones nearly steals the show with just a few spoken lines.   
   I hope he appears on more tracks. The chorus is perhaps used a few times   
   too many for my taste, but it's so damn catchy that you don't really   
   notice. He varies his delivery a lot, and manages to create a real   
   standout track, personality issues aside. It will be interesting to see   
   how he matures, musically, and as an individual.   
      
   6. Ultraklystron - "Five to Nine" This cat is so damn talented, it freaks   
   me out. His work is so melodic and catchy, I'm constantly blown away.   
   He's a very unlikely MC, maybe even for nerdcore. He's an anime fan with   
   press credentials, a cosplayer who's constantly surrounded by very hot   
   women, and a bit of a dandy. Effete, erudite, there are probably other   
   descriptors that begin with E that fit. He's just so damn fly as a   
   songwriter and as a rapper. I mean, sure he would get his ass kicked in   
   the hood if he came with this style, but this is nerdcore. Most of these   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)