Nerdcore – the geeky offshoot of rap and hiphop, more concerned with witches and trolls than bitches and hoes – where the size of your RAM is far more important than the size of your gun has thus far been a very American institution. But things change.

Thanks to a man named  Milk Plus and the homeless of London (yes, really) The UK now has a Nerdcore scene to call it’s own.

Who is behind the UK revolution? Matt Catlow is a music production trainer for a large homeless charity by day…. and nerd rapper “Milk-Plus” by night. (Milk-Plus being a reference to the fictional drink in the book/film ‘A Clockwork Orange’) Through his work with the homeless he works in a fully equipped recording studio in Covent Garden, London providing music production training and recording opportunities for homeless clients. A lot of the service users are rappers and most of them rap about the streets and the negativity inherent in gang culture. Nerdcore offers geeksta as an alternative to gangsta rap and because of the aforementioned wide lyrical playing field rappers can find something positive to rap about and still fit right in.

So, UK nerdcore now has a home, and a de facto leader. The tenth anniversary of the word Nerdcore (as coined by MC Frontalot) is coming up and now is the time for British nerdcore to rise up and get elevated. Go here and join in the fun

Nerdcore Rap s a fairly new and unexplored genre. For those unaware of its charms, I shall help you out with a handy metaphor. It’s NWA, if they didn’t rap about shooting people and instead rapped about Dungeons & Dragons, computer programming and science.

Simple.

But quite strange.

But we at Downtuned think Nerdcore deserves a wider audience. Because, at least this reviewer’s mind, it’s quite good. So – for your enjoyment – the top 10 Nerdcore rap tracks EVER. (With embedded videos). In no order.

MC Chris – Fett’s Vette

Possibly the most famous nerdcore track due to its use in nerd-friendly Kevin Smith movie Zack & Miri Make A Porno, it’s a simple, catchy track about Star Wars’ favourite Mandalorian armour sporting bounty hunter – Boba Fett.

Futuristic Sex Robots – Fuck The MPAA

Sounding like an anthem for pirates and file-sharers, The Futuristic Sex Robots’ Fuck The MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) drops references to the movie Hackers and Straight Outta Compton and shows Nerdcore’s political (well – political about the Internet) side.

MC Frontalot – It is Pitch Dark

MC Frontalot is the de facto inventor of Nerdcore, is critically acclaimed and is even the star of the first Nerdcore documentary – Nerdcore Rising. It Is Pitch Dark deals with a pinnacle of nerd-dom – the retro computer game Zork. A master of wordplay and catchy as hell – MC Frontalot deserves his place at top of the Nerdcore tree.

MC Lars – Mr Raven

Proving that being a nerd can extend to literature, MC Lars mixes Edgar Allen Poe with catchy hooks and Paris Hilton sex tape references. Postmodern. Or something.

Optimus Rhyme – Autobeat Airbus

Proving that Nerdcore isn’t just dudes with computers in bedrooms, Optimus Rhyme is a full band, but that doesn’t stop them writing songs about their own band re-imagined as transforming robots…

Schaffer The Darklord – Attack Of The Clonefucker

Sitting somewhere between rap and stand-up – Schaffer The Darklord creates a song about something we’ve all thought about – having sex with your own clone. Go fuck yourself indeed.

MC Router – Buggin’ Out

See – not just a boys club! MC Router rolls with the big (read – probably fat) boys and holds her own easily, with a track about the usual nerdy pursuit – de-bugging a PC.

YTcracker – Warez Loder

A true geek gangster – YTCracker had his first taste of fame breaking into government websites for kicks. He has since ditched the crime (like a lot of ‘normal’ rappers) and now rhymes about nefarious Internet activities…

Beefy – You Can Call Me Beef

Beefy, who seems to be the most likable guy in Nerdcore, drops references incredibly quickly. I believe you get a prize if you get them all.

MC Hawking – What We Need More Of Is Science

Ever wondered what MC Hawking would sound like if he was a gangsta rapper? Wonder no more, through the power of Nerdcore!

So, enjoying Nerdcore?

Check out

Hipster Please! The Nerdcore blog

Nerdcore Rising – The Nerdcore Movie

Rhyme Torrents – The Nerdcore Resourse