I've always been a nerd. I've been a nerd for long, so ingrained in the very fabric of my being, I've forgotten that it's supposed to be an insult. People actually use words like "nerd" and "geek" to make others feel bad. In the same way that I don't see "4-eyes" as an insult (it's a factual statement), I don't have any negative connotations with these words. It's so much a part of who I am, it'd be like someone using my name as an insult, you know?
Nerds and geeks have worked to reclaim these words and grant them a positive feeling. We are living in an age when it's finally cool to be a nerd (notice I could have said "Hip to be Square", but resisted the obvious and very cheesy joke. You're welcome). 'Nerdcore Rising' is about one rap group trying to make being a nerd not only cool, but funny, entertaining, and profitable.
I really like this cover image
The film follows rapper MC Frontalot (Damien Hess) and his band as they embark on their first ever tour. Hess puts it bluntly in the first few minutes of the movie: if the tour doesn't go well, he'll keep rapping on the side as a hobby. But if it does go well, he's ready to quit his job and take on his rap career as his full time job. A lot of pressure to put on a tour.
So we follow them in their tiny van as they go around the country playing small clubs and meeting their small pockets of fans. Interspersed with that footage are some interviews with other rappers and mc's of the "nerdcore" genre- basically nerd rap. They discuss where the genre came from and how it's affecting mainstream rap, if at all.
What I learned: I was familiar with the name of the film and the rapper, but that was it. I knew nothing about the nerdcore genre or the people involved in it. I learned that Frontalot basically started it all with his raps about computers and video games, and it's been gaining traction across the country over the last couple of years.
What I liked: All the dudes in the band seem like totally cool guys. They are sweet, funny, and really nerdy. The film does a good job of playing fly-on-the-wall and catching them in their mild manner, non-performing personas.
I also enjoyed the questions that were raised throughout the film regarding nerdcore's place within rap. Is it inherently racist for a rapper's gimmick to be that he's white and rapping about nerdy things? Or, at best, is it just extremely tacky? How long should you invest in your dreams (slash pipe dreams)? At a certain age do you have to put them aside and move on if they aren't working out?
The coolest part were the interviews with rapper mc chris and Weird Al. I've been a big fan of both these dudes for a long time (the first cd I ever bought was Bad Hair Day) and it was cool to hear their views on the music industry. In fact, I found myself more interested in them than the band.
What I didn't like: I hate to say it, but I wasn't impressed with the music. Which sucks, cause it was a music documentary. As a fan of rap, especially intellectual rap, I thought I'd really dig it. Maybe it's because all the footage was of live shows- I bet the albums sound better.
Overall, I found the movie slow and a little shallow. None of the topics were delved into deep enough for me to walk away with a new perspective. I liked the guys in the band, but not enough to buy their album. I was ready to write the film off as sub-par till the last 20 minutes where the film took on a whole different tone. After we watch Hess sign autographs for fans after a show for a few minutes, we cut to an interview with one of the teenage fans, who tells us about his life in high school; few friends, eats lunch in the art room by himself everyday. We cut to Hess talking about his own memories of high school, which sound strikingly similar. Then it's a montage of the band members and some of the interviewees (including a really sad story by comedian Brian Posehn) in kind of a "It Gets Better" for nerds.
Suddenly this movie that was all about a couple of nerd musicians becomes a story about people bonding over shared interests and music. Frontalot may never win a Grammy or get on MTV, but he's giving hope to thousands of nerdy kids all over the country, showing them that things do get better after high school. That's pretty awesome.
Here's the trailer:
The film is on Netflix instant.
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