MC Frontalot
Encyclopedia
Damian Hess better known by stage name
MC Frontalot, is a Brooklyn-based hip hop music
ian and self-proclaimed "world's 579th greatest rapper". He is best known in nerdcore hip hop
and video game culture
, for naming the nerdcore subgenre, and performing at Penny Arcade
' s annual Penny Arcade Expo
. Hess graduated from Wesleyan University
in 1996 with degrees in English and Electronic Music.
, an online songwriting and recording competition, where he became known for consistently beating opponents. Throughout his history at Song Fight!, he has never lost a competition as MC Frontalot, although he has entered only seven entries in that name. In one such song fight, entitled "Romantic Cheapskate", he likens Song Fight! to a neglected lover who favours him regardless of how he treats her. The song went on to garner a total of 614 votes, while the next closest song ended the round with 28.
and nerd
communities. The rap
subgenre of nerdcore hip hop
, which had been around though unnamed beforehand, embraced the title and has since been expanding rapidly.
Many consider Hess, if not the founder of nerdcore, certainly the man who shone the torch on it. Hess himself, however, is quick to point out the many artists who came before him and those whom he considers his peers, as illustrated on his information webpage.
Hess released his first studio album
on August 27, 2005. Entitled Nerdcore Rising
, the album contains six new songs, along with 10 remixed versions of past tracks. Some of the new tracks contain production by popular online musicians from Song Fight!, including indie rock
and hip hop artist Doctor Popular.
Penny Arcade
(whose creators were long-time fans of Hess) declared Frontalot their rapper laureate, directing fans to his website. He has acknowledged that single act made his popularity skyrocket. In appreciation, he wrote and recorded the "Penny Arcade Theme" a few months later, which was in his own (tongue-in-cheek) words: "an attempt to cash in on their huge and devoted audience."
He has appeared at every Penny Arcade Expo
from 2004 to 2011 and Nerdcore Rising is now sold through the Penny Arcade Store. "Penny Arcade Theme" and "Which MC Was That?" both appear in the dance video game In the Groove
. He also features on the Baddd Spellah track "Rhyme of the Nibelung", which was the winner of CBC Radio 2's Remix the Ring contest.
A new track 'Final Boss' featured over the end credits in the 2008 game Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness
- Episode 1.
MC Frontalot appears occasionally in the webcomic
Overcompensating by Jeffrey Rowland
MC Frontalot has also been seen on commercials for G4 TV, as well as being on the show Freestyle 101 where he sang parts of his songs with freestyle lines connecting them.
Additionally, comic book illustrator Tony Moore became a fan of both Frontalot and fellow nerdcore artist MC Hawking
, drawing both of them as zombies in an early issue of The Walking Dead
series. Hess appears in a white shirt, tie and glasses, with the word "Front" written on his pocket protector; he is seen eating a deer.
A song written and performed by Frontalot based on the webcomic Achewood
titled "Living At the Corner of Dude and Catastrophe" has been that website's theme song
since 2006. On September 2, 2008 as part of a Penny Arcade
download pack, "Living At the Corner of Dude and Catastrophe" was chosen for inclusion as a downloadable track
for the video game Rock Band
. The week of September 14, 2009 saw the release of "Origin of Species" (a satire of Creation Science
) which was included in the Penny Arcade Expo
track pack.
. His first official tour started on May 12, 2006, with shows mostly in the Southeast United States. When he performs, he plays with a full ensemble, including keyboardist and frequent collaborator Gminor7, bassist Blak Lotus
, and drummer The SturGENiUS. Other occasional band members include G.LATINusKY00B, The Categorical Imperative, Vic 20, and 56K
. He finished a tour with Schäffer The Darklord
as of 25 November 2007 and started another tour on 1 November 2008 with MC Lars and YTCracker. As of June 2010, he's been touring with alternative rock musicians, Wheatus
, on their UK
leg of their 10th anniversary tour; on occasion providing guest vocals on some of their live jams, as well as Wheatus offering musical accompaniment on some of his tracks.
direct-to-video movie Elmo's Potty Time.
Nerdcore Rising
is a documentary
/concert film
starring Hess and various other nerdcore artists such as mc chris
, Optimus Rhyme
and MC Lars
with contributors such as "Weird Al" Yankovic
, Prince Paul and Brian Posehn
. The film, directed and produced by Negin Farsad
, premiered at the 2008 South by Southwest
festival in Austin, Texas. It combines interviews about nerdcore and its origins, with footage of Frontalot's 2006 Nerdcore Rising national tour.
As the lead voice-box for nerd culture, Hess was interviewed in Alexandre O. Philippe's documentary, The People vs. George Lucas
, which premiered at the 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival. Hess attended the festival as a musician and panelist.
, They Might Be Giants
, James Brown, Fiona Apple
, and many others. He addresses his borrowing of various drum beats in the song "Good Old Clyde", a song commenting on and using the popular "Funky Drummer
" drum break
by Clyde Stubblefield
.
Since he began selling his albums commercially, Hess has collaborated on almost all his tracks with Baddd Spellah, an electronic musician and hip-hop beatsmith, and Gaby 'Gminor7' Alter, a composer and keyboardist whose playing was the basis for many of Frontalot's earlier songs. Hess has also collaborated with other fellow rappers, such as MC Hawking
and Canadian rapper Jesse Dangerously
.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
MC Frontalot, is a Brooklyn-based hip hop music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
ian and self-proclaimed "world's 579th greatest rapper". He is best known in nerdcore hip hop
Nerdcore hip hop
Nerdcore hip hop, is a sub-genre of hip hop music characterized by themes and subject matter considered to be of general interest to nerds, though it can appeal to others as well. Self-described nerdcore musician MC Frontalot has the earliest known recorded use of the term in the 2000 song...
and video game culture
Computer and video game culture
Video game culture is a form of new media culture that has been influenced by video games. As computer and video games have increased exponentially in popularity over time, they have caused a significant influence upon popular culture. This form of entertainment has spawned many fads. Video game...
, for naming the nerdcore subgenre, and performing at Penny Arcade
Penny Arcade (webcomic)
Penny Arcade is a webcomic focused on video games and video game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. The comic debuted in 1998 on the website loonygames.com. Since then, Holkins and Krahulik have established their own site, which is typically updated with a new comic...
Penny Arcade Expo
The Penny Arcade Expo is a semi-annual gamer festival held in Seattle and Boston. PAX was created by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, the authors of the Penny Arcade webcomic, because they wanted to attend a show that gave equal attention to console gamers, computer gamers, and tabletop...
. Hess graduated from Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
in 1996 with degrees in English and Electronic Music.
Early days
Hess began releasing music as MC Frontalot in 1999. His first successes came through Song Fight!Song Fight!
Song Fight! is a weekly online songwriting and recording competition in which amateur artists are openly invited to participate. Traditionally, a title and deadline are posted each week for which participants write, record, and submit a song in MP3 format...
, an online songwriting and recording competition, where he became known for consistently beating opponents. Throughout his history at Song Fight!, he has never lost a competition as MC Frontalot, although he has entered only seven entries in that name. In one such song fight, entitled "Romantic Cheapskate", he likens Song Fight! to a neglected lover who favours him regardless of how he treats her. The song went on to garner a total of 614 votes, while the next closest song ended the round with 28.
Nerdcore
In 2000 he released the song "Nerdcore Hiphop". The song became an immediate hit in the geekGeek
The word geek is a slang term, with different meanings ranging from "a computer expert or enthusiast" to "a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts", with a general pejorative meaning of "a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, esp[ecially] one who is perceived to...
and nerd
Nerd
Nerd is a derogatory slang term for an intelligent but socially awkward and obsessive person who spends time on unpopular or obscure pursuits, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Nerds are considered to be awkward, shy, and unattractive...
communities. The rap
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
subgenre of nerdcore hip hop
Nerdcore hip hop
Nerdcore hip hop, is a sub-genre of hip hop music characterized by themes and subject matter considered to be of general interest to nerds, though it can appeal to others as well. Self-described nerdcore musician MC Frontalot has the earliest known recorded use of the term in the 2000 song...
, which had been around though unnamed beforehand, embraced the title and has since been expanding rapidly.
Many consider Hess, if not the founder of nerdcore, certainly the man who shone the torch on it. Hess himself, however, is quick to point out the many artists who came before him and those whom he considers his peers, as illustrated on his information webpage.
Hess released his first studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
on August 27, 2005. Entitled Nerdcore Rising
Nerdcore Rising
Nerdcore Rising is the official debut album by nerdcore rapper MC Frontalot. The album was first released on August 27, 2005 at the Penny Arcade Expo....
, the album contains six new songs, along with 10 remixed versions of past tracks. Some of the new tracks contain production by popular online musicians from Song Fight!, including indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
and hip hop artist Doctor Popular.
Spotlight
On March 18, 2002, popular webcomicWebcomic
Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....
Penny Arcade
Penny Arcade (webcomic)
Penny Arcade is a webcomic focused on video games and video game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. The comic debuted in 1998 on the website loonygames.com. Since then, Holkins and Krahulik have established their own site, which is typically updated with a new comic...
(whose creators were long-time fans of Hess) declared Frontalot their rapper laureate, directing fans to his website. He has acknowledged that single act made his popularity skyrocket. In appreciation, he wrote and recorded the "Penny Arcade Theme" a few months later, which was in his own (tongue-in-cheek) words: "an attempt to cash in on their huge and devoted audience."
He has appeared at every Penny Arcade Expo
Penny Arcade Expo
The Penny Arcade Expo is a semi-annual gamer festival held in Seattle and Boston. PAX was created by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, the authors of the Penny Arcade webcomic, because they wanted to attend a show that gave equal attention to console gamers, computer gamers, and tabletop...
from 2004 to 2011 and Nerdcore Rising is now sold through the Penny Arcade Store. "Penny Arcade Theme" and "Which MC Was That?" both appear in the dance video game In the Groove
In the Groove (game)
In the Groove is the first game in the In the Groove franchise, published and developed by Roxor Games, and first released in video arcades around August 30, 2004.-Gameplay:...
. He also features on the Baddd Spellah track "Rhyme of the Nibelung", which was the winner of CBC Radio 2's Remix the Ring contest.
A new track 'Final Boss' featured over the end credits in the 2008 game Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness
Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness
Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness is an episodic action-adventure video game series based on the webcomic Penny Arcade....
- Episode 1.
MC Frontalot appears occasionally in the webcomic
Webcomic
Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....
Overcompensating by Jeffrey Rowland
MC Frontalot has also been seen on commercials for G4 TV, as well as being on the show Freestyle 101 where he sang parts of his songs with freestyle lines connecting them.
Additionally, comic book illustrator Tony Moore became a fan of both Frontalot and fellow nerdcore artist MC Hawking
MC Hawking
Ken Lawrence is a nerdcore hip hop artist who purports to be theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking rapping under the name MC Hawking.MC Hawking gained some popularity on the Internet in the early 2000s...
, drawing both of them as zombies in an early issue of The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead is a monthly black-and-white US comic book series published by Image Comics beginning in 2003. The comic was created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore, who was replaced by Charlie Adlard from issue #7 onward, although Moore continued to do the covers through issue...
series. Hess appears in a white shirt, tie and glasses, with the word "Front" written on his pocket protector; he is seen eating a deer.
A song written and performed by Frontalot based on the webcomic Achewood
Achewood
Achewood is a webcomic created by Chris Onstad in 2001. It portrays the lives of a group of anthropomorphic stuffed toys, robots, and pets. Many of the characters live together in the home of their owner, Chris, at the fictional address of 62 Achewood Court. Another address used in the strip is 11...
titled "Living At the Corner of Dude and Catastrophe" has been that website's theme song
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
since 2006. On September 2, 2008 as part of a Penny Arcade
Penny Arcade (webcomic)
Penny Arcade is a webcomic focused on video games and video game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. The comic debuted in 1998 on the website loonygames.com. Since then, Holkins and Krahulik have established their own site, which is typically updated with a new comic...
download pack, "Living At the Corner of Dude and Catastrophe" was chosen for inclusion as a downloadable track
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
for the video game Rock Band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
. The week of September 14, 2009 saw the release of "Origin of Species" (a satire of Creation Science
Creation science
Creation Science or scientific creationism is a branch of creationism that attempts to provide scientific support for the Genesis creation narrative in the Book of Genesis and disprove generally accepted scientific facts, theories and scientific paradigms about the history of the Earth, cosmology...
) which was included in the Penny Arcade Expo
Penny Arcade Expo
The Penny Arcade Expo is a semi-annual gamer festival held in Seattle and Boston. PAX was created by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, the authors of the Penny Arcade webcomic, because they wanted to attend a show that gave equal attention to console gamers, computer gamers, and tabletop...
track pack.
Live performances
Although most of his fanbase is online, Hess gave a handful of live performances while living in San Francisco, and several more after moving to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. His first official tour started on May 12, 2006, with shows mostly in the Southeast United States. When he performs, he plays with a full ensemble, including keyboardist and frequent collaborator Gminor7, bassist Blak Lotus
Brandon Patton
Brandon Patton is a songwriter and bass player from the United States of America. He has recorded four solo albums, plays bass for MC Frontalot under the name BL4k Lotus, and performs with Prince Gomolvilas in the show Jukebox Stories. He has also played bass for Futureboy and Jonathan Coulton...
, and drummer The SturGENiUS. Other occasional band members include G.LATINusKY00B, The Categorical Imperative, Vic 20, and 56K
Mike Lombardo
Mike Lombardo is an American piano rock musician from Upstate New York. He is known for writing nerdy piano-driven rock songs and posting them on YouTube under the username "MikeLombardoMusic." He is currently signed to DFTBA Records through which he has released one LP, Songs for a New Day, and...
. He finished a tour with Schäffer The Darklord
Schaffer The Darklord
Mark Schäffer , better known by his stage name Schäffer the Darklord or STD, is a New York City-based musician who is active in the Nerdcore hip-hop scene....
as of 25 November 2007 and started another tour on 1 November 2008 with MC Lars and YTCracker. As of June 2010, he's been touring with alternative rock musicians, Wheatus
Wheatus
Wheatus are an American rock group from Northport, New York. They are known for their 2000 single "Teenage Dirtbag" which was featured in the movie Loser, as well as in the HBO miniseries Generation Kill.-1995-2002: Formation and Wheatus:...
, on their UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
leg of their 10th anniversary tour; on occasion providing guest vocals on some of their live jams, as well as Wheatus offering musical accompaniment on some of his tracks.
Film
Hess starred as "TP Factory Rapper" in the Sesame StreetSesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
direct-to-video movie Elmo's Potty Time.
Nerdcore Rising
Nerdcore Rising (film)
Nerdcore Rising is a documentary/concert film starring MC Frontalot and other nerdcore hip hop artists such as mc chris, Wheelie Cyberman of Optimus Rhyme and MC Lars, with contributors from artists such as "Weird Al" Yankovic, Prince Paul, and Brian Posehn. The film, directed and produced by...
is a documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
/concert film
Concert film
A concert movie, or concert film, is a type of documentary film, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by a musician ....
starring Hess and various other nerdcore artists such as mc chris
Mc chris
mc chris is an American rapper, voice actor, writer and improvisational comedian....
, Optimus Rhyme
Optimus Rhyme
Optimus Rhyme was a hip hop group from Seattle, Washington. Optimus Rhyme is most widely considered a nerdcore hip hop group because of the nerdy nature of their lyrics. The name of the band as well as the stage names of the members and a majority of their lyrics refer to the Transformers...
and MC Lars
MC Lars
Andrew Robert MacFarlane Nielsen is an American rapper, known by his stage name MC Lars. He is the self-proclaimed originator of "post-punk laptop rap". He was one of the first underground rappers to sample and reference post-punk and emo bands...
with contributors such as "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
, Prince Paul and Brian Posehn
Brian Posehn
Brian Edmund Posehn is an American actor, voice actor, musician and comedian, known for his roles as mail clerk Kevin Liotta on NBC's Just Shoot Me!, a cast member and writer on HBO's Mr. Show, and most recently as Brian Spukowski on Comedy Central's The Sarah Silverman Program.-Early life:Posehn...
. The film, directed and produced by Negin Farsad
Negin Farsad
Negin Farsad is an Iranian-American comedian, writer and actor based in New York City. She has also produced and directed feature films and television programming, most notably the documentary Nerdcore Rising, which follows around Damian Hess a.k.a. MC Frontalot, on his 2006 Nerdcore Rising...
, premiered at the 2008 South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
festival in Austin, Texas. It combines interviews about nerdcore and its origins, with footage of Frontalot's 2006 Nerdcore Rising national tour.
As the lead voice-box for nerd culture, Hess was interviewed in Alexandre O. Philippe's documentary, The People vs. George Lucas
The People vs. George Lucas
The People vs. George Lucas is a 2010 documentary/comedy film which uses a courtroom debate approach to explore the issues of filmmaking and fanaticism pertaining to the Star Wars franchise, and its creator, George Lucas. The movie combines filmmaker and celebrity interviews with fan films which...
, which premiered at the 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival. Hess attended the festival as a musician and panelist.
Musical influences
Much of his earlier music features samples from other artists' works, many times using music acquired from famous artists such as Paul SimonPaul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
, They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
, James Brown, Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Apple met international acclaim for her 1996 debut album, Tidal, which was a critical and commercial success...
, and many others. He addresses his borrowing of various drum beats in the song "Good Old Clyde", a song commenting on and using the popular "Funky Drummer
Funky drummer
"Funky Drummer" is a funk song recorded by James Brown and his band. The recording's drum break, performed by drummer Clyde Stubblefield, is one of the most frequently sampled rhythmic breaks in hip hop and popular music; indeed, it lays a strong claim to being the most sampled recording ever,...
" drum break
Break (music)
In popular music, a break is an instrumental or percussion section or interlude during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a "break" from the main parts of the song or piece....
by Clyde Stubblefield
Clyde Stubblefield
Clyde Stubblefield is a drummer best known for his work with James Brown.Stubblefield's recordings with James Brown are considered to be some of the standard-bearers for funk drumming, including the singles "Cold Sweat", "There Was A Time", "I Got The Feelin'", "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm...
.
Since he began selling his albums commercially, Hess has collaborated on almost all his tracks with Baddd Spellah, an electronic musician and hip-hop beatsmith, and Gaby 'Gminor7' Alter, a composer and keyboardist whose playing was the basis for many of Frontalot's earlier songs. Hess has also collaborated with other fellow rappers, such as MC Hawking
MC Hawking
Ken Lawrence is a nerdcore hip hop artist who purports to be theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking rapping under the name MC Hawking.MC Hawking gained some popularity on the Internet in the early 2000s...
and Canadian rapper Jesse Dangerously
Jesse Dangerously
Jesse Dangerously is an alternative hip hop artist from Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is an active member of the Canadian East Coast music scene through the release of his own albums, appearing as guest vocalist on a large number of recordings by other artists, hosting a weekly radio show, writing a...
.
Studio Albums
- Nerdcore RisingNerdcore RisingNerdcore Rising is the official debut album by nerdcore rapper MC Frontalot. The album was first released on August 27, 2005 at the Penny Arcade Expo....
(2005) - Secrets from the FutureSecrets from the FutureSecrets from the Future is the second studio album from nerdcore hip hop artist MC Frontalot. It was released on tour and through his website on April 6, 2007....
(2007) - Final BossFinal Boss (album)Final Boss is the third studio album from nerdcore hip hop artist MC Frontalot. It was released on November 4, 2008. The first single, "Wallflowers", is available to listen to at his website, as well as the title track Final Boss, and Diseases of Yore....
(2008) - Zero DayZero Day (album)Zero Day is the fourth studio album from nerdcore hip hop artist MC Frontalot. It was released on April 6, 2010. The first single, "Your Friend Wil", is available for free from the official website...
(2010) - SolvedSolved (album)Solved is the fifth studio album from nerdcore hip hop artist MC Frontalot. It was released on August 23, 2011.The first single, "Critical Hit", is available for free from the official website. The album's cover art was drawn by Evan Dorkin, with colors by Anthony Clark.-Track listing:-External...
(2011)
Non-album tracks
- "24 Hours" (abandoned demo)
- "Bitchslap" (by MC HawkingMC HawkingKen Lawrence is a nerdcore hip hop artist who purports to be theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking rapping under the name MC Hawking.MC Hawking gained some popularity on the Internet in the early 2000s...
) - "My Sister" (by Duboce Triangle with The JBB)
- "Oh, the Hilarity" (from Indie Pop Cares a Lot)
- "Rappers We Crush" (with Kompressor)
- "Rhyme of the Nibelung" (with Baddd Spellah)
- "Romantic Cheapskate" (with Baddd Spellah for Song Fight!)
- "Soda Water" (by Jess KleinJess KleinJess Klein is an American singer/songwriter. A native of Rochester, NY, Klein picked up the acoustic guitar and started writing songs while living in Kingston, Jamaica in her late teens. On a whim, she auditioned for a guest slot at a local weekly dub poetry and music session...
) - "Start Over" (for a compilation of songs for children)
- "Oneonta (Eli Porter)" (with YTCrackerYTCrackerBryce Case, Jr. , otherwise known as YTCracker , is a former cracker most known for defacing the webpages of several federal and municipal government websites in the United States, as well as several in private industry at the age of 17...
and MC LarsMC LarsAndrew Robert MacFarlane Nielsen is an American rapper, known by his stage name MC Lars. He is the self-proclaimed originator of "post-punk laptop rap". He was one of the first underground rappers to sample and reference post-punk and emo bands...
on The Digital Gangster LP) - "O.G. Original Gamer (with MC LarsMC LarsAndrew Robert MacFarlane Nielsen is an American rapper, known by his stage name MC Lars. He is the self-proclaimed originator of "post-punk laptop rap". He was one of the first underground rappers to sample and reference post-punk and emo bands...
on the MC Lars album This Gigantic Robot KillsThis Gigantic Robot KillsThis Gigantic Robot Kills is the sixth album by nerdcore musician MC Lars.Lars has stated that he worked with "Weird Al" Yankovic, the Rondo Brothers, Nick Rowe and Mike Kennedy of Bloodsimple, James Bourne of Busted, Daniel Dart of Time Again, Donal Finn of Flash Bastard, Pierre Bouvier of Simple...
) - "Don't Wear Those Shoes" (for the "Weird Al" Yankovic"Weird Al" YankovicAlfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
tribute album Twenty-Six and a Half)
Known recorded live sets
- July 7, 2001: "Songfight Live West Coast" — Hot Lunch, San Francisco, California, USA (two songs)
- October 24, 2002: "Young Zombies in Love Release Party" — Voodoo Lounge, San Francisco, California, USA
- July 26, 2003: "Song Fight Wet & Wild" — Finn MacCool's Public House, Seattle, Washington, USA (two songs, incomplete recording, the infamous "drunk set")
- December 12, 2003: "Both Hands on the Mic" — The Accordion, San Francisco, California, USA
- August 2004: Penny Arcade ExpoPenny Arcade ExpoThe Penny Arcade Expo is a semi-annual gamer festival held in Seattle and Boston. PAX was created by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, the authors of the Penny Arcade webcomic, because they wanted to attend a show that gave equal attention to console gamers, computer gamers, and tabletop...
— Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue, Washington, USA (a partial video recording of the set is available as well) - May 15, 2004: Belladonna, Berkeley, California, USA
- June 15, 2005: Living Room, New York, New York City, USA (one verse of "unnecessary rap breakdown" during a Jess KleinJess KleinJess Klein is an American singer/songwriter. A native of Rochester, NY, Klein picked up the acoustic guitar and started writing songs while living in Kingston, Jamaica in her late teens. On a whim, she auditioned for a guest slot at a local weekly dub poetry and music session...
show) - June 23, 2005: The Bitter End, New York, New York City, USA
- August 27, 2005: Penny Arcade Expo — Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue, Washington, USA (video recording believed to be upcoming)
- August 26, 2006: Penny Arcade Expo — Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue, Washington, USA
- September 15, 2007: Kingdom of LoathingKingdom of LoathingKingdom of Loathing is a browser-based, multiplayer role-playing game designed and operated by Asymmetric Publications, including creator Zack "Jick" Johnson and writer Josh "Mr. Skullhead" Nite. The game was released in 2003...
Convention - The Sets, Tempe, Arizona, USA - November 25, 2008 Knitting FactoryKnitting FactoryThe Knitting Factory is a music venue and concert house with locations in Brooklyn, Boise, Reno, and Spokane. The club originally specialized in jazz and experimental music and has expanded to showcasing all genres of music, performing arts and comedy....
- Hollywood, California, USA
External links
- Official MC Frontalot website, includes official song lyrics, news, music, and forum
- Such a Scream, Hess's professional website