Playlist of the week: Nerdcore hip-hop

Back in 2016, a clip of “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek making fun of “nerdcore” hip-hop fans went somewhat viral, bringing the genre prominence it’d never experienced before. This playlist attempts to give listeners a brief yet comprehensive overview of this genre, which blends rap techniques and instrumentals with nerdy topics like video games and comics.

1. “Nerdcore Rising” – MC Frontalot

2. “Suck It Trebek” – Teamheadkick (feat. MC Lars and Mega Ran)

After the aforementioned clip went viral, three prominent nerdcore artists responded with this song, dissing Alex Trebek and standing up for their genre.

3. “The Way You Talk” – Schaffer the Darklord

4. “Join My Guild” – Beefy

5. “28” – Richie Branson

6. “Tip Eht Fo Mottob” – Shael Riley and The Double Ice Backfire

7. “file_id.diz” – Jesse Dangerously

8. “FML” – K.Flay

There isn’t much female representation in nerdcore rap, but K.Flay and Nursehella (featured later) are two of the most prominent women in the scene. While this is probably the least nerdy song on the list, it didn’t feel right to leave K.Flay off the list entirely.

9. “Bitcoin Baron” – YTCracker

10. “The Roommate From Hell” – MC Lars feat. MC Chris

This is a perfect song for college students. Whether you live on campus or off, everyone has had a roommate from hell, though Lars’s roommate is literally Satan. Also, as a graduate of both Stanford and Oxford University, MC Lars is one of the best wordsmiths in the rap game and fills his songs with literary allusions.

11. “Geekend Freakout” – Nursehella

12. “Gotham Is… (Batman)” – Dr. Awkward

13. “Zombie High” – Mega Ran

14. “Space Game” – MC Lars

15. “French Fries and Ice Cream” – Coolzey

16. “World’s Worst Nerdcore Rapper” – Kabuto the Python feat. Shael Riley & the Incredible Beaker Band

17. “Like Me” – Zealous1

18. “Family Matters” – A-1

This song comes from A-1’s album “After School Special,” which is full of songs that sample theme music from famous TV shows and cartoons of yesteryear. The entire album is an extremely fun ride, but this song is much more touching and introspective than the rest of the tracks on the album.