Not a Parody

Nerdcore, the underground hip-hop scence created by geeks, for geeks.

" . . . ever since Vanilla Ice's 1991 flameout, the rare white rapper has been derided, forced underground—or both—with the exceptions of Eminem and the Beastie Boys. But all of a sudden white rappers are enjoying a mainstream renaissance: VH1 has a hit on its hands with "The (White) Rapper Show," an "American Idol" for would-be Eminems, and in February Bloomsbury will publish "Other People's Property: A Shadow History of Hip-Hop in White America," by Jason Tanz, an editor at Fortune Small Business. There are two indie documentaries about nerdcore in production, and their online trailers have each netted more than a half-million views. The concept of being a white rapper is no longer a joke."

"Unlike Vanilla Ice, whose cardinal sin was not keeping it real, nerdcore rappers write about what they know . . . Damian Hess, 33, who performs as MC Frontalot, professes a love for rap and a deep respect for hip-hop culture. But you won't find him spitting rhymes about growing up in the South Bronx. "I just end up writing about Internet porn and 'Star Wars' conventions," he says."