| MC Frontalot | |
| Background: | solo_singer |
| Birth Name: | Damian Alexander Hess |
| Alias: | The Godfather of Nerdcore[1] |
| Birth Date: | 3 December 1973[2] |
| Birth Place: | San Francisco, California, U.S.[3] |
| Instrument: | Vocals |
| Years Active: | 1999–present |
| Label: | Level Up (current) |
Damian Alexander Hess (born December 3, 1973), better known by his stage name MC Frontalot, is an American rapper and web designer. He is widely credited as a pioneer of the nerdcore hip hop genre, blending elements of hip hop with themes from nerd culture.[4]
Hess began releasing music as MC Frontalot in 1999. He gained early recognition through Song Fight!, an online songwriting and recording competition, where he consistently outperformed competitors. Although he has entered only seven songs under the name MC Frontalot, he has never lost a competition.[5] One notable entry, "Romantic Cheapskate," received 614 votes, far surpassing the next closest competitor with 28 votes.[6] In this song, Frontalot metaphorically compares Song Fight! to a neglected lover who remains loyal despite his indifference.[7]
In 2000, Frontalot released "Nerdcore Hiphop," which gained popularity in the geek and nerd communities. The rap subgenre of nerdcore, which had been developing among various performers, adopted the title and has since expanded rapidly. Although Hess is often considered the founder of nerdcore, he notes on his website that other early artists also deserve credit.[8] His first studio album, Nerdcore Rising, was released on August 27, 2005. The album featured six new songs and ten remixed tracks, with some new material produced by artists from Song Fight!, including indie rock and hip-hop artist Doctor Popular.
On March 18, 2002, the popular webcomic Penny Arcade named Frontalot their rapper laureate, significantly boosting his popularity.[9] This recognition led to regular performances at the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), where he became a fixture from 2004 until 2013.
In 2006, Frontalot wrote and performed "Living At the Corner of Dude and Catastrophe," a song based on the webcomic Achewood. This track became the webcomic's theme song and was later included as a downloadable track for the video game Rock Band in 2008. Around the same time, he appeared on the Baddd Spellah track "Rhyme of the Nibelung," which won CBC Radio 2's Remix the Ring contest.[10] Frontalot's track "Final Boss" was featured over the end credits of the video game in 2008. Throughout his career, he made occasional appearances in the webcomic Overcompensating by Jeffrey Rowland, and was featured in commercials for G4 TV. He also appeared on the show Freestyle 101, where he performed parts of his songs with freestyle lines connecting them.
In 2009, Frontalot's song "Origin of Species," a satirical take on Creation Science, was included as downloadable content for Rock Band during the Penny Arcade Expo.[11] Undeterred by controversy, Frontalot continued to push boundaries in 2010, when a heated debate erupted after journalists suggested that nerdcore could be perceived as "racist" if the genre continued to intentionally divorce itself from hip-hop's sociocultural roots, continuing to encourage black cultural erasure.[12] [13] This controversy underscored the complexities of race within the genre and sparked significant online discourse.[14] Despite the backlash, Frontalot proceeded with the release of his fourth album Zero Day. He underscored the critical timing and addressed the controversy directly in the album's title track, acknowledging that it was "already too late" for him to retreat from his vision, despite the criticism.[15] [16] The record was ultimately praised for connecting hacking and tech crises with rap’s cultural dynamics, showcasing Hess’s exploration of digital theft amid the genre’s debates on innovation and appropriation.[17]
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 City. His first official tour started on May 12, 2006, with shows mostly in the Southeastern United States.[18] 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.
Hess completed a tour with Schäffer the Darklord in November 2007 and began another tour in November 2008 with MC Lars and YTCracker. As of June 2010, he has been touring with alternative rock musicians Wheatus on their UK leg of their 10th anniversary tour, occasionally providing guest vocals and performing with Wheatus on some of his tracks.[19]
Hess starred as "TP Factory Rapper" in the Sesame Street direct-to-video movie Elmo's Potty Time.[20]
Nerdcore Rising is a documentary/concert film starring Hess and various other nerdcore artists such as MC Chris, Optimus Rhyme, and MC Lars, with contributions from "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.[21]
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.
Hess made an appearance as a judge on the sixth episode of the first season of TBS's King of the Nerds, which originally aired on February 21, 2013.
Much of Hess's early music features samples from other artists' works, often using music from well-known artists such as Paul Simon, They Might Be Giants, James Brown, and Fiona Apple.[22] One example of this is the song "Good Old Clyde," which comments on and uses the popular "Funky Drummer" drum break by Clyde Stubblefield.[23]
Since beginning to sell his albums commercially, Hess has collaborated on nearly all his tracks with Baddd Spellah, an electronic musician and hip-hop producer, and Gaby 'Gminor7' Alter, a composer and keyboardist whose playing forms the basis for many of Frontalot's earlier songs. Hess has also worked with other rappers such as MC Hawking and Canadian rapper Jesse Dangerously.[24]