Nerdcore Rising

"Nerdcore Rising" is quite a strong documentary that weaves between the subjects of MC Frontalot (AKA Damian offstage) and his band on their first tour, and of Nerdcore Hiphop, the musical genre he seems to have acquired a modicum of renown for having invented. That second subject, despite being what might be called a niche genre, is a fairly broad one as far as reportage might go, but a certain amount of understanding is necessary in order to follow the adventures of Frontalot and his crew. To that end the interview subjects are well chosen and thoughtful on the whole, including other Nerdcore rappers, the always-interesting and impossibly clever comic musician "Weird" Al Yankovic, people from the so-called mainstream rap industry, and people who have just seen MC Frontalot shows.

The most interest and the most genuine laughs, however, come from the character study portraits of Frontalot and friends, achieved through roving-cameraman footage from the tour and interviews done apparently later. There's some detectable influence of reality television in the dwelling on a lost keyboard component and some other elements, but that can't derail the picture of a group of truly funny and likable-seeming people.

The film avoids the trap of either condemning or uncritically praising the genre whose exponents it documents, but rather illuminates it and lets it speak for itself, giving due time both to critics who have called it racist and to the almost religious sense of belonging it seems to bestow on some of those who place themselves in the "nerd" or "geek" camps.

The film is designed very well, with some nice graphics work complimenting the content, especially in the musical scenes, where Fronalot's work is given a respectful and flattering venue. In all a very entertaining and well made documentary that handles an interesting subject well.