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Friday, November 4, 2011
Live Reviews Live review: MC Frontalot
Posted By Jenny Lou Bement on Fri, Nov 4, 2011 at 3:30 PM
MC Frontalot w/ Thought Criminals, MC Exactly, Keyza Soulsay & Brandon Patton
The Milestone
Nov. 3, 2011
Anyone who's ever felt even moderately socially awkward needed to be at the MC Frontalot show at the Milestone Thursday night. The fans — all thick-framed glasses and ninja-turtle shirts — shed their emotional chains and set themselves free in an environment where no one was judging anyone. Frontalot's shows are a rare treat in which nerds put down the 40K and Tekken and party to music they can relate to — nerdcore hip-hop. It's a beautiful, freeing thing.
Backed by DJ Justin Aswell, local wordsmiths MC Exactly and Keyza Soulsay opened with performances that well represented Q.C. hip-hop, followed by a solo acoustic set from Connecticut's Brandon Patton. Charlotte's Thought Criminals upped the nerdiness factor with their live-band hip-hop that drew the crowd into a sea of white-boy dancing. The Criminals slay rhymes like Iron Chefs chopping away at the competition. But they also hold down the nerdy front in lyrics about living the geeky lifestyle. The Criminals' final, Super NES-inspired song, “Earthbound,” brought Soulsay, Exactly, MC Cataclysm and Angel Foster on stage to take turns trading rhymes and tearing up the mic like it was the school bully. The room was primed for the main attraction.
When MC Frontalot took the stage, the crowd drew closer. With bass, drums and keyboards beneath his geeky rhymes and energy, any form of fragmentation in the crowd was ripped to shreds and unity ensued. He rapped about the Internet, life's awesomeness, Star Wars conventions and his desire to sleep with Goth girls, among other nerdy topics. The geeks in the crowd seemed to be right at home, breaking it down on the dance floor as if they were alone in their rooms with no one watching. It was a trance of musical love — nerd love, that is, led by the San Francisco-born king of nerdcore.
Dressed in his usual get-up — button-up, slacks, thick-framed glasses and a head light — Frontalot danced across the stage delivering meticulous rhymes. The ultimate representation of nerdcore hip-hop, he makes an anxious social situation feel more comfortable than a comic book convention. His rhymes are heartfelt and shamelessly honest. Frontalot returned for an encore, “Final Boss,” that left the crowd wanting more.
And more they got. DJ Justin Aswell returned for a dance party that continued until shortly before last call. Even Frontalot and his band got in on the action, dancing along with the crowd to a set of vintage hits.
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