MadHatter

First up, we Have MadHatter and his videogame inspired 8bit Bullshit. Using original tracks from infamous Nintendo titles like Legend of Zelda, Mike Tyson’s Punch Out!, and Gun Smoke, MadHatter does a lot of stuff right. The production is top notch and his rhymes are clever and do geeks proud. If I had any gripe about this album it has to be that Hatter could stand to slow his tempo down just a bit. Because Dr. Dre don’t lie. Slower is better. - The Drunken Scholar

Kickstarter.com is one of the coolest things I have seen online in a long time. It’s a way for a lot of people to pitch in a little money each to bring something they believe in to life. For instance, I recently pitched in to help Reading With Pictures get their project off the ground. Will it succeed? I have no idea. The guys behind it are motivated, the cause is righteous, and if nothing else, they sent me a copy of the book in return for my donation and that’s wicked cool.

I mention it because I now have another project to push on Kickstarter because my friend and severely talented hip hop artist Mad Hatter is seeking help for money to press his next album on vinyl. If you’re a hip hop or independent music or underdog fan, you owe it to yourself to check out his record label, Scrub Club Records. This man has been giving away music for free for years, and has been encouraging others to do the same. Scrub Club has added a ton of new artists in the past year, and any one of them meets or exceeds the quality of ANY mainstream artist — that’s not bragging for my friend, that’s a fact. So, if you can spare $1 for an up-and-comer who deserves some recognition for his hard work, please give it here — http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/madhatter/bring-john-henrys-legend-back-to-life-in-a-unique

I should probably also mention that this is a Steampunk album. For those that don’t know, steampunk is a division of geekdom that has been seething underground for a long time. It’s basically Victorian sci-fi, if you can swallow that. Think: the Will Smith version of Wild Wild West. Think: the airship scene in The Mummy Returns. Think: Automated Alice by Jeff Noon (which is actually like steampunk tastily mixed with cyberpunk). Think: my latest narration project, The Phantastic and Wondrous Adventures of Mr. Jonathan Darby. It’s fun stuff, and if you’re at all inclined to sci-fi, I highly encourage you to check it out. - Mat Weller, Revealed

Seems like everyone has a Kickstarter project going on these days – Shael Riley, Random and, most recently, Scrub Club's main man MadHatter.Hatter is looking to kick shit up a notch for his next solo album (the first since his widely lauded 2007 release 8Bit Bullshit), but he needs your help to make his dream a reality... or in this case an alternate reality! #badpun

The proposed concept album The John Henry Complex will blend the ever-popular steampunk aesthetic with hip-hop storytelling. It's a re-imagined tale of John Henry, the steel drivin' man of American folklore, as he fights against the crooked mechanical and entertainment industries as a true hero of the common folk.

MadHatter elaborates, saying:

"Set in a broken-down, surrogate America during 1894, the music is composed only using instruments available during this time period such as timpani, snare drums, violins, cellos, pipe organs, etc. with accents of industrial clangs, electricity, booms, rivets being struck by hammers, steam hisses, marching, and more. All of the themes deal with the industrial revolution of man versus machine, hard work, racism and slavery, mad science, new world communication, people's basic rights, corrupt governments, and evil corporations."

"Featuring seven completely original songs as well as two timeline-perfect covers (Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" and Louis Jordan's "Beans and Cornbread"), this album is executively composed by Pelicaine!einhander, one of the most unique producers in underground Hip Hop from Texas. It also features record scratching (or phonograph manipulation, if you will) by Dale Chase, a quick-rising Nerdcore star and amazing beatsmith from New York."

"There will be a few major collaborations with fellow nerdy emcees as well as appropriately untranslated verses from a few international artists on the track "World's Faire."

"Also, you should know that this release will be completely radio-friendly to appeal to a wider audience and be playable anytime, anywhere."

Concerning the presentation of this unique project, the goal of the Kickstarter fundraiser is to garner enough cash to press 12" vinyl in period-appropriate packaging "including jackets with custom etching-styled illustrations" by Scrub Club's in-house designer Mr. Spooky.

Of course it wouldn't be a Kickstarter project without contributor perks, and on this end the Scrubs really pull out all the stops. Rewards run the gamut from the typical digital album download and a copy of the physical release to extravagancies like a special guest verse on your own track (from MadHatter or Dale Chase) and a custom-made beat (compliments of Dale or Pelicaine!einhander).

Anyone interested in high-concept nerdcore or steampunk culture should definitely peep the full details. This sounds like a genuinely original album concept, and I truly hope it meets its funding goal. If you feel so lead, please do what you can to help fight the (stodgy, distinctly Victorian) power! - Hipster, Please!

Musical preferences are subjective. We all have our own individual tastes. No matter our tastes, whether it be rock, rap, country and so on, I think we can all agree on one thing. Concept albums are awesome. I have never met a concept album that I didn’t like. From the rock opera of The Who’s Tommy to the Mega Man back story of The Protomen’s Act I and Act II albums, concept albums are freaking awesome.

So when the founder and head honcho of independent not-for-profit Scrubclub Records, and friend of GeekDad, MadHatter, informed me of his new concept album project, I had to share it with all of you. Maybe I don’t own enough music, or haven’t looked at enough album covers, but not since 1978’s Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds concept album have I thought, “hey, that’s kind of Steampunk.” So clearly, this project is kind of Steampunk. It’s also nerdcore hip-hop, which should be very interesting to say the least.

The project is called The John Henry Complex and combines the legend of sledgehammer wielding John Henry with the intricate steam powered world of Steampunk. Toss in some beats created with a creative myriad of instruments (or non-instruments used as instruments) and you have a nerdcore concept album like no other. Since the project is just getting started, I figured it best to let Hatter explain it to you in his words, prompted by my questions.

GeekDad: John Henry is an interesting character with a lot of background, but like many other characters, his tale is considered a myth. With all the mythological or even real heroes out there, how and why did you come up with John Henry as your subject matter? Why not Doc Holiday or Joan of Arc?

Hatter: I’ve always loved and admired the John Henry mythos because you have one person that simply refuses to give in, no matter the consequences, even if it kills him. To me, I’ve turned it into a story of a man that sees a whole industry about to change, all of his people are about to be put out of work, all of their families’ lives are about to change if this mechanical worker replaces them. So he’s damned and determined to beat this machine to prove the human worth and the ability to get the job done in a superior fashion. In the end, he beats that machine, but he worked so hard to do it that he lays down his hammer and dies.

I see this whole story as a fantastic metaphor for the music industry… trying to clamp it’s greedy claws into art that has once again been put into the hands of the independent people, not the corporations. I’ll fight for that right, and I’ll do it, even if it takes the last bit of strength I have to stand up for the not-for-profit mission of Scrub Club Records. That’s why it’s called the John Henry Complex, because I’ve got a serious case of that determination.

P.S. – Milla Jovovich was a totally hot Joan of Arc.

GeekDad: So the Steampunk aspect of your project was clearly inspired by the whole machinery aspect I’m guessing, or how exactly did you work Steampunk into the story concept and not just the machines?

Hatter: John Henry isn’t prominently a Steampunk story, even thought the time line almost fits perfectly. I think it is a PERFECT basis for an awesome Steampunk chronicle, though. Too often, Steampunk focuses on the airship captains and the Dandies in their floating mansions and the clockwork automatons of war. But I love the aspect that doesn’t get much of a focus – the common men, women, and children during these fictional times. Factory workers, railway (hell, even skyway) workers, the people of the street-level ghettos with self-made vehicles and prosthetic limbs trying to survive while the rich smoke expensive tobacco from other reaches of the globe high up in the skyscrapers above. In a world rapidly becoming aware of new science, it’s people like John Henry that are the perfect Steampunk hero… a man with soot in his lungs from living near massive coal plants, still able to beat machines at their own game, the last spark of true humanity.

GeekDad: You are a hip-hop artist, but work with many artists across several genres of nerdcore. On this concept album, what can we expect from the music and lyrics? Anything that we’ve never seen before? Some awesome concept album surprises in store?

Hatter: The lyrics will be scripted from the lower levels of civilization as I’ve mentioned. You will hear a lot about the common man banding together to fight for their rights and the welfare of their families. You will witness the unbreakable human spirit, even in the shadows of a corporation-ran government. You will find themes of science fiction, war, community, justice, anarchy, and morals. It’s certainly going to be a brand new mix of Hip Hop lyricism mixed with historical topics.

The music itself was done by Pelicaine!einhander, and is mostly Hip-Hop based, meaning it has catchy, hard-driving, percussive beats. However, instead of synthesized drum machines and keyboards, all of the instruments could be found before the year the album takes place – 1894. We’re talking giant symphony bass drums. Timpani’s. Pipe organs. Accordions. Violins. Electric shocks. The hiss of steam. Rail spikes being hammered. The march of work boots. It’s a Hip Hop feel, but with a completely new sound. The flow will also be primarily Hip Hop, but there will be some rock-type vocals as well as barbershop quartet-style singing. This kind of sound has never been attempted before, but strangely, it all compliments itself with the theme

GeekDad: Compare the real John Henry to the pretend one in the Superman universe. Which one would kick the other one’s ass?

Hatter: Haha, this is a fun question since Steel (John Henry Irons) is pretty much the only Superman I’ve ever liked. Let me just say real quick, though, that I grinned real large when you said “The REAL John Henry.” This is why I love this legend. Was it real? Was it just a story? Honest history tells us it could have happened either way. It excited me that I get to keep the story alive. Okay, now, as for your question – Steel WITHOUT his power armor that gives him all his natural abilities would be so much like the other John Henry that instead of fighting, they would probably join forces and topple something evil. Or go have beans, cornbread, and a beer. because aren’t such finer things in life better than beefing with each other?

Overall, and based on Hatter’s enthusiasm for the project, The John Henry Complex sounds like it’s going to be a ground breaking concept album – especially since it will actually be an album. As Hatter mentioned, it will be released on Vinyl. If you want to learn more about the project, or even contribute to get the project going (with some pretty cool rewards for doing so) check out the project page over at Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/madhatter/bring-john-henrys-legend-back-to-life-in-a-unique - Wired.Com - GeekDad

Free? Yes, free. In a world where most artists want to charge the listener for every song downloaded, this culture gives it away. Why? I talked with Mad Hatter, head of Scrub Club Records and local resident, about why they offer their music in this way.

“We offer our music for free because we believe that music should BE free, at the core of it all,” he replied. “ It also allows people that can't afford cds or online purchases to have access to our entire online catalogue, and this also helps speed up the process of spreading our music and message worldwide - There's no buck to stop our progress.”

Scrub Club Records was started in 2001, and by self-description is a mutated version of Hip Hop. Since that beginning, artists also made references to video games, comics, super-hero style themes, and more. Not only a nerdcore label, other genres are featured--like electronic and rock/funk groups. None of the artists currently on the label began making music because of Nerdcore, but that doesn't mean they don't love and support that scene.

One of the artists that this writer listens to, Zealous1, is rich in video game rhymes and slams out a good beat to bounce your head to. Another artist, Kabuto The Python, had an internet hit with "Those Minerals" which directly references the Mass Effect 2 game.

I also asked Mad Hatter what he considered to be the main drive behind the genre.

“The heart of Nerdcore is the spirit of the community that it takes place in. It's a constantly evolving group of listeners that, often, also become artists themseves, and everyone is very supportive of each other. The fact that it's a genre made of nerds also shows the ultimate promise of having people savvy with web design, graphics, and technology that helps them record and promote media online. The heart is community and innovation, always improving.” - The Examiner

Thanks to some very awesome people, most prominently Nerd Invasion promoter and maestro of Scrub Club Records, MadHatter McGinnis, I was introduced to all the artists and realized that these are geeks like me.

That’s what makes this genre of music so great. While it’s not all children friendly, there is a lot of Nerdcore music that can be shared with the whole family. Just like my father opened me up to different kinds of music from all over the world (though mostly from Britain and the dirt rock south), I expose my kids to different kinds of music. From chiptunes (using computer sounds or video game console sounds to create music,) Piratical Nerdcore (literally pirates rapping about being pirates) and Potter Rock (that’s right, music focusing on Harry Potter) there is plenty of sub-genres of Nerdcore for everyone to enjoy. However, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Just like most genres of music there is a hardcore element where you’ll see parental advisories slapped on the album. It doesn’t take away from the nerd factor though.

The best place to get started on Nerdcore is with the ever varied and amazing podcasts posted over at Hipsterplease.com. In fact, there is even a Nerdcore podcast aimed at children.

At Nerd Invasion I got the opportunity to see and hear a great cross section of Nerdcore artists. Not just some of the more established artists, but also some new up and comers as well. It’s still a new scene. Even the Nerdcore artists on top of the game, such as McFrontalot are still relatively unknown in the mainstream world. Before I list all the great artists that I got to meet and listen to, I have to give a huge thanks to Madhatter and Scrub Club records who made me feel like part of the group and welcomed me with open nerdy arms.

First up at Nerd Invasion was a three way rap off between MC Diabeats, Pheenix and then Thunderball from Southside. They were competing to be the next member of the Scrub Club Record label. While they were all amazing, Thunderball came out on top and won the battle. These three young rappers represent the future of Nerdcore and all of them have bright careers ahead of them. At this point in the show due to some technical problems the performances were already several hours behind. There is no one to blame for this, they did a fantastic job finally making it work. It was just bad luck.

Next the snappiest dressed Nerdcore artist Benjamin Bear took the stage followed by San Digeo based Zealous1 and then a change in schedule (and a really friendly gesture by Dr. Awkward) brought up Schaffer the Darklord. Schaffer is a stereotypical nerd on the outside but simply explodes on stage. Frankly, they all do. The energy was high throughout the whole show, even discounting the constant flow of energy drinks. Dual Core hit the stage next, then Scrub Club themselves featuring MadHatter and the uniquely voiced Kabuto the Python and the smooth Dr. Awkward. Certainly the best dressed Nerdcore acts, the rap ninjas Krondor Krew, played an amazing set following Scrub Club. Sadly I wasn’t there to see them perform or see the Nerdcore crooner Shael Riley as unforeseen circumstances forced me to leave early. - Wired.com - GeekDad

MadHatter leads Scrub Club Records, a non-profit Hip Hop label bringing you talented artists like Kabuto the Python, Dr. Awkward, Benjamin Bear, and The Ranger.

Both businessman and rapper, MadHatter rhymes with the Sinister Six, a collective which includes the world-renowned rapper YTCracker. As a group, the Sinister Six dropped their first album Invasion of the Mic Snatchers in 2008.

His gruff voice, energetic, thoughtful rhymes, and positive personality have made him a favorite of many. Enjoy the interview, check out the music and leave a comment!

How long have you been rapping and how did the name MadHatter come about?

"I’ve been rapping since 2001, back when my only music was our first project, the Shadow Puppets. I had been a percussionist and vocalist before then, but that’s when I hunkered down with my partner at the time to see if we could take a stab at recording. We ended up using a $6 microphone with a sock over it for a pop filter, and I mixed raw wav files using sound recorder. I kid you not. I upgraded to GoldWave eventually, but this was all extreme learning experience. I would say my skill set and musicality have really grown over the last five years into something people can take seriously."

"As far as the name MadHatter, that’s kind of a long story. To sum it up, I used to go by the name of Jester online wayyyy back in the beginnings of the internet and Telnet (probably when there was just a few people with that name online worldwide, haha). On some classic bulletin board systems back in the day, I ran across a guy named /\/\ad}{atter and his buddy Ice Man, the first who was in the well-known hacker group “Cult of the Dead Cow.”

"He eventually followed me to the Wichita State University board where the two taught me a few tips and tricks and really grew my knowledge, mostly about phone systems and wardialing, but also nifty things I could do with IP numbers, of course. Eventually, that }{atter got to a point where he wanted to retire from the group and concentrate on college, drinking, and girls, and offered to pass on his name to me if I wanted."

"I happily accepted since he had taught me so much in a sensei-type way, plus I had been borderline obsessed with the Alice In Wonderland universe since an early age. It just made sense, and since about 1993 or 1994, that’s what I’ve been going by. Carrying on his oldschool legacy while bringing my own flavor, all mixed together in a tight little Lewis Carroll package."

What musical projects are you working on right now?

"Oh lord, far too much, haha. First coming would be Deafinition’s first album Resurrection, as in the resurrection of hip hop. And this dude is true about it, too. I just need to record a couple of featured verses on there as well as one from Kabuto The Python and that project will be complete. AMAZING lyrics and flow from this guy. After that, we have a slew of projects that could be coming out at any time.
Benjamin Bear’s Robochomp, an audio adventure to be completely mastered on cassette format. We have The Ranger’s new album, our artist from Australia, that I will be mixing and mastering track by track. Dr. Awkward is heavy into his next release, which I will also be finishing up the audio on and dropping a guest verse.
Myself, I will be working on the Life of John Henry CD with superstar producer Pelicaine Einhander, which will be a steampunk-themed Hip Hop album that will blow people away, with instrumentals and themes all taking place before the year of 1890. Also, I’m doing a crazy side project called Word of Mouth, which will be me covering entire songs using just my vocals (beats, instruments, voice, everything). Noncents Volume IV will drop any time now, featuring unreleased tracks from all of our artists as well as brand new material. We just signed Superpowerless from the UK, and that guy basically makes a new album every week, hahaha. He will bring new chiptune flavor to the label. Everyone is working on some great projects, and this year will be absolutely insane."

"Besides our regular music, we do have a competition that will start next month to decide the next new artist on Scrub Club Records. It’s called Versus Mode, and I hope it brings the best out of all the contestants and helps them level up regardless if they win the competition or not. Plus the grand finale will pit the top two artists against eachother in a battle-of-the-bands type concert! More details on that will drop August 1st on our website."

Do you have any live performances coming up?

"Well, this Thursday (July 30th), I’ll be battling 7 other emcees and rap groups for grocery money for my family, haha. The event is called Move The Crowd and is hosted by the very busy businessman Cash Hollistah here in Salina, KS. The crowd is about 250-300 people, it will be a blast."

"Official Scrub Club shows coming up? I’m not sure there is one quite planned, although we are definitely interested in playing Nerdapalooza 2010 and might possibly be going to MAGFest coming up as well in Virginia. Our artists Kasparov and Kabuto The Python are included on a west coast tour called the FTW Tour, but details are few so far. Definitely hit that up, though. Dr. Awkward is also openly looking to book shows out west. I’m planning a few things that might go down in the next couple months that involve live shows, but that’s under wraps for now. All I can say is keep watching the site, Facebook, and Twitter!"

What sparked the idea for Scrub Club Records and its not-for-profit theme?

"One of the first things I can remember sparking this idea was back in 2001 when everything started out. I was really just concerned with spreading our music as far as possible and my partner was concerned with making it into a career. We had several arguments about money including him getting mad when I burnt a couple copies for my cousins instead of charging them $10 apiece, or when we got custom hockey jerseys made up for $35 that I was willing to give the hardcore fans for the cost just so they could rep some really awesome gear and spread our name, and he wanted to charge our fans $75 to $100 to make good profit off of them. Shit like that just really got to me."

"Then, later on when I was starting my solo stuff, I was charging $5 for cds. After realizing a lot of our fan base was made up of individuals just like me, I knew that no one had the money to pay for music, especially when they could just find it online. Our fans were just as poor as I was… I know I certainly didn’t pay for music, except for the few scant live shows I went to and how I really wanted to support a deserving artist. With that and how I viewed the imminent collapse of the music industry, I knew it had to be done (to go not-for-profit)."

"During a Scrub Club meeting, every member in attendance agreed it was a great idea, and we made it so, no longer charging a single cent for any of our music. We were close to non-profit before, now it was complete. I think that was back in 2005 or 2006. Now I realize how great and smart that move was, our music spread like an old uneducated person’s imagery of the swine flu or a conservative republican tween’s view of terrorism. We were suddenly everywhere."

You guys have some pretty sic graphics on your site. Who are the design geniuses behind Scrub Club?

"I don’t know about genius, but i do all of the graphics and coding work for the site and lots of our various projects and print products. One thing I can say is that everything I do is very oldschool. I only use Photoshop and have never been trained in it, and I also code websites with old, old, old-ass HTML skills. I never learned flash or anything advanced. So what you see is a totally untrained nerd trying to make something oldschool but different. As for the site, I prefer fast load times for Scrubs still using dialup, and images that are fresh-looking for people who want eye candy."

Any chance that Midwest Nerdfest will get a rez?

"There are talks. A few people who might possibly be interesting in being
sugardaddies for the fest have approached me, and a few other people have given me their thoughts, advisory style. What I’m leaning to is possibly throwing a mini version of the event to test the waters first. Stay tuned!"

What’s your take on nerdcore as a genre? Do you consider yourself or Scrub Club to be nerdcore artists or more generally hip hop artists?

"I love Nerdcore and support it full-heartedly. It’s one of a million sub genres created by youth, but who are we to say whether it’s “real” or not? Alive or dead? It exists, and both the excitement and the quality are growing at an alarming rate. This isn’t just a fad, we will always have comics, games, and technology and there will always be Hip Hop. So don’t look for Nerdcore to dissipate any time soon."

"As for Scrub Club, we started in 2001 as a pure Hip Hop-style outfit. A mutated version of Hip Hop, but that’s what we’ve always been. And since the very beginning, we’ve had references to video games, comic characters, superhero-style themes, dorky movies and tv shows, cartoons, etc. Then along came the birth of the genre of Nerdcore and we were picked up by that tidal wave. We set out to make good, real music with no real genre to stick to, and then Nerdcore picked us up as kindred. Still, not all of our music will particularly fit in with the Nerdcore-only tribes, like Deafinition’s pure and gritty Hip Hop coming up, or my upcoming Victorian Era album."

"So we’re not a Nerdcore-only label, and none of our artists began making music just because of Nerdcore. But that doesn’t mean we don’t love and support that scene. A vast majority of our music fits their appetites and they’re the closest family we’ve got! Scrubs, nerds, geeks, and all other underdogs are welcome in the Club!"

MadHatter, thanks for your time! - Talk With Tim

Recording artist, founder of the label Scrub Club Records, and all around nice guy, Madhatter has been one of the largest parts of the Nerdcore Hip Hop movement for years. After bursting on the scene with the single “Ganon Slayer” from his Nintendo-inspired album "8Bit Bullshit," he quickly rose to the top of the game.

Instead of keeping the spotlight on himself, however, he decided to build and promote a literal army of like-minded artists - and get this - he does it ALL for free!

With quite possibly the largest and most professional Nerdcore sites on the net (complete with forums, photoshoots, and over four dozen free albums) this guy has done more for the scene, for less, then anyone else, period. When you visit his site, you’re guaranteed to meet some prominent artists and you’re sure to make some great friends for life! - Nerdcore Hip Hop Dot Com

This week, Jamillah Knowles and Chris Vallance explore the world of Nerdcore. Still a flourishing music genre, these artists get their geek Hip Hop on to celebrate all that is nerd. (Duration: 26 mins) - BBC Radio

Nerdcore MC MadHatter McGinnis thinks that geekdom is simply becoming more mainstream:

"My personal take is not that nerdcore is getting big but that the whole world population are becoming nerds," he said.

"My three-year-old daughter will exceed my computer skills; Nerds run the defence systems for the country. I think the music is appealing to these themes."

Some have noted that the themes of nerdcore and hip hop rap rarely overlap. However, some argue that nerdcore like grassroots hip hop is all about keeping it real.

"The origins of Hip Hop were about politics, community, survival, and entertainment," said MadHatter, "Today, Rap is not really about that anymore. You have people on the radio talking about the yachts they own and the people they shoot and none of that is real. But people rapping about programming languages or role-playing games; that is all real. It's people rapping about what they really are. That's more Hip Hop than anything you hear on the radio." - BBC News