Nerd Rapper MC Chris: Dungeon Master of Ceremonies

How geek ever turned to chic is a mystery. All the things that would have been fodder for a kid's ridicule in decades past (thick black glasses, computer skills, a never ending love for Star Wars) are fairly commonplace among America's youth.

Still, it's somewhat surprising that hip-hop started to reflect this trend with the recent emergence of nerd-core, a subgenre that sets dorky topics to rap beats. One of the movement's biggest stars, MC Chris (aka: Mc Pee Pants to Aqua Teen Hunger Force fans and Chris Ward to his parents), has tried to push the genre to the limit on four albums, including the recently released Dungeon Master of Ceremonies.

Unfortunately for MC Chris' faithful, DMOC fails to capture the humor and ingenuity of its predecessors.

Ward's first success (small as it may have been) was due to "Fett's Vette," an ingenious song about a Star Wars bounty hunter trying to finance his new ride. The song, which was briefly featured in an episode of the [adult swim] show Sea Lab 2021, somehow implemented fan boy fanaticism into a great hip-hop groove.

There's no "Fett's Vette" to be found on DMOC, however, and the sci-fi, comic book and video game references that made Ward's other albums so relatable to a small esoteric legion of fans have unfortunately been minimized.

The majority of the album seems to have more of a pop-punk theme. "Pw_Om" is the story of a high school kid experiencing drugs and partying for the first time, while "Arulapragasam" is a trite and somewhat lackluster song about Ward's trouble with women ("I need a little something not just any old dame/I need a little lady to make my life less lame").

There are enough references to let Ward squeak by as a nerd rapper. "Kingdom Farts," despite its groaner title, chronicles his lifelong obsession with video games. Other songs have passing mentions to geek culture, such as "For the Win," in which Ward proclaims, "MC stands for Master Chief."

Musically, DMOC is more expansive than Ward's previous album. While the electronic beats (courtesy of DJ John) that dominated his early work are still present, more genres are explored to create a richer and more fulfilling sounding experience. From the reggae inspired "Blastic" to the Daft Punk inspired combination of party techno and rock guitars of "Check the Ring, Yo," Ward is brave enough to step outside the expectations of his diehard fans.

Of course, the most distinguishing features of any MC Chris outing are the vocals. Ward is famous for his "10-year-old" like vocals, and fortunately this is one aspect that hasn't changed since the last album. Ward still uses his high, shrill voice to deride himself and get a few laughs from the listener at the same time.

DMOC is by no means MC Chris' best album. The lyrics aren't anywhere near as clever as those in his older songs, and some of the instrumentals are downright forgettable. Still there is just enough humor and musical experimentation to make it a must hear for MC faithful.

3 of 5