You might not think that rapping about comic book characters or Ron Swanson of the NBC comedy "Parks And Recreation" would be a smart career move for a rapper.
Yet, Korean-American hip-hop artist Adam WarRock has earned himself a loyal legion of fans playing by his own rules and rapping about...well, whatever he feels like.
WarRock's new album "The Middle of Nowhere," released on Tuesday, runs the gamut of subject matter, from the challenge of making a living as a musician in the digital era ("Shoulda Beens") to virtual hookups ("Internet Romance").
Like Us on Facebook :
And yeah, there's a song about Batman (B.S.F.X).
WarRock's eclectic subject matter (including his critically heralded "Parks and Recreation"-themed EP) has led some reporters to lop him in with the nerdcore movement, originally created by Brooklyn-based rapper MC Frontalot.
But though he is proud to be considered part of the nerdcore scene, WarRock says he doesn't feel part of any particular genre.
In a KpopStarz exclusive interview, the Memphis-based rapper discussed his feelings on nerdcore, why "The Middle of Nowhere" is less strictly hip-hop than his previous two albums and why Psy's international success was, for him, both a blessing and a curse.
KpopStarz: How would you define the nerdcore genre?
Adam WarRock: I think nerdcore is either A, whatever MC Frontalot, the man who basically coined the phrase in the public consciousness, says it is, or B, it's just hip-hop that happens to be made by nerds, and about nerdy subjects. I think the reason a lot of people think a lot of the nerdcore guys have some kind of problem with [the label] is because when we all started making music, we just made hip-hop about whatever it was we were into. I don't think we were conscious of what subgenre niche music we were making. But we all eventually got lumped into nerdcore and eventually came to find other people in similar situations--people committed to making music that meant something to them. And the current community of nerdcore that exists is made up by a bunch of guys who kind of never intended to be nerdcore in the first place. It doesn't mean we have a problem with it, or that we don't like the name. I just think it's a matter of honesty to say in most interviews...that we never meant to be here. We were just making music.
KpopStarz: Like other artists associated with the nerdcore genre, you are often singled out for rapping about unusual subjects. How do you choose the subjects you make music about? Do you set out to avoid mainstream rap subjects like women and money?
Adam WarRock: I think I have plenty of songs about women and money, but I take a different perspective on them. I think I choose subjects to rap about the same way any artist does. It's something in my life or on my mind and it comes out when I hear music that I want to write to. The nature of the subjects being unusual just come from the fact that I happen to be very obsessive about pop culture. Maybe that says more about my life, than it does about my music.
KpopStarz: You mentioned that a previous KpopStarz article about you quoted a Korea Times interview out of context, implying you were "fed up" with Psy comparisons. Would you care to set the record straight?
Adam WarRock: The quotes that it took from the Korea Times interview didn't really communicate the fact that a lot of my comments about Psy comparisons were jokes. I mean, of course while Psy was literally the biggest pop sensation in the world, people who just saw that I was Asian and making any kind of rap-like music would be quick to make a Psy joke. Even my relatives who are Korean themselves made the jokes or comparisons. I thought it was funny, because if you listen to anything I do, it's absolutely nothing like Psy. Which is totally fine, but I mean it's a totally superficial, racial comparison to make. He's Korean. I'm Korean. We both rap. It's an obvious place to go when you don't engage with the kind of music [each of us make].
KpopStarz: What are your thoughts on the Psy phenomenon?
Adam WarRock: It was great to see him rise to that level of stardom, to show the world that an Asian-American artist could become the number one pop sensation worldwide, even when he's not speaking English, was incredibly helpful to Asian-American artists. But there's so much more out there, guys like Dumbfoundead or Lyrics Born, Giant Panda, on and on and on. There are so many Asian-American hip-hop artists who make wonderful music. Hell, Chops of The Mountain Brothers just finished his Kickstarter for his "Strength in Numbers" project, which was specifically trying to spotlight Asian-American artists. I was a huge supporter of that. There's a thriving community out there, and of course Psy helped all of us out, but it's up to us to make music of all kinds to show that we are our own people. And it's up to people to give us a chance to prove that there's more out there than Psy.
KpopStarz: How is your new album "The Middle of Nowhere" different from your previous work?
Adam WarRock: It's an album that's a lot more personal, a lot less nerdy and a lot less like a rap album. I don't know if that makes any sense. I worked with a lot of different producers, and tried hard to make the album sound cohesive, but less like a traditional rap album. It helped having a few producers on there who don't make rap, guys like Rocky O'Reilly, who was in an indie pop band called Oppenheimer, Greg Alsop from Tokyo Police Club, Danny Baranowsky who made the music to the video game Super Meat Boy. Some of those songs, I've spent a year or more working on them, just fleshing out ideas and figuring out how they fit into this album about feeling stuck or trapped on a plateau with your life and career. It sounds bleak, but in the end I hope it comes off as hopeful.
KpopStarz: What was is like for you growing up in Memphis? You have mentioned feeling like a loner in previous interviews. Do you feel your ethnicity contributed to your feelings of alienation?
Adam WarRock: I think my ethnicity has always been a factor of alienation. The South, and especially Memphis where I grew up, was hugely polarized along racial lines. Memphis has a huge black population, as well as a sizable conservative white population. The racial tension kind of permeates everything in the city. And as someone who's not on either side, you feel left out, even when it's being left out of controversies or things like that.
KpopStarz: What does being an artist of Korean decent mean to you? Do you feel it affects your music?
Adam WarRock: I honestly don't view myself as being a Korean artist, nor do I really view myself as being an American, or rather non-Korean artist. I mean, all of my experiences in life will contribute to the kind of music I make. And I grew up the kid of immigrants from South Korea, but I don't think it became a part of my identity. I think the pop culture, or the nerd or geek culture is more my identity in my music than my ethnicity.
KpopStarz: Is there anything you'd like to say about the state of Korean culture in the US? Are there any Korean hip-hop artists you'd like to collaborate with?
Adam WarRock: I don't know if I'm exactly plugged into Korean culture in the US. I do know I'd love to collaborate with Dumbfoundead as I'm a huge fan of his work. But other than that, I don't think I touch on any of the edges of those circles.
KpopStarz: Who are your heroes? Which artists, musical or otherwise, inspire you?
Adam WarRock: Jonathan Coulton is the person whose music inspired me to start doing what I do now. He makes nerdy, sort of sci-fi based folk-pop music, but everything he does has this core of emotion. I love his music. I listened to it and said, 'I want to do what he does, but in hip-hop form.' Beyond that, most of my heroes are pretty typical rap gods--Wu-Tang Clan, Atmosphere, Sage Francis, Black Star, people like that.
KpopStarz: Where did you get the idea to do an album about "Parks and Recreation."
Adam WarRock: I had the flu for like, a week, and I think I just watched 'Parks and Rec' every day until I passed out from cold medication. When I came out of it, I just wanted to make a song about Ron Swanson. It kind of just snowballed from there. That was definitely one of the biggest things I've ever done--getting attention from the cast and even NBC for that.
KpopStarz: It is mentioned on your website that some of the cast members are fans of the "Parks + Rec" EP. Which ones? Any chance of an Adam WarRock "Parks and Recreation" cameo?
Adam WarRock: Yeah, several of the cast picked up on it--Ben Schwartz, who plays Jean-Ralphio, Retta who plays Donna. I had NBC's Twitter tweeting about it. It was pretty crazy. But more than that, the TV blogosphere kind of went nuts with it, getting in Time and SPIN. Every TV blogger posted my Ron Swanson song ['Wacka Flocka Swanson'].
KpopStarz: What's next for you?
Adam WarRock: I'll be touring the Midwest in December, the West Coast in January and the East Coast in February. And then hitting a few events through the next half-year until I take my usual summer break. After that, who knows. I'm sure I'll watch or read something that will inspire me to make something new. That's the fun of what I do, I never know when something big will happen.
Click here to listen to Adam WarRock's new album "The Middle of Nowhere"
