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39-485: Hess began releasing music as MC Frontalot in 1999. He gained early recognition through Song Fight! , an online songwriting and recording competition, where he consistently outperformed competitors. Although he has entered only seven songs under the name MC Frontalot, he has never lost a competition. One notable entry, "Romantic Cheapskate," received 614 votes, far surpassing the next closest competitor with 28 votes. In this song, Frontalot metaphorically compares Song Fight! to

78-655: A TEDx talk at the University of Southern California on the ties between literature and rap, in collaboration with the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism . He later gave another TEDx talk in Homer, Alaska. Following 2004's the Laptop EP , Lars continued to grow his independent record label Horris Records. Horris served as an imprint of Nettwerk and Oglio before becoming self-distributed. In 2008, Horris signed

117-528: A competition. Fight art is a reference to the earliest days of Song Fight!, when Explodingdog artist Sam Brown produced much of the artwork for each week's fight. There is also an archive of all submitted artwork. The following artists originated on, or have participated in Song Fight!. MC Lars Andrew Robert Nielsen (born October 6, 1982), known professionally as MC Lars , is an American record producer, rapper, cartoonist, podcaster and educator. He

156-567: A fixture from 2004 until 2013. In 2006, Frontalot wrote and performed "Living At the Corner of Dude and Catastrophe," a song based on the webcomic Achewood . This track became the webcomic's theme song and was later included as a downloadable track for the video game Rock Band in 2008. Around the same time, he appeared on the Baddd Spellah track "Rhyme of the Nibelung," which won CBC Radio 2 's Remix

195-484: A neglected lover who remains loyal despite his indifference. In 2000, Frontalot released "Nerdcore Hiphop," which gained popularity in the geek and nerd communities. The rap subgenre of nerdcore , which had been developing among various performers, adopted the title and has since expanded rapidly. Although Hess is often considered the founder of nerdcore, he notes on his website that other early artists also deserve credit. His first studio album , Nerdcore Rising ,

234-532: A satirical take on Creation Science , was included as downloadable content for Rock Band during the Penny Arcade Expo . Undeterred by controversy, Frontalot continued to push boundaries in 2010, when a heated debate erupted after journalists suggested that nerdcore could be perceived as "racist" if the genre continued to intentionally divorce itself from hip-hop's sociocultural roots, continuing to encourage black cultural erasure . This controversy underscored

273-561: A song based on that title. Song Fight! began when Cunningham declared its first fight title, " Golfpunk Drives a Cadillac " on June 19, 2000. Song Fight! was not open to the public for the first several fights, and was at this time populated mainly by Cunningham's friends and internet acquaintances. The first public fight was the seventh, " Zero to Phantom " (January 4, 2001). This was also the fight that first featured now "internet-famous" artist KOMPRESSOR , often considered Song Fight!'s first musical personality to become widely notable outside

312-619: A tour with Schäffer the Darklord in November 2007 and began another tour in November 2008 with MC Lars and YTCracker . As of June 2010, he has been touring with alternative rock musicians Wheatus on their UK leg of their 10th anniversary tour, occasionally providing guest vocals and performing with Wheatus on some of his tracks. Hess starred as "TP Factory Rapper" in the Sesame Street direct-to-video movie Elmo's Potty Time . Nerdcore Rising

351-608: A two-record distribution deal with Crappy Records, founded by Jaret Reddick of Bowling For Soup . In 2008 and 2009, Lars worked with "Weird Al" Yankovic , Wheatus , the Rondo Brothers, Nick Rowe and Mike Kennedy of Bloodsimple , Daniel Dart of Time Again , Pierre Bouvier of Simple Plan , the MC Bat Commander of the Aquabats , Suburban Legends , Worm Quartet , Gabe Saporta of Cobra Starship , Brett Anderson of

390-562: Is a documentary / concert film starring Hess and various other nerdcore artists such as MC Chris , Optimus Rhyme , and MC Lars , with contributions from "Weird Al" Yankovic , Prince Paul , and Brian Posehn . The film, directed and produced by Negin Farsad , premiered at the 2008 South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. It combines interviews about nerdcore and its origins with footage of Frontalot's 2006 Nerdcore Rising national tour. Hess

429-473: Is a weekly online songwriting and recording competition in which amateur artists are openly invited to participate. Traditionally, a title and deadline are posted each week for which participants write, record, and submit a song in MP3 format. All entries are compiled at the end of the week and links to the files are displayed on the front page for public voting, which lasts until the end of the next week. All visitors to

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468-538: Is inspired by Edgar Allan Poe 's " The Raven ". "Ahab" is about the novel Moby Dick and "Hey There Ophelia" on This Gigantic Robot Kills retells the story of Shakespeare's Hamlet . The term " iGeneration ", coined by Lars in 2003, was used to describe the generation born primarily in the mid-to-late 1980s, was used in his song of the same name and given out for free to Facebook users in August 2006 in conjunction with iTunes. In early 2006, his song "Download This Song"

507-603: Is one of the self-proclaimed originators of " lit-hop ", and is the founder and CEO of the independent record label Horris Records . He has been cited as the creator of the term " iGeneration ", which he was credited with doing in 2003. He has released five studio albums, five EPs, four collaborative releases, and two books. Lars attended Stevenson School , a high school in Pebble Beach , California . For college and graduate school, he attended Stanford University and Oxford University . He has recorded for Truck Records in

546-557: Is sampled in Lars' "Signing Emo", is a fictional group created by the rapper. Texan band Bowling for Soup performed as Hearts That Hate when MC Lars has supported them on tour. A full version of "Cry Tonight" is available as a B-side to the UK "Signing Emo" single. MC Lars has also shown an interest in using lyrics and song titles based on English and American literature . "Rapbeth" references William Shakespeare 's play Macbeth , while "Mr. Raven"

585-548: Is the song "Good Old Clyde," which comments on and uses the popular " Funky Drummer " drum break by Clyde Stubblefield . Since beginning to sell his albums commercially, Hess has collaborated on nearly all his tracks with Baddd Spellah, an electronic musician and hip-hop producer, and Gaby 'Gminor7' Alter, a composer and keyboardist whose playing forms the basis for many of Frontalot's earlier songs. Hess has also worked with other rappers such as MC Hawking and Canadian rapper Jesse Dangerously . Song Fight! Song Fight!

624-490: The Donnas , MC Frontalot , Jesse Dangerously , Jaret Reddick of Bowling for Soup , Linus Dotson of Size 14 , Parry Gripp of Nerf Herder , Jonathan Coulton , Aesias Finale, Sebastian Reynolds, Joe Ragosta of Patent Pending and classical musician Walt Ribeiro to complete his album This Gigantic Robot Kills . In 2011, Horris signed Weerd Science . Having his own label allowed Lars to experiment creatively. Lars Attacks!

663-616: The Ring contest. Frontalot's track "Final Boss" was featured over the end credits of the video game Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness in 2008. Throughout his career, he made occasional appearances in the webcomic Overcompensating by Jeffrey Rowland , and was featured in commercials for G4 TV. He also appeared on the show Freestyle 101, where he performed parts of his songs with freestyle lines connecting them. In 2009, Frontalot's song "Origin of Species,"

702-405: The Song Fight! Live events have been hosted online, with archives hosted on the Song Fight! YouTube channel. As of mid-2020, Song Fight! has conducted more than 850 fights and is host to more than 12,000 entries. "Cover art" is also accepted for each fight, though it is not a separate "art fight" in that no voting process occurs. The submission of fight art is considered more of a service than

741-633: The Song Fight! archives, along with all entries from Narbotic's period of administration. "Song Fight! Live" events happen annually in the United States. "Song Fight! Presents" (official and semi-official) shows have been performed on both coasts of the United States , in Great Britain and Australia . From 2020 thru 2023, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing difficulties with organizing live shows,

780-582: The UK in October 2006. In April 2007, MC Lars and Nettwerk made the component tracks for his single " White Kids Aren't Hyphy " available for remix under a by-nc-sa Creative Commons license on the Jamglue online mixing site as a contest. After releasing the "Edgar Allan Poe EP", MC Lars performed at Carnegie Hall as part of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards National Ceremony. Subsequently, he delivered

819-473: The UK on tour with pop-punk band Last Letter Read who performed their own set and then on stage with Lars, debuting Lars' new song "Hey There Ophelia". On stage, Lars has been joined by Wheatus , Bowling for Soup , Simple Plan , the Matches and Failsafe . While supporting Zebrahead in the UK and Europe in 2010, Ed Udhus, Greg Bergdorf and tour manager Bobby Conner joined Lars on stage. In 2019 MC Lars took to

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858-809: The UK, Sidecho Records in the US, Big Mouth Records in Japan, and Shock Records in Australia. He was formerly known as MC Lars Horris but changed his pseudonym to MC Lars in 2004 for purposes of simplicity. As a touring act, Nielsen has opened for Snoop Dogg , I Fight Dragons , the Matches , Lupe Fiasco , Nas , Simple Plan , Bowling for Soup , Gym Class Heroes , Say Anything , Streetlight Manifesto , Suburban Legends , Test Icicles , Jack's Mannequin , Bayside , Fightstar , MC Frontalot , MC Chris , Wheatus , The Aquabats , T-Pain , Yung Joc , Cartel , Zebrahead and Insane Clown Posse . Originally releasing tracks under

897-542: The album was released on iTunes , Lars received an email from a 15-year-old fan Elisa Greubel on his web forum saying she identified with "Download This Song" since her family was one of many being sued by the Recording Industry Association of America . This led to Nettwerk executive Terry McBride and a team of major-label artists managed by Nettwerk to support the Greubels with their case. MC Lars returned to

936-462: The code and aspects of the site's upkeep and administration. The two now officially host and help to administer Song Fight! in cooperation, though the source of the titles is repeatedly said to be an unknown individual called only "Deep Throat", a tongue-in-cheek reference to the famous informant from the Watergate scandal . Songs from Mean While! (beginning June 28, 2002) have now been incorporated into

975-486: The community. While host Cunningham/Narbotic was a regularly featured artist during this time, none of his entries received the most votes in a fight. During these years, the Song Fight! community made its home on the Dumbrella message boards, also home to the forums of prominent webcomics Achewood , Wigu , Diesel Sweeties and Explodingdog , among others. In July 2001 the first official performance of Song Fight! artists

1014-537: The complexities of race within the genre and sparked significant online discourse. Despite the backlash, Frontalot proceeded with the release of his fourth album Zero Day . He underscored the critical timing and addressed the controversy directly in the album's title track, acknowledging that it was "already too late" for him to retreat from his vision, despite the criticism. The record was ultimately praised for connecting hacking and tech crises with rap’s cultural dynamics, showcasing Hess’s exploration of digital theft amid

1053-719: The genre’s debates on innovation and appropriation. Although most of his fanbase is online, Hess gave a handful of live performances while living in San Francisco , and several more after moving to New York City . His first official tour started on May 12, 2006, with shows mostly in the Southeastern United States. When he performs, he plays with a full ensemble, including keyboardist and frequent collaborator Gminor7, bassist Blak Lotus , and drummer The SturGENiUS. Other occasional band members include G.LATINusKY00B, The Categorical Imperative, Vic 20, and 56K . Hess completed

1092-469: The jealous glances of strangers sitting next to you on the subway." Nonetheless, the site has inspired well over a thousand artists to enter since the competition's inception. All songs submitted to Song Fight! are free for download, and are catalogued and hosted indefinitely. The original "Fightmaster," Collin "Narbotic" Cunningham, had a site on the Dumbrella network where, similar to explodingdog , he accepted submissions of song titles and would record

1131-483: The most prominent of them held by participant "Spud" of prolific Song Fight! ensemble Octothorpe. Known as "Mean While!", this side-contest eventually became more regular and (as a result) more attractive than waiting for an update from the original. Narbotic updated one full month after the announcement of "Postcard" with optimistically-titled "The Return", the entries from which were never actually posted. Mean While!'s administrator, in conjunction with participant "JB" of

1170-487: The name Lars Horris, and then MC Lars Horris, Nielsen eventually dropped Horris (which later became the name of his record label), becoming MC Lars. Lars plays with a laptop and occasionally a punk rock band to back him up, which he refers to as " post-punk laptop rap". Samples from bands such as Supergrass , Piebald, Brand New , Fugazi, and Iggy Pop play a key role in MC Lars's music. Hearts That Hate, whose song "Cry Tonight"

1209-473: The one-man John Benjamin Band, moved the contest to SongFight.org, asking Cunningham to create a redirect to that location from SongFight.com, the original address, a request that was eventually granted. JB, having previously purchased the rights to the .net and .org addresses to protect them from squatters (and to begin a Song Fight! webring at the .net location), agreed to host the site while Spud became responsible for

MC Frontalot - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-556: The site are able to listen to the MP3s and are permitted one vote each. At the end of this voting period, results are posted and the next cycle (or "fight") begins, meaning at any given time one fight is in the works (in that a deadline and title are available) while the previous fight is in its voting stage. Typically Song Fight! involves only one fight at a time, although in the past several have taken place simultaneously. Winning earns you no more or less than "bragging rights, satisfaction, [and]

1287-504: The stage with Newcastle-based unsigned alt rock outfit Ruled By Raptors as his backing band in the UK as part of his 10-year anniversary celebrations for This Gigantic Robot Kills. On the tour, MC Lars mentioned this was the first time that he had performed with a band without any form of backing track, instead relying on the band to recreate everything instrumentally or with samples and triggers. Lars's music has been featured on MTV News , CNN Money , HBO 's Hung , and G4 's Attack of

1326-710: The years that followed, Lars used Kickstarter to fund his fifth album “Blockchain Planet” in 2021. The name Horris Records is derived from a cartoon character Lars created in middle school which also served as the basis for Lars' original stage name, MC Lars Horris, named after a character from Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman . In May, MC Lars toured the UK on the third installment of the Good To Go Tour, making friends with Wheatus front man Brendan B. Brown. In July Lars and Brown recorded new songs, two of which would later appear on This Gigantic Robot Kills . In November, Lars returned to

1365-510: Was a return to basics, with less punk elements and more standard hip-hop stylings, funded by Kickstarter, featuring cameos from KRS-One , Sage Francis and Mac Lethal . MC Lars used Kickstarter to fund a "Greatest Hits" album on vinyl, which also included his "Edgar Allan Poe EP". On November 6, 2015, Lars released the Zombie Dinosaur LP , his fourth official album. After releasing various musical projects via Bandcamp and Patreon in

1404-448: Was collected for the first "Song Fight Live!" at Hot Lunch in San Francisco, California . A highlight of the evening included an impromptu songwriting contest, in which contestants created songs on the fly to the title of the venue's name. On May 10, 2002, a new title was announced: "Postcard". The deadline came, and passed. Months went by without an update. As the fighters became restless, "side-fights" began to spring up on private sites,

1443-555: Was featured on the pop-culture CBC Radio show Definitely Not The Opera . In 2006, he released the single " Download This Song ", which entered the Australian Singles Chart at number 29, while working with the Canadian independent record label Nettwerk Records to release The Graduate . Following this release, Lars toured extensively throughout the US, then he toured UK and did shows in Japan, and Australia. Not long after

1482-673: Was interviewed in Alexandre O. Philippe's documentary, The People vs. George Lucas , which premiered at the 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival. Hess attended the festival as a musician and panelist. Hess made an appearance as a judge on the sixth episode of the first season of TBS's King of the Nerds , which originally aired on February 21, 2013. Much of Hess's early music features samples from other artists' works, often using music from well-known artists such as Paul Simon , They Might Be Giants , James Brown , and Fiona Apple . One example of this

1521-442: Was released on August 27, 2005. The album featured six new songs and ten remixed tracks, with some new material produced by artists from Song Fight! , including indie rock and hip-hop artist Doctor Popular. On March 18, 2002, the popular webcomic Penny Arcade named Frontalot their rapper laureate, significantly boosting his popularity. This recognition led to regular performances at the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), where he became

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