Monday, Dec. 17, 2007

Have a Nerdy New Years Eve with Beefy

What do you get when you combine hilarious self-deprecation with smooth beats? You get Sir Beefy Thompson Esquire, renegade poet.

In reality, his name is simply Beefy and he is not in fact a renegade poet. He is, however, performing at First Night at 7:15 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2007, at the HUB in CBC

After releasing four independent albums, Tube Technology, Pale in Comparison, Nerd, and Whitesican, Nerdcore hip hop artist Beefy is putting the finishing touches on his latest 16-track album, Rolling Doubles, which is expected to drop within the month.

Beefy raps about...well, nerdy topics, such as video games, Monopoly, Chuck-E-Cheese ball pits, and never getting the girl. Sure, he talks about how nice guys finish last, being overweight, and growing up half white and half Mexican - but there is almost always a humorous spin to his songs.

Playing off of the theme song from the NBC show Scrubs (by rock group Lazlo Bane), Beefy penned the track I'm No Superman, writing: I would love laser vision/but it didn't come in my prescription/because sadly, yo, I'm no Superman.

Rolling Doubles will include the rock version of Tabletop, two versions of Play With Me, and lovable songs such as Ball Pit and the fast-paced You Can Call Me Beef, where he raps: Get your headphones/you're in for a treat/ move it all night/you got this track on repeat/I'm from the Northwest/but I ain't bringing the heat/You can call me Beef.

Beefy is quick to note this is his first sample-free album, which will be available at Hastings and on iTunes. One thing fans will immediately notice is the edgier rock sound on his tracks. Lyrically, he has never been more on his game, and this non-sampled album represents his growth.

Being his fifth time around, Beefy admits it's still tricky producing music on his own, saying sometimes he'll get a beat and the song will come together quickly, while other times he'll work on a beat for six months.

"Everyday there is at least an hour spent on writing, recording, or practicing, getting beats and trying to negotiate with people to do shows," he said. "It's like a part time job in itself. Video games takes up a lot of my time, too. There's like a months worth of album time that could've been spent on my album. It could have been out last month if I didn't get a job at GameStop."

Beefy's nerdiness doesn't stop there. His album art was created by webcomic artist Joe Dunn of Digital Pimp Comics.

Being a self-proclaimed Internet superstar with two part-time jobs doesn't leave Beefy with a lot of time to do anything else; yet he found time to form the nerdtastic supergroup The Grammar Club, who's downloadable album Bremelanotide dropped Friday, Dec. 14, 2007. And unless you're a pharmacist or like to catch up on the latest FDA approved drugs available, Bremelanotide, according to Wikipedia, is the generic term for a new medication for use in treating sexual dysfunction in women.

The Grammar Club is a collaboration with fellow Nerdcore artists Shael Riley, sequencer/vocalist; Glenn Case, multi-instrumentalists, sequencer, vocalist; DJ Snyder, turntablist; and Adam!, guitarist and producer.

According to www.Beefyness.com, The Grammar Club's debut 7-song EP, Bremelanotide, is free to download in MP3 format. Additionally, a lossless FLAC version containing bonus material will soon be available for a donation of $5 to Child's Play charity. Each version comes complete with album art formatted for display on your MP3 player.

"It's kinda hard to describe the music on that, because it's not exactly Nerdcore, and it's not exactly R&B or pop," Beefy said. "We described it more as an ugly boy band."

The songs are infectious, sure to get stuck in your head. Heart Tits is a stand out tune about a woman who only loves Beefy for his money. The fast-paced track will have you letting go of your reservations and you'll be singing along before you know it. Girl Problems culminates each of their strengths and is just a plane fun song. The track Balloon Flight will make fans reminiscent of 80's pop group Falco's Rock Me Amadeus

The album is roughly 25 minutes long, which is almost the same length as mainstream artists regular albums - so listeners are getting more bang for their non-bucks.

Aside from producing his own albums, working on side projects with various artists all over the nation, and gearing up for big concerts such as First Night, Beefy still manages to keep it real and perfect his craft. Like a fine vintage video game who's monetary value increases over time, Beefy is a Nerdcore rapper to keep an eye on.