It’s cool to be a nerd these days.
Outside of Bill Gates, there’s no better illustration of this seeming contradiction than Erk tha Jerk. The Bay’s latest rap sensation – known for his trademark spectacles – has quickly accumulated national buzz, on the strength of a No. 1 radio hit (“Right Here”) and his winning, albeit somewhat unorthodox, persona.
A self-described “hood n*gga” who grew up in Richmond and Oakland, Erk eschews the typical turf rap clichés. His lyrics are swaggerish and soil-savvy, but he doesn’t rhyme about birds, bricks, shootouts or sideshows. His version of nerdhood has nothing to do with the Internet emcee-populated sub-genres of “nerdcore” or “geeksta rap,” either – you won’t find any references to Commodore 64s, pocket protectors or suburban strip malls.
