TTS and Science Rap

In this hip-hop universe, science - not violence - is what they rap about

Hip-hop's evolution from genre to brand has included just about everything: clothing lines, movie roles, even NASCAR endorsements. It's easy to forget its origins are rooted in sharing a message, a lifestyle, and a story.

Under the guise of MC Hawking, Ken Leavitt-Lawrence has a story, too. The 36-year-old Web developer from Gloucester is a self described geek with a penchant for "Star Wars" and Led Zeppelin. More important, he is part of a growing crop of "nerdcore" hip-hop artists garnering buzz for rapping about computer science, video games, and comic books.

Coined in 2000 by movement pioneer Damian Hess, a.k.a. MC Frontalot, who opens his fall tour with a show in Providence Thursday and then comes to Harpers Ferry in Allston Friday, nerdcore includes artists who have earned degrees from Ivy League schools, as well as those who haven't even graduated high school.

What connects them is a DIY approach and an underdog's passion for self-expression - whether to share the struggle of being bullied or of studying for PhD exams.

As MC Hawking, Leavitt-Lawrence uses a text-to-speech program to imitate researcher Stephen Hawking's digitized voice. He mixes self-produced beats and live instrumentation that he records at a studio a few miles away from his duplex. While he acknowl edges a certain amount of parody to what he does, it's a craft he takes seriously. He says he spends hours researching such concepts as entropy and natural law to use for his rhymes.

In one song, Leavitt-Lawrence takes on creationists with the lyrical jab "upon blind faith they place reliance/ What we need more of is science."

With a sharp delivery, MC Hawking has skill behind the mike, but it's unlikely that will translate to Top 40 radio success. Because Leavitt-Lawrence's Hawking persona is confined to a wheelchair, he can't even take his act on the road. It's that idea - Stephen Hawking rapping - that reveals the genre's narrow if quirky appeal.

At 33, Hess is a nerdcore veteran - and among the rappers with the most crossover appeal. Marketing and releasing his music independently, Hess has sold about 7,000 albums in fewer than two years, just enough to pay for groceries and rent. With percussion-heavy beats and a confident flow, his music tackles everything from homophobia and the indie-music scene to getting older.

"The whole nerd narrative is alienation and powerlessness," he says from Brooklyn.

Hess recognizes nerdcore's potential - and also its limitations. "If [nerdcore was] to make record-company money, it'd have to become 15 or 20 times bigger if they marketed it carefully," he says. "When you're coming up through the Internet, you're not following the traditional model for music. For me, I just sat by a computer to see who would bite. I didn't do any touring until there were lots of fans e-mailing me all the time."

What may surprise many listeners is not where nerdcore differs from mainstream hip-hop, but where the two converge. In nerdcore, rap rivalries, a staple of mainstream hip-hop, are fought on message boards like rhyme torrents.com instead of face to face. Threats are also refracted through a nerd prism. "[In nerdcore], it's all about 'I can find your Social Security number; I'll find out where you live,' " says Dan Lamoureux, director of the upcoming documentary "Nerdcore for Life," which chronicles the stories of several nerdcore rappers. Full Story from Boston Globe...