Child’s Play CD 2008

First allow me to give you what seems to be the quick and easy press release info, then I’ll follow up with some more personal info.

Childs Play 2008 CD cover

Child's Play 2008 CD cover

(stolen outright from GoNintendo.com)
The Internet’s greatest musical superstars come together to support Child’s Play, a charity created by Penny Arcade founders Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins in spite of the bad reputation gamers have with the media. Since its inception in 2003, Child’s Play has raised millions of dollars for over 40 hospitals worldwide.

This compilation features new, exclusive music along with new spins on old classics and more. And best of all - your purchase of this CD goes directly to the charity. Now you can help Child’s Play and get something back for yourself. Follow the link below to make your purchase from the Penny Arcade online store:

01 ARMCANNON
“Go Go Power Rangers”
From the Power Rangers TV Show

02 THE DARKEST OF THE HILLSIDE THICKETS
“Kill the Chupacabra”

03 THE GRAMMAR CLUB
“Underbeard”

04 SELECT START
Terra
From the Final Fantasy VI Video Game

05 THE ONEUPS
“Crash Man”
From the Mega Man 2 Video Game

06 MC LARS
“The Lint Song”

07 ANAMANAGUCHI
“Dawn Metropolis

08 MICHAEL “PIANO SQUALL” GLUCK
“Korobeiniki
From the Tetris Video Game

09 FREEZEPOP
“Pop Music Is Not A Crime (Mustin Mix)”

10 MC FRONTALOT
“Better at Rapping”

11 JONATHAN COULTON
“Still Alive feat. Felicia Day”
From the Portal Video Game | Live from PAX 2008

12 THE SMASH BROTHERS
“Onett”
From the EarthBound Video Game

13 BEEFY
“Game Store Girl”

14 JAKE “VIRT” KAUFMAN
“Plasmatextor”

Ok, so first of all, doesn’t that seem amazing? You’re right! It is! You should go buy a copy as soon as possible. I’m just happy I’ve been able to use my music for good for once.

Second, if you look at that tracklist, you see that I appear on the CD twice. Once on track 13 for my new song Game Store Girl and again on track 3’s Underbeard with my friends in The Grammar Club. Grammar Club track first, cause it’s pimp.

It’s not just a bunch of lies, The Grammar Club really is working on a new album. We’re working hard on it actually. Everyone much harder than me anyway. One of our new members Mustin, who put together this entire project and is amazing at what he does, informed us about it so Shael and I got cracking. This is like a better, sillier version of a song like My Gay Shirt. It has like 3 or 4 different sections and ends with a chorus of people doing the chorus and like a gospel female solo. And it’s all about underbeards. I think it might be my favorite Grammar Club track so far. So needless to day you should buy the album based on Underbeard alone, but if you’re a Beefy fan, you have another reason…

While working on my next solo album I started writing songs without beats, then recording scratch tracks to very simple click tracks I’d make in Fruity Loops to give an idea for tempo and so producers could build a beat around my song. Mustin was one such producer. I had sent him scratch tracks for two song ideas; Geek Out and Game Store Girl. He started a bit on Geek Out (which I love and I’m going to try to get him to finish it) and then turned his attention to GSG. I love the track’s content because it’s about my girlfriend because she is that cute girl that works at the video game store in the mall and has all the nerd boys in love with her. I’m usually the jealous, over protective boyfriend type who hates these little bastards for buzzing all around her and taking advantage of her being one of the nicest people on Earth. But then I thought what it would be like if she was single and I was just another one of those dudes.

The music on the track is a triumph. It’s smooth and sexy and has one of the best intro segments I’ve ever been honored with. I love the music on Game Store Girl. Love it so much that as soon as I got the finished song I performed it at my next show. I’m going to add the sample Mustin posted on his site in the hopes that you dig it. So please get the album. It’s only $10 and alllll of that money goes towards getting little kids in hospitals toys and games to pass the time. It’s no fun being in the hospital, especially for kids and especially for gamers. Help em out man. Also rock out.

MC Frontalot and MC Lars both provide odd tracks that get stuck in your head. Mustin did an amazing remix of Freezepop’s “Pop Music is Not a Crime.” Armcannon’s “Go Go Power Rangers” took me back to a more badass version of my 7th grade mind. The Darkest of the Hillside Thicket get points for both rocking out and for rocking out about Chupakabras. And while I’ve never been one for game music without words (I’m a rapper, what do ya want from me?) The OneUp’s “Crash Man” and Select Start’s “Terra” are fantastic! So get this thing man!

 
icon for podpress  Beefy - Game Store Girl Sample [0:49m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Bunches of Updates

Hey internet. How you doing today?

I figured I’d give you all an update of the hijinks. Like 4 people still care right?

Just Another Lazy Podcast is coming back! Boosh! And/Or Ka-Kow! The laziest podcast on the net was so lazy in fact that we didn’t bother posting shows for over a year and a half. Oh we recorded em. Just didn’t post em. Too much work. We’ll also be a part of Rocket Propelled Radio, but you’ll always be able to catch us at our JALP site. It sucks right now, but I’ll work on it…some time. Promise.

Work has begun on my 4th album. I’m stealing c64 of Dual Core for some tracks. Listen to Lost Reality and tell me you wouldn’t do the exact same thing! But fear not Dual Core fans, cause there will also be a guest spot or two with int eighty. Also gonna bug my friend YTCracker, MC Lars, and Wheelie Cyberman to grace some tracks as well. Also gonna try to con K.Flay who was amazing on the Digital Gangster LP. No full on plans yet, as I’d like to not get a million people pissed off at me if it takes another year to crank this out. One of the songs is totally mixed and mastered already and will be part of a project I’m not sure if I can talk about yet. Let’s just say it’s for charity and that I’m super excited for it!

New free album coming out in the next few weeks. The Adventure of Beef Thompson: IN SPACE! will, as always, feature a bunch of free tracks I’ve put out for the last few months and a couple that haven’t seen the ligth of day yet. Bestestist, 16 Beefy II, and Get to Know Me you’ve heard before, but I’m also going to throw Grammar Club tracks Sentinels and Red Cyclone on there too as well as my additions to the now defunct From The Dust’s Gasping For Air. And there’s also a short intro called About Damn Time I wrote when this was going to come out before Rolling Doubles was done.

Also, tomorrow is my birthday. yay! 23. I’m getting slightly older every year it seems. 2008 was way dope. Hoping for more good things in 2009! Have a nice day.

UPDATE
Also, I’m on a Rhyme Torrent collection for the first time since the first one (well the first one was like 4 volumes, but whatever) with MC Lars, The Former Fat Boys, and Nygel on the production. It’s dumb as hell and I’m a fan. Nerdcore Hip-Hop is Fun.

Beefy Reviews Dual Core’s Lost Reality

So here’s the thing: I don’t write reviews. Hell, I barely even write. I don’t do this for a living. I’m not a critic. I just know what I like. And since these guys are my friends and this is my website, I’ve decided that I want to tell everyone how much I like Dual Core’s new album Lost Reality.

2008 has been a great year for nerdcore releases. Serious Business, The Digital Gangster LP, Final Boss, **cough**rollingdoubles**cough**, and Lost Reality. I recommend that last one just as much as I recommend all of the others. It’s on iTunes, Amazon, and their website and you should pick it up ASAP. Here’s what I think about each track, stream of conscience style!

Lost Reality

For Real
Great intro track. Welcome to the album. Welcome to Dual Core. Welcome to int eighty. Welcome to nerdrap. Welcome to a small sample of what c64s about to do to you for the next 15 tracks. I love the reminder to those who don’t believe, but this is hip-hop. Plain and simple.

Beginning of the End

Dual Core is hip-hop, but they’re also nerds. Here’s your proof. It’s like int eighty’s nerd resume. Also a track that makes me wish I stayed in school… or was smart. I wish that sometimes too.

Unplug
Surprised by the more serious tone at the beginning of the album. Spending all day in a cube makes me relate to this track a whole lot more than I’d like to. The first time I heard this track I too was very alone so the second verse got to me as well. Get out of my head 80! But now I’m never alone, so I wanna say to the int that wrote this song: enjoy it a little bit. I do like a song that stresses the need to relax. Very much like Optimus Rhyme’s Coded and United. Ok, I’m writing this at work actually, so maybe my job’s not so bad. :)

Hold On

Oh shit! Hey song, meet my face. Please feel free to melt it right away. I’d like more power behind the HOLD ON bits, but the beat is on point as is 80.

My Girlfriend Is…

I love a good song about the ladies. Love this beat. Love in depth breakdowns on how hacking works in the flick Hackers. I just really love a well made love song that doesn’t just praise beauty. It praises who that woman is and that she’s down for whatever. And since it’s for a nerd by a nerd I get it more than, say, hearing about a “down ass bitch.” Waiting in line for a Wii is down as far as I’m concerned. I just love this song.

Fantastic Four
This song is the tits. You already know that. Moving on.

Random Bits
I have absolutely no idea what the hell 80 is talking about…but this is still hot. Further proving that int eighty’s flow can transcend the fact that I’m not even his audience for some of his songs. I think it’s about computers. Right? Maybe about trains? Robots? Short and sweet.

Lost Reality
My second favorite GWBush quote starts this. This track just makes me all the more happy we have Obama now. Viva Obama! Ill Poetic ain’t half bad. Big fan of his verse on this. Looking forward to coexisting with some fish to be honest. Love the little mini-songs c64 does at the end of some tracks.

Judgment Day

Dual Core with terminate your ass! Fantastic story telling in this. I’m not even a huge fan of the flicks, but this makes me wanna go back and rewatch the first two. This is just great writing at it’s base, accompanied by a dope beat and dedicated flow.

Rock It
I keep waiting for a shitty beat. c64 doesn’t know the meaning of such things. Not my favorite chorus on the album. I do dig 80’s confidence on the mic. Makes me really wanna check him out live. Gonna have to trip to the Midwest sometime.

Dual Core
Love the guitar sample! Fuck. int eighy’s a much better story teller than I am. Fucker! I wanna steal this. Yeah, I’m gonna. Also loving a history of a group where the dudes only recently met. Gives me hope for Grammar Club. This is really a sick track. Like a history lesson on a track I will play over and over again.

Take It Forward
I like the more somber feel of this track. I don’t really know what to say about this one. It’s just a really good rap track with 80 demanding that you don’t stereotype hackers, gamers, and rappers. I can relate to 2 of the 3 so I can feel it. I feel like with me he’s preaching to the choir, but at the same time I’m like, “Yeah! That’s right! Goddamnit!” I don’t know how to make this make sense, so I’ll move on.

Take It Back

Some of my favorite 80 verses. Maybe not the strongest lyrically but it’s a lot of fun and sometimes, on a track like this, it’s exactly what’s called for. I’m just not a giant fan of the chorus section by Stephanie KB. Got a quick hype song and then this slow low sung bit that kinda took me out of it. I’d like to hear her on something a little quicker. Or maybe if that bit was underneath something else. I don’t really know. But strong, fun track overall.

Player vs. Player

This was just a whole lot of fun. I love hearing good battle raps, maybe because it’s something that I personally couldn’t do if you paid me a billion dollars. It’s the only reason I liked 8 Mile lol. But for real, this is hot. Great showcase of bullshit nerd rappers have to deal with a “real” rap shows. Fucking loved it though. The beat was a great mix of battle beats with a great crowd sample in the background. The kind of track I’d like to get out cause it’s witty and extremely pro-dork.

Fantastic Four Remix
A track so nice we did it twice! And to think I almost made it so these tracks didn’t make the album…I kinda suck. Ok, I really suck. Seriously, it was like a last minute addition because I couldn’t find time to record my little bits. To be fair, I would never make Dual Core wait again. This album demands respect from everyone.

int eighty and NOT c64

In short, Dual Core seems to have come out of nowhere to totally dominate everyone. That should totally go on the back of their next album. Buy their new record. You will not be disappointed.

Spend New Years with Beefy!

Last year, the Fallout Zone at CBC got rock hard by Beef Thom. This year: It’s gonna be like First Night with Beefy II: The Rockining!

Come see me try to remember how to do an all ages set!

First Night!
The Fallout Zone at CBC
7-Midnight
$I’m Not Sure
ALL AGES

Beefy’s Going To Amsterdam!

Glitched.

The Dutch Nerdcore Event.

Translation: Beefy gets to go to Amsterdam in February!

Glitched is being put on by the amazing people at Glitch and 4worx, Dutch web developing companies who seem to really like the idea of screening the Nerdcore For Life film and following it with a concert featuring myself, MC Lars, ytcracker, and MC Router. Yes, I will put aside my issues with Router for the greater good that is Amsterdam!

More info as it comes, but for now please be sure to click on the image above or click here to learn more about the event! Boosh!

Great Success!

Portlanders, I am so happy you and I could finally rock out together! Many new friends were made and many good people walked away with their very own physical copy of Rolling Doubles! Also, I signed my first chest! Many good things went down. Much love and hate to my boys who bought me shots of tequila. You bastards! Good to see TG again. Northwest Nerdcore represent! Rocked out with Lars and YT on stage. Get krunk!

Below, YT with Lars performing In My Time in front of sexy Portland people!

Seattle, I’m sorry if you missed my set. Little confusion over what time the gig actually started. Lack of communication and if you wanted to see me and didn’t I am very sorry. :(
But to everyone else there, thanks so much for the fun and the energy. I had to split early…which sucks but was sadly unavoidable. Lots of fun still had.

Much much much much love to Lars, YT, Front, Brandon, Sturgenius, and everyone who shows love. And to Front’s new keyboardist. Very well done for it being your first show! Seriously, I think Lars is in the running for nicest person alive. Him and YT fighting for it neck and neck. Love them dudes! Photos on my Flickr. Peep game.

I’ll be selling CDs online soon! Just need to get my ducks in a row first before I start the whole shipping thing. Don’t wanna fuck up again. Lots of work to be done and I just need to make sure it goes smoothly for you guys. Also…shirts. Soon. For serious this time.

Compact Discs

Hey wouldja look at that? Rolling Doubles in super-sexy CD form! These bad boys will be available to all the good boys and girls who show up to the Portland and Seattle shows this weekend. Go here for more show details.

I’m not 100% sure how to sell these things online yet. Tube Tech didn’t go so well and I really don’t wanna repeat that. This time I have a Pepper Potts to my Tony Stark so maybe she’ll kick my ass into shape. But until then, you better get your ass to Portland and/or Seattle (bonus points if you go to both shows!)

Also in the mail today I got a bunch of YTCracker lanyards, so there will be merch all over the place! Please come. Please bring your friends. And please buy CDs!

The Road is F’n Hard

Tragedy has struck the nerdcore tour’s trailer! Seems while YTCracker, MC Lars, MC Frontalot and his band were headed to Lincoln they hit a patch of ice which ripped the trailer from the van. Reports indicate that gear, shirts, and CDs went shooting all over the highway! Thankfully the boys are all fine, but they had to cancel their show in Lincoln and there’s no word yet if they’re going to be able to finish the rest of the tour at all.

Grabbed the image from Lars’ blog. Brutal.

Ya know what this means right? You need to buy as much merch they have left as you can! Thank the spam gods they’re ok, but this is going to hit them hardest in the pockets. So make sure you bring a ton of people to their remaining shows. If you’re a fan of nerdcore or even just independent music at all, it’s so important that you help these guys overcome this giant bump in the road.

So show some love to my boys. They’re clearly going to be having a bad day today. Lots of love and lots of hugs guys.

new prez makes me lol

rather, some kid with photoshop makes me lol

Joe Dunn = F’n Amazing

Now that Rolling Doubles has been out for a little while now I’ve gotten a lot of really great feedback! Love from my family, my friend, other MCs, and from the internet in general. So far the only bad review I’ve gotten has been from another nerdcore rapper. And yet, the compliment I get the most is…

“Wow! The cover is so cool! Did you do that?”

To which I quickly respond: No, super talented artist (and my internet friend) Joe Dunn did it! Isn’t it great?

I love the cover for Rolling Doubles as much if not more than I love the art Joe did for Tube Technology. This is so detailed and so amazingly fun to look at that I only realized like 3 months ago that it didn’t even say my name on it! I sent Joe a huge list of little in jokes and gags and little things that would be kinda cool, and he incorporated ALL of it! And the crazy part is he makes it look easy!

Not only is he an amazing cover artist, but he is the full time artist of two separate webcomics. At one point he was doing something like 4. All at the same time, and always with the high level of detail and professionalism. My personal favorite of his work is his regular film comic Joe Loves Crappy Movies. On top of being super talented, Joe is a crazy movie buff. And not just the classics. If he has a spare could of hours he’ll totally go check out the early showing of Meet The Spartans. He’s that dedicated to the cause! I was also a big fan of his work on The Coffee Achievers where he teams up with Mich Clem to make the characters of Nothing Nice to Say…interesting.

I was going through some old e-mails and ran across the first sketch Joe sent me. I gave him a basic idea of what I thought would be cool, and he blew my mind, and even wanted my input as to which face to use. I love it so much and just wanted to share it with you. Enjoy your day and go show Joe some love!