Geek About Town Special: Interview with Nerdcore Emcee NES-T
What’s up, gang? Shubz here. Instead of my usual article of what show I’ve gone to, I’m taking this week’s usual Geek About Town slot to interview a geeky lady – my girl, nerdcore emcee NES-T (Tiffany Nygren). She is the newcomer that wowed audiences along with fellow emcee Jake Bit during Klopfenpop’s set last week at Nectar.
Shubz: How did you come up with your emcee name?|
NES-T: 8 years ago, I worked at a summer camp and the counselors I worked with played a game. We made this whole WWF (World Wrestling Federation) theme about it and made nicknames about beverages, specifically pop. I liked tea better so thus, NES-T. My name has different layers though – the tea reference (shout out to Nestea), a hip-hop reference (Ice-T!)…it wasn’t until I met up with my friends in nerdcore that it became a gaming reference (NES/Nintendo-T/Tiffany).
S: Who are some of your musical influences?
T: Eminem, 2Pac, Ludacris, FORT MINOR… In nerdcore, Optimus Rhyme – I’d never heard of them and I saw them at a show at Lava Lounge and I was blown away by their performance.
S: Why break into the nerdcore scene versus general hip-hop?
T: First, it’s what I can relate to. I am a special-education teacher by day, and as a teacher, I get flack from other teachers for endorsing video games as a learning tool. When I found this genre, I found a place where I can use it and be accepted for talking about and expressing the love of it more so than I can in other parts of my life. Second, I listened to hip-hop as a kid, but after you listen to it for a while, it sounds the same. Nerdcore is not like that; it’s always something different. I think there’s more realness and individuality in nerdcore because we have embraced our nerdiness and are not afraid to show it.
S: What are your currently geeky interests?
T: HARRY POTTER – I want to have his babies someday.
I really like to read memoirs and biographies.
WoW – I tend to geek out on that. :>
As far as games go, Bioshock and Gears of War are my two favorite games.
S: What are your thoughts about your performance last week?
T: I was nervous. It was my first time performing for a large group of people, and I was worried that I would lose my breath. Another thing I was focused on was jumping around and being all high energy. I wanted people to get in to it and enjoy our show.
S: Describe your very first performance.
T: When I was a kid, I used to sing a lot. It wasn’t until a group of people and I did Sister Act 2‘s version of “Joyful, Joyful” where I really gave rapping some thought. I did the rap version, and after the performance, someone from the audience says to me, “You did a great job singing.” I told him, “I don’t sing; I rap!”
S: Are you at all surprised at the reception you’ve been getting?
T: Yes and no. Yes, because I was told when I was little that because I was white and a girl, I had no place rapping. So I sang. I got that growing up – especially since I was the only one listening to hip-hop at home! I was lucky enough to find a group that accepted me and my geekiness, but also encourages me to pursue nerdcore.
S: So is there room for women in nerdcore?
T: YES – the guys need to move over! Girls may not feel they have the support to do it, but we ladies need to start stepping up more so we can express ourselves. We have experience that we can bring into [nerdcore] that has yet to be tapped. Right now, it seems like we’re looked at as accessories – when a nerdy guy dates a a hot geeky girl, that guy’s status gets upped in the community, but it’s not that way for girls. It’s time we rise up and say what we’ve got to say.
S: What are you currently working on?
T: I’ve been working on songs for my first album. It’s been a long time since I’ve written stuff before so this I expect to have some pretty heavy material, as I’ve had a lot bottled up inside. I’ll also have some light and fun songs, but regardless I’m always gonna keep it 100%!
For more information about NES-T and her upcoming events and song releases, like The NES-T Fanpage on Facebook.
–
Shubz Angeles Krismer
PR Assistant
