FG MUSIC: SHADOW MOSES brings forth the Age of Nerdcore

Let this serve as a warning as the Age of Nerdcore is almost upon us. You’re probably wondering what Nerdcore is all about? Me too, I did not have an idea about what is it about until I experienced it myself. Nerdcore is made of stuff that would blow your minds out! Nerdcore is an eclectic mix of old school hip-hop and backpack rap with themes related to nerd/geek/pop-culture.

At the forefront of the local Nerdcore movement is Shadow Moses, a hip-hop trio composed of MCs Ninno, Chyrho and beats master, Six the Northstar. True to their geek nature, the group even got their name from one of the most influential games of our generation, Metal Gear Solid.

Ninno is known for his rapid fire delivery, and seamlessly switches between references of greek gods to comic book characters. He also recently released, his debut album Third Culture Kid which gained favorable attention from critics and fans. Chyrho, is a founding member of the influential hiphop collective, AMPON, Victor Prieto aka Chyrho makes this musical comeback with Shadow Moses. If you frequent Cubao X, you’d probably see him there as he’s the owner and operator of our favorite hang-out place when in Cubao X, The Appraisery. Six The Northstar, is a prolific beatmaker and MC, and is involved in many musical projects. He recently released SixTrueMentals Vol 1, an instrumental collection of beats that has garnered favorable attention and airplay on Jam 88.3.

Shadow Moses was formed late 2015 in Cubao Expo over a love of hip-hop and geekdom. Somewhere in between “old school” and “ahead of the game”, they have been described as “old school hip-hop with a millennial twist”. Shadow Moses is best understood by seeing them perform live, when the explosive dynamics between three generations of geeks go onstage together.

Shadow Moses first EP release titled Expansion Pack is a 6-track EP filled with pure hip-hop and geek goodness. As soon as you hit play, the beat will immediately hook you in along with geek references ranging from comic books, video games, pop-culture, and even professional wrestling! My favorite track would have to be the last track “The Lost Art of Throwbacks”. I have played it multiple times, as I’m writing this review. The track starts with a classical intro immediately followed by hip-hop beats. This track is in an infinite loop in my head right now. Shadow Moses’ Expansion Pack is highly addictive and this is only the EP!

Expansion Pack is living proof that geek is the new cool! This is the kind of music that geeks could be proud and call their own. I was fortunate enough to see them live at this year’s Geekgikan 2016 and their live set is as tight as how they sound in their EP. Having heard them live for the first time made me bob my head up and down along with the crowd. Shadow Moses music may be Nerdcore but it does not alienate the crowd. Shadow Moses’ music actually brings people together. This is the kind of music the scene has not seen or heard in awhile, it is old school hip-hop tailored fit to the current generation of listeners.

See Shadow Moses perform live when they release Expansion Pack and their first line of shirts at Saguijo on July 17, 2016. Other acts include A Problem Like Maria, Illustrado, Ryoku, and more. Show starts at 9:00PM.