Contrary to popular belief, contemporary music is full of some of the most open nerds in pop culture. Whether its adding their electric specific sound to a much coveted franchise or even using classic video games as musical inspiration, these artist have an uncompromising ability to weave geek culture in almost ever aspect of their music. Allow GameNGuide to spotlight some of those most relatable geeks in pop.
Daft Punk
The French electronica duo just released their fourth studio album Random Access Memory to insane amounts of acclaim. It just set a new world record for going number one in over 84 countries on iTunes, thus taking Madonna's crown. Since the group's first landmark debut Homework, Daft Punk has had a huge fascination with robots. Hell, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter's actual face have yet to be seen making them the nerd equivalent to KISS pre-Lick It Up. Outside of providing exclusive mixes for Activision's DJ Hero, the group has collaborated with Leiji Matsumoto for animated musical Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem and composed the soundtrack for Tron: Legacy.
Pharrell
Ironically, Pharrell also collaborated with Daft Punk on Daft Punk's first single from Random Access Memory "Get Lucky." Pharrell Williams started as second half of production duo The Neptunes along with Chad Hugo. The duo is known for futuristic use of synthesizers and sparse drum machine sounds. This has led The Neptunes to work with everyone from Britney Spears to Jay-Z. Their label's name is Star Trak and both constantly throw up the Vulcan salute at any moment's notice. Along with Hugo, Pharrell also fronts rap/rock hybrid appropriately named N.E.R.D. By himself, he's collaborated with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami and Bathing Apes designer Nigo for two clothing lines. He's a Hip-Hop Otaku.
Weird Al Yankovic
Though it took Weird Al three decades to score his first top ten album with Streaight Outta Lynwood, his ability to make geeky inspired remakes of pop classics has always been his claim to fame. Not just crappy half-hearted attempts either. "White and Nerdy" had Weird Al mimicking Chamillionaire's "Ridin" rhymes perfectly while referencing some of the culture's precious commodities. There's also the fact that "The Sega Begins" helped the Star Wars franchise more than its prequels will ever do.
Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean is this list's youngest and newest artist but his nerd tendencies are a lot craftier and subversive. The Odd Future member was a relatively unknown songwriter for artists including Justin Bieber and Beyonce before releasing the critically acclaimed free album Nostalgia,Ultra which was filled with symbolic references to classic video games in the interludes. Naming interludes after Street Fighter, Metal Gear Solid, GoldenEye and Soulcalibur didn't sound forced. His Def Jam major label debut channel ORANGE has enough easter-egg nerd references to make one's head spin. The intro track "Start" even uses the original Sony Playstation startup chime and leads to the Street Fighter II character select music. The André 3000 featured highlight "Pink Matter" even has a chorus that relates a women's nether regions to Dragon Ball Z villain Majin Buu.
Michael Jackson
It's interesting how much of a geek "The King of Pop" was. The man even filed a patent for anti-gravity shoes. Those who followed Jackson's career will also know that he was a huge gamer. He owned a large arcade at Neverland Ranch and was one of the few celebrities to attend Sony's Playstation debut party at E3 1995. Then there were the many appearances and games like Moonwalker, Space Channel 5 and Ready to Rumble: Round 2. Jackson was also in talks to compose the Sonic 3 soundtrack until those child molestation allegations cropped up.
Who else should make the cut? Let us know.
