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J. Loonz is a self professed nerd hailing from St. Paul, MN and he wants to introduce you to “Nerd Hop”.   What is nerd hop, you ask?  Loonz breaks it down:

“Nerd-hop is a state of mind. It isn’t a fashion statement or a style of music. At its very roots nerd-hop is the idea that no matter the situation, decision or whatever it is your doing stay true to thyself. Don’t be afraid to be who you are at all times. Don’t let other people define what it means to be you because every definition is a box. Every box is a limit. At the end of the day we accept that we are nerds (we go to Northwestern, we like class, we aren’t thugs).”

Got that?  This is the first in his “Nerd Hop” series, which looks to bring shine to the Mensa set.  One listen through this mixtape and it pretty apparent that this dude is hungry.  Starving even.  There’s no question he can spit – lyrical fiends will appreciate this man.

While the soundscape is provided ably by his partner Bootstrap Zack, we get the best sense of what Loonz can do when he jumps on a beat from a more established producer. “Oh Really” sees J riding over a Jake One beat with good results:

The challenge here is that Loonz has one speed: “rapid fire”. At the end of Vol 1, you walk away with an appreciate for his lyrical abilities – and you need a nap.   It would do Loonz to switch up the style a little to give heads an idea of his range.  The lyrical content is quality and the flow is good, it just needs some variety.

The 8 track tidbit is an interesting start to the “Nerd Hop” movement that comes to us at a time when more and more MCs are following Russell Simmons’ advice to “do you.”  Who says you need to be grimy to spit bars?

Tags: J Loonz, Mixtape, Nerd Hop Vol 1