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ti-Talented Bay Area Rapper Responsible for Hit “Right Here” Previews News Single
When we think of summer we think of relaxation. The preview video for “Summer” off Erk Tha Jerk’s upcoming album Nerd’s Eye View shows the opposite: hard work. Erk says, “We had a show on Thursday so we were at the venue until 3am, then we went straight to the airport to go to another show, did soundcheck, went back to the hotel to shower real quick, then did the show, then the afterparty. There’s always work to do, even at an afterparty. It’s not like I sit in the VIP and talk to girls. Whenever I get to a new city, I’ve got to meet the DJ’s, let them know about me, my sound, my single, and then it’s back to the hotel at 3am only to do it all over again the next day.” The video portrays emcee life in an honest and unique light. “No fancy shit,” or girls, or expensive alcohol; instead, Erk shows us what a day in the life of a busy emcee is like. It doesn’t matter if it’s summer or not.
The single features catchy hooks laid over dramatic stringed produced by Erk. He also co-directed the video. Erk works hard because… well, he does everything.
The Background:
Debunking the stereotype of what a West Coast rapper should be is what got a very fickle hip-hop audience to initially notice Erk. His streetwear heavy fashion sense, trademark black eyeglasses and hood nerd persona all worked in his favor. Being from a “bad place” yet knowing that there are non-hood things out there is what has shaped Erk’s approach to life and music. “I went to college for a couple years, I’ve worked 9 to 5 jobs and I’ve sold weed and none of those things quite worked out so I’m kinda like a hood nerd.” His satirical anti-hyphy anthem “I’m So Dumb” and “Plane in the Air” featuring Too $hort defined him as an artist but it was 2009’s “Right Here” that put him on the map. The censored version became one of 106 KMEL’s (San Francisco) most played songs, charted on Billboard’s Top 100 Hip Hop/R&B, and the video is currently in rotation on MTV Jams. In addition to producing and directing videos for other artists, Erk is currently working on his first full length album titled Nerd’s Eye View.
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