The hip-hop of Shakespeare: MC Lars at TEDxUSC

Andrew Robert MacFarlane Nielsen, more commonly known as MC Lars, has experienced first-hand the power and influence of music. Discovering hip-hop for the first time as a geeky, out-of-place teen he went on to study English at Stanford. A pioneer of "nerdcore hip-hop" and the self-proclaimed originator of "post-punk laptop rap," his music videos such as "Ahab" "White Kids Aren't Hyphy," "MC Lars' iGeneration," and "This Gigantic Robot Kills" have swept KZbin with their nerdy charm. Lars is now exploring how to use hip-hop to teach teens literature and creativity.

[@mc_lars]

It was an international program through Stanford, I went in 2003.

[@Ceciliemeow]

This guy should talk to Akala from The hip hop Shakespeare company!

[@ChrisHamilton-SalesTipADay]

Great insight and it takes a true genius to connect all of this.

[@lindaesquivel3230]

Wow, Loved it!

[@ChrisHamilton-SalesTipADay]

Linda Esquivel Totally

[@MrHappyyoyoman]

that's why he's in TED

[@nrrrdgrrrl333]

Thank you! You have been my idol since I was 8 and heard The Raven while I was starting to read Poe. Thanks for being a genius and just awesome :) I will see you at the Vans Warped tour at shoreline!

[@Sesson24]

I really enjoyed this. I didn't know you did lectures too. Mad Props.

[@KindskopfUnterhaltung]

they literally killed it

[@OriginalOgraphy]

Much Love

[@Menefee01]

This is amazing! I am playing it in my class tomorrow!

[@cameronfoster5446]

Please dont

[@cjorde9751]

please do

[@ScottMyersOfTheEarth]

Awesome, Lars!!

[@pinkitty39]

Very interesting

[@sushmavishwakarma9130]

tat waz awesome

[@smb12988]

I love MC Lars and I love Ted Talks, but I have to admit that this wasn't that great.

[@jordanmossimo]

I'm surprised he didn't bring up Amen Brother by The Winstons rather than the James Brown Track

[@michaellorenz4276]

Nice!greethinxs

[@graceissuchabitch]

How do you qualify to go to Oxford? That's a hard school to get into!

[@TheJogeyBear]

Amazing. Just tweeted this :)

[@jamescopenhaver720]

Yo I respect this guy for repping the galactic empires symbol, in this day and age of the new republic you have to be mighty brace to wear that. Long live emperor Palpatine!

[@snicker-snee]

He's so intelligent. Jeez.

[@Mattiathem]

In the subtitles "I collaborated with -Care s1- " LoL...

[@MrCraiggyc1]

They took the Akala version down. That was the best.

[@edwardmellett555]

Awesome. Lars you seem like a great guy!

[@snatcherzeroone1278]

Damn they need more rehearse more

[@KOPharaoh]

+Uzi Gadafi Young kids with situation anxiety. They'll get better as time goes along.

[@MusicGoblin]

Hmm how come there's no mc Chris one

[@DarkAngelEU]

that's what I really like bout Tyler doe, he raps about dark shit but he makes it so over-the-top it becomes almost a satire.

[@98tallica]

No, he's shit. Even he admits it.

[@DarkAngelEU]

christopher jaeger he says he's shit so you don't have to!

[@omarperezrodriguez1827]

That was real nerdy for sure

[@juanpablocontreras1099]

Who else thought that the Mask of the Red Death ruins everything.

[@joshsteenblok8370]

This video made me go brain dead.

[@thegabrielhyde]

I agree, but I think Lars is more interesting in theoretical terms.

[@ruggedouttechnicians]

Damn... Clyde Stubblefield still isn't getting credit for creating his solo breakdown on "Funky drummer". The band also gets no royalties only daily wages for the recording sessions. James owned/ruled the publishing.

[@allaspinaband]

I watched a documentary about James Brown the other day and Clyde said he hates that song! haha

[@BladeFist360]

This is a great video but the guys at the end aren't that good xD that second guy forgot his lyrics for a second and the second guy had no rhythm.

[@koshadillztv]

sweeeeeeeeeeet lars

[@markweiss1934]

I love you man but Shakespeare, Poe, James Brown and Griot, you lost me near Rio. The Rio Theatre, near PG. PG-38, happy birthday, Libra

[@briwyatt1461]

...that's not Michael Cera?

[@NanaYawAforo]

by a mile

[@3191mal]

I hope Akala never sees this! :/

[@lewisrivers4054]

Mala Murthy yea me too cuz this white dude and akala are culture vultures, that akala dude trynna be like american rappers.. he cant speak either about hip hip since he from another country, both akala and this dude corny

[@jeremyimm2243]

lols and in ableton and reason we have auto tune.

[@toker6664]

No Macbeth greatest weakness was his wife

[@fimarach]

MC Lars I love your work but the group with you ...they need some practice I think

[@snatcherzeroone1278]

lol

[@rarebanana]

Impressive, an educated white man teaching an educated white audience about classical theater and how it's related to 1990's American urban music history.

[@cameronfoster5446]

no

[@wunademones]

Red death = not very good lol

[@alexconners4086]

lol

[@nikhilas9091]

They fucked up real good

[@Sheepo25]

Akala's presentation is better.

[@FuriousImp]

They need to work on rhythm at the very least!

[@issacnewton7059]

this vid is hard to watch.

[@DrMcPHD]

yeah... lars works better in his works than his idk, lectures? I gotta give it to him though, he let me pirate his tunes on my weirdo radio show for a while.

[@Rayvn7]

This so does not belong on a TED talk.

[@thomasvanalphen2244]

The only requirement to get on TEDX is to have an idea you want to share... So by that it does

[@platonicbuu7454]

the end killed it

[@vidyamordue3620]

Ummmm the rapper gang was not.........very.......good

[@Ehsidorah]

Bro just stop like right now I like your confidence but like...............:D XD

[@iwantyourjob]

What is this? Is this serious? Oh my god. This is painful.

[@Ehsidorah]

4:09-4:23 :l And you said u work with 2 pac HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HILAAAAAAAAARIOOOOUUUSSSS HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH HAAAAAH(cough,cough)

[@frankrizzo8117]

Why is this guy a Marxist?

[@hopewalker1027]

Akala's video is SO MUCH BETTER!!!!!!!!!!

[@carolinelee3439]

Mc Lars has bullied a girl called Caroline Lee (his ex-lover) for seven years.

[@enricopepitone6002]

"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore ---" Take what fits. Ignore the rest. Rap as art can't pass the test. This is ridiculous -- more evidence that TED has run out of things to talk about.

[@julianbooker8250]

Enrico Pepitone lmao wtf are you talking about? How is hip hop not art. Just watch a vox analysis of some of open mic eagle's lyrics and you'll see that hip hop is art

[@rudeboyjohn3483]

It's been 5 yrs and Enrico's assinine comment still falls flat lol

[@dchivalric1]

corny...

[@PastelitoPapi]

i thought he was gonna be black

[@bro2thenite]

OMG ANOTHER WHITE PERSON TALKING ABOUT RAP AND HIP HOP....gentrification