It’s hard to believe that ZeaLouS1 burst onto the Nerdcore scene a scant year ago. In that short time he has managed to endear himself to the faithful and spread the good word of nerdy rhymes far and wide. Whether performing at the local haunts of his native California, across the country as a featured artist at Nerdapalooza SE, or prowling the stage at Las Vegas’s Consumer Electronics Show, Z1 has turned critics into fans and kindred spirits into family. Famed for a calm, affable demeanor that belies his imposing size, ZeaLouS1 is more than our titular King of the Boss Fights; he is a friend to all nerds, a self-styled defender of the weak. While many in Nerdcore espouse the superhero mindset, ZeaLouS truly takes it to heart. He is, at once, a nerd’s nerd and a musician’s musician. He throws himself wholeheartedly into everything he does, and what he does best is take the listener by the hand and lead him from the busy San Diego streets to the burning wastes of Azeroth and back again. And there’s nothing he’d like more than for you to join him. Like most of you, when I hear a nerdcore hip-hop track I am looking for geeky references; I’m looking for that sci-fi namedrop or that clever allusion to Mario Kart or the recitation everyone’s favorite irrational number. But being a nerd is more than knowing the terminology. There is the ever-important concept of “walking the walk.” There is conducting yourself in a nerdy manner, certainly, and there is doing nerdy things; these are all perfectly acceptable forms of embracing one’s dork side. But lest we forget the long, hard walk of living the nerd life. YTCracker famously espoused that nerd life was his career, and, while it may not yet be paying the bills for Beau Fa'asamala, nerd life is his passion. It is his focus. His muse. In a world that tells us that nerds are mousy, ill-tempered, unsociable malcontents, ZeaLouS1 stands out at as powerful, equable, and friendly. In a world that tells us that music is a commodity, focused more on affluence than content and more on marketability than craftsmanship, ZeaLouS1 simply endures, making the music that he loves for the enjoyment of those with a similar slant. To put it more plainly: in a world of insincere pitchmen, ZeaLouS1 is a genuine artist. Moreover, ZeaLouS1 reminds us, through his dedication to excellence and his focus on personal musical growth, that the power of the nerd paradigm is its unending willingness to adapt. --Hipster, Please! hipsterplease.com