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NASA Produces Rap Video On Astrobiology

Posted by samzenpus on from the nerds-do-the-darndest-things dept.

An anonymous reader writes "You've seen the Large Hadron Rap by Kate 'Alpinekat' McAlpine. Now a NASA magazine has commissioned an astrobiology rap. Jonathan Chase, aka 'Oort Kuiper', produced a six-minute YouTube rap video on astrobiology, the scientific search for extraterrestrial life. The lyrics include: 'We've been on Earth for many years and we are still producing answers; as time passes, collective knowledge advances.' This epic rap battle sees Alpinekat/CERN on top with over three million views on YouTube compared with about ten thousand for Oort Kuiper/NASA."

113 comments

  1. what about leprechaun's? by Sadsfae · · Score: 1

    i just want to know where the gold's at.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZfyrIPw3wY

    --
    Have a squat over at the hobo house.
    1. Re:what about leprechaun's? by MindDelay · · Score: 0

      say yeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhh

      --
      Spiral out. Keep going...
    2. Re:what about leprechaun's? by Oktober+Sunset · · Score: 1

      That leprechaun is is going to do no good.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlufxatPxnA

      --
      What if Tetris was invented by Nazis?
  2. See Kidz by JohnHegarty · · Score: 0

    See kidz, i said the astrobiology was kool..

    --
    Cruise TT
    1. Re:See Kidz by mazarin5 · · Score: 1

      I knew this would get all the hep-cats to think we're keen!

      --
      Fnord.
    2. Re:See Kidz by PC+and+Sony+Fanboy · · Score: 1

      Sadly, this reminds me of 'don't copy that floppy'. And it is just as 'kool'... *sigh*

  3. Nerdcore rising! by Junior+J.+Junior+III · · Score: 1

    http://www.nerdcorerisingthemovie.com/

    --
    You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
  4. Black Helicopters by orkysoft · · Score: 1

    I like the black helicopters at the end :-]

    --

    I suffer from attention surplus disorder.
    1. Re:Black Helicopters by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 3, Funny

      There were no black helicopters.

      Thanks,
      unnamed government agency who is not the NSA, DIA, DSA, CIA or FBI

      --
      My blog
    2. Re:Black Helicopters by dintech · · Score: 2, Funny

      Ah-ha! That answers it. I always suspected the FDA... :)

    3. Re:Black Helicopters by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nah, US Postal Service.

    4. Re:Black Helicopters by DynaSoar · · Score: 1

      There were no black helicopters.

      Thanks,
      unnamed government agency who is not the NSA, DIA, DSA, CIA or FBI

      REMAIN CALM

      Of course there were black helicopters. They were flying cloaked, and so were invisible. Invisibly black cloaked stealth silent helicopters, yeah. They absolutely must exist, as they make it totally unnecessary to have such expensive and non-existent technology as orbital mind control lasers, which do not exist. Believe this message, not the quoted message. If you feel any confusion or discomfort, please email us at targeting@omcl.mil and provide your precise spatial coordinates, then stand clear of electrical devices and pets. Please refrain from using metalized headwear as it can cause hallucinations, double vision, double vision, conspiracy theories, fear, uncertainty and doubt. We only want you to be happy.

      Signed, your pals at:
      Orbital Mind Control Lasers, Inc.,
      Area 52 ("We're making progress"),
      Undisclosed Location, Nevada

      PS: Nice t-shirt, get that from a trade show? And move that drink away from your keyboard, you could get electrocuted. What? Don't say what? But that's what will happen. Oh all right. ... you could spill it and ruin your keyboard. Better? Good. Now, how do I edit this? No I don't know. Hey, it was your idea. Forget it, just set the beam to maximum dispersion on the next pass, and we'll get them all. Just be careful of concentrations of aluminum foil, you know how it causes backscatter.

      Aw, shi

      --
      "I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid." -- Bishop 341-B
  5. Oort Kuiper? by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

    Phobos Deimos would be a better rap name

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:Oort Kuiper? by Yungoe · · Score: 1

      or MC Tycho.

  6. When you're too stupid.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    ...to learn to play an instrument and write your own music, just steal someone else's, talk all over it and call it "rap".

    1. Re:When you're too stupid.... by Anonymous+Conrad · · Score: 4, Interesting

      ...to learn to play an instrument and write your own music, just steal someone else's, talk all over it and call it "rap".

      Rapping well actually has a lot of skills in common with 'real' singing - it's more technical that you'd think. For example you need at least as much timing, enunciation and breath control as singers do, and if you're rapping tunefully you've got to actually hit the note first time, you can't fudge it in vibrato if you're having an off day. Don't dis the rap stars.

    2. Re:When you're too stupid.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      When Eric Clapton plays a mean blues guitar solo, he can do so minus the countless medallions, bling jewelry, fashion street clothing and any need to wave his hands at the camera.

      Maybe you need to be black to appreciate rap music but it never ceases to amaze me how the much deeper culture of black blues music, played equally well by both black and white musicians, is totally ignored by those who follow rap and modern black street culture.

    3. Re:When you're too stupid.... by Terminus32 · · Score: 0

      Agreed! REAL Hip Hop showcases amazing talent & skills from MCs (rappers), DJs turntablists), breakdancers & graffiti writers (artists). What most people think as 'rap/hip hop' on MTV isn't at all, it's watered-down 'r&b/pop' with all the fakes like 50 Cent & Kanye West with all their 'bling' references. REAL Hip Hop doesn't get much airplay features artists such as Non Phixion, Immortal Technique, The Arsonists, Deltron 3030, Truth Told, Wu-Tang Clan, Dead Prez and Mr. Lif..these are just some examples; but there's alot of powerful messages in the music, tales of everyday struggles on the street, Illuminati superpowers micro-chipping the population, alien conspiracies, the war on drugs, etc. The rubbish they show on MTV is to give hip hop a bad name/vibe so the general population don't give the real stuff a chance.

      --
      http://nathanlindsell.blogspot.com/
    4. Re:When you're too stupid.... by diskofish · · Score: 1

      And the lyrics, oh man. On a good hip-hop track, the lyrics are witty, finely crafted poetry. They have to be. I am often disappointed with the lyrics in rock music. Btw..I am a guitarist.

    5. Re:When you're too stupid.... by Anonymous+Conrad · · Score: 1

      When Eric Clapton plays a mean blues guitar solo, he can do so minus the countless medallions, bling jewelry, fashion street clothing and any need to wave his hands at the camera.

      But then there's Hendrix who burns his guitar on stage or one of the countless others who smashes theirs up at the end of the set. The posturing isn't the music.

      Blues - yes, you've got a point, but it isn't necessarily everyone's thing. You could say the same about jazz or classical - it's out there, there's an incredible history of it, but they aren't pop culture today.

    6. Re:When you're too stupid.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just one correction:

      Agreed! REAL Hip Hop showcases amazing talent & skills from MCs (rappers), DJs turntablists), breakdancers & graffiti writers (vandals).

      If you want "art" go do it on a piece of paper or canvas, not on someone else's wall or on the side of a train that's paid for out of my taxes.

    7. Re:When you're too stupid.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      But then there's Hendrix who burns his guitar on stage or one of the countless others who smashes theirs up at the end of the set. The posturing isn't the music.

      Yes, I take your point about Hendrix but then I'd argue that by the time Hendrix had got to the stage of burning guitars on stage, he was already famous for his music.

      Modern music, rap included, is based as much on image and "how good the video looks" as it is on musical content.

    8. Re:When you're too stupid.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, I especially love it when they rap about drugs, money, street gangs, drive by shootings and bitches.

    9. Re:When you're too stupid.... by gsslay · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Rapping well actually has a lot of skills in common with 'real' singing

      I'll give you that. But they say that a professional working a chainsaw is also pretty skilful, and I don't listen to that for fun either.

    10. Re:When you're too stupid.... by dnoyeb · · Score: 1

      When Eric Clapton plays a mean blues guitar solo, he can do so minus the countless medallions, bling jewelry, fashion street clothing and any need to wave his hands at the camera.

      Maybe you need to be black to appreciate rap music but it never ceases to amaze me how the much deeper culture of black blues music, played equally well by both black and white musicians, is totally ignored by those who follow rap and modern black street culture.

      Thats just ridiculous. Maybe they don't bling, but blues players have the fanciest guitars of any guitar players. Every genre has their thing.

      Some rap does the bling thing. Thats part of Black youth culture. Look rich. White youth culture when I was young at least, was to look "poor." Of course they paid top dollar for those ripped up faded jeans and simple t-shirt. Music is part of culture and vice versa.

      When you say "maybe you need to be black to appreciate rap music..." there is some truth to it. You don't need to be racially Black, but you need to comprehend some elements of Black culture. You can be White and do that. Rap would not be big as it is today if lots of White youth were not able to understand it.

    11. Re:When you're too stupid.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh, fuck off.

      Yeah, I'm so sick of my commute being ruined by these vandals. I much prefer boring train after boring train.

      Seriously, does it really matter?

    12. Re:When you're too stupid.... by MindDelay · · Score: 0

      listen to real hip hop and not the crap on MTV. there's no bling jewelry or medallions or whatever you think. your "need to be black" comment is also ridiculous. go back to mommy's basement and be the closed-minded person you are or grow the fuck up already. there is way more to life than your small world. wake up and you might appreciate more than you know.

      --
      Spiral out. Keep going...
    13. Re:When you're too stupid.... by Abreu · · Score: 1

      So, by your theory, Bootsy Collins is the missing link between Blues and Rap?

      --
      No sig for the moment.
    14. Re:When you're too stupid.... by MindDelay · · Score: 0

      "Modern music, rap included, is based as much on image and "how good the video looks" as it is on musical content." I really don't know what music you're listening to, but you need to expand your horizons a bit past radio and MTV if you want to hear real music. If that's where you're stuck you'll never get past the image bullshit. That's just how that part of the industry works. There is good music out there though, hip hop included.

      --
      Spiral out. Keep going...
    15. Re:When you're too stupid.... by MindDelay · · Score: 0

      finally. someone that knows that hip hop is not what you see on MTV.

      --
      Spiral out. Keep going...
    16. Re:When you're too stupid.... by UncleTogie · · Score: 1

      But they say that a professional working a chainsaw is also pretty skilful, and I don't listen to that for fun either.

      I'm guessing you've never heard the solo to "The Lumberjack" by Jackyl... {starts at around 1:37}

      I just listened again for fun. Thanks for the reminder!

      --
      Don't tell me to get a life. I'm a gamer; I have LOTS of lives!
    17. Re:When you're too stupid.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All respect to Clapton, but you ought to recognize that rap is more a direct descendant of blues (REAL blues) than Clapton is.

    18. Re:When you're too stupid.... by rpillala · · Score: 1

      Music videos as a form have a lot of unnecessary crap in them. For example, Crash Here Tonight could just be the image of Toby Keith and co. playing the song, but instead he gets Heather Locklear to be in it. Different target audiences perceive success differently.

      --
      When the axe came to the forest, the trees said, "Look out - the handle was once one of us."
    19. Re:When you're too stupid.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How about watching it for the sheer artistry?

    20. Re:When you're too stupid.... by Hatta · · Score: 1

      George Clinton did say that "Funk is the DNA for hip-hop". So yeah, that's not too far from the truth. I find the hip-hop I like the best is heavily funk influenced. A Tribe Called Quest, Del Tha Funky Homosapien, etc.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    21. Re:When you're too stupid.... by seek31337 · · Score: 1

      Might I add.....

      Sage Francis (former beat poet turned hip-hop), Digable Planets (even the MTV listeners should know them. Saw them in SJ 2 years ago with a live jazz band), P.O.S. (Used to be a punk artist, has been rapping as long as he has been playing bass), Atmosphere (though their newer stuff isn't as good as the older stuff)... there's so much good stuff out there. You just need to know how to find it, and as long as people only look deep enough to see what the popular music is, they will never see the great things this artform has to offer.

      The poetry is amazing, if you know where to find it. Just because you don't understand it doesn't make it not an artform.

      --
      No SIG for you!
    22. Re:When you're too stupid.... by TheoMurpse · · Score: 1

      Relevant to your Deltron 3030 comment, I think Slashdotters would love his song Virus.

      Secretly plotting your demise
      I wanna devise a virus
      to bring dire straits to your environment
      Crushing corporations with a mild touch
      Trash the whole computer system and revert you to papyrus

    23. Re:When you're too stupid.... by TheoMurpse · · Score: 1

      Very bad analogy. Professionals don't work chainsaws for aural enjoyment. They do it to cut down trees.

      Now, if you said that professional with chainsaws are skillful, but you don't use the paper derived from such trees, your analogy would be more apt.

    24. Re:When you're too stupid.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Rap is to melodic singing as percussion is in relation to the melodic instruments. It's mostly about rhythm structure within the verse and carrying the beat. (And perhaps extra points for finding ways to create a proper breakbeat, developing a workable polyrythm, or carrying a rythm through without relying on repetitive verse.) But then again, even with instrumental works, not everyone is into drum solos or sessions. So yeah, it may be an acquired taste.

      But then again, even rap has variation in quality too. Not all rap-artists are worth listening to.

  7. It's a (w)rap! by Smivs · · Score: 2, Funny

    Please, no more science raps. The LHC by Alpinekat is pretty unbeatable anyway. What next, a programming language? I can't wait for the C-rap!

    --
    Smivs on the intertubes!
    1. Re:It's a (w)rap! by ozamosi · · Score: 1

      The QBasic Nerd guy tells you to get of his lawn. And learn to sing.

    2. Re:It's a (w)rap! by Missing_dc · · Score: 1

      "Please, no more science raps. The LHC by Alpinekat is pretty unbeatable anyway. What next, a programming language? I can't wait for the C-rap!"

      Dude, it's all C-RAP!

      and alpinekat's work would have been much better if they had written the music instead of sampled and overplayed an already overplayed 90s song.

      --
      How amazed would you be to suddenly find that you just forgot what I wrote and you needed to reread my post.... again.
    3. Re:It's a (w)rap! by paniq · · Score: 5, Funny

      well, check out this appendage:
      don't be so object oriented.
      The C programming language
      doesn't need to be defended!

      you believe in classes
      but C is for the masses!

      i f*ck you with my struct
      on this 24th september
      like it private and protected?
      better stroke my public member!

      now kneel down and dereference my pointer.

      --
      Do not trust this signature.
    4. Re:It's a (w)rap! by tbuddy23 · · Score: 1

      MC Plus+, Monzy and programming nerdcore rappers precede science rappers, and do arguably better a job of being entertaining rather than educational.

    5. Re:It's a (w)rap! by Iamthecheese · · Score: 1

      Point my object to a working self containing member Make a working interface 'won't break before December Wanna make a big array and fill it with the key delay and send a message with delay to my appointed ender From the A to the P to the I to the user Classes workin, no relay, recurve when I choose her Got a bigger memory size then any other chooser c plus plus is where its at and paniq is a luser!

      --
      If video games influenced behavior the Pac Man generation would be eating pills and running away from their problems.
  8. noice! by ArcSecond · · Score: 1

    lol @ "studying peas"
    This is definitely a better rap than the CERN one. Buddy knows how to flow, and manages to actually discuss the subject without falling into cutesy rhyming.
    Q: Does this qualify as nerdcore?

    --

    I've got a bad attitude and karma to burn. Go ahead. Mod me down.

    1. Re:noice! by Otter · · Score: 1

      This guy is a rapper, not a scientist, and the whole project is professionally done, not a bunch of researchers goofing around. By that standard, it's pretty poor. And the LHC video is much more scientifically informative than the NASA one, although that's probably due at least in part to the much greater scientific soundness of the LHC in general, compared to exobiology.

      If I had to choose where to work based on the two videos, no question I'd go for the people at CERN who obviously love their work and want to share it with others, over the people who just contracted out the whole thing.

      --
      What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
    2. Re:noice! by lumenistan · · Score: 1
      Not a scientist? From TFA:

      "Mr Chase, who holds two undergraduate degrees in aerospace engineering and science and science fiction, is now visiting schools in south Wales to engage pupils in rap and science."

      I think if you have a degree in Aerospace Engineering, you probably get to call yourself a scientist. Even if you follow that up with something as sensical as a degree in Science and Science Fiction (wtf? anything where L Ron Hubbard could be a professor is suspect). Still, I think saying the guy is NOT a scientist is silly. Apparently you can be more than one thing at the same time.

    3. Re:noice! by Otter · · Score: 1

      I think if you have a degree in Aerospace Engineering, you probably get to call yourself a scientist.

      I'd dispute that, but my snobbery aside ... he's training for a communications job, he has no connection (AFAICT) to NASA and he was brought into this project purely as a rapper/publicist.

      Actually, where I was mistaken was in thinking that Kate McAlpine was a researcher. In fact, she's also a publicist with an undergrad degree. But she does work for CERN, the people in the video are researchers, it was filmed on site, so I wasn't that far off in finding the LHC video much more genuine.

      --
      What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
  9. Refined Rap by necro81 · · Score: 1

    He raps with a British accent - therefore he must be smart.

  10. mc hawking still the best by jollyreaper · · Score: 4, Interesting

    to the tune of OPP

    Trash Talk
    Harm me with harmony.
    Doomsday, drop a load on 'em.

    Verse 1
    Entropy, how can I explain it? I'll take it frame by frame it,
    to have you all jumping, shouting saying it.
    Let's just say that it's a measure of disorder,
    in a system that is closed, like with a border.
    It's sorta, like a, well a measurement of randomness,
    proposed in 1850 by a German, but wait I digress.
    "What the fuck is entropy?", I here the people still exclaiming,
    it seems I gotta start the explaining.

    You ever drop an egg and on the floor you see it break?
    You go and get a mop so you can clean up your mistake.
    But did you ever stop to ponder why we know it's true,
    if you drop a broken egg you will not get an egg that's new.

    That's entropy or E-N-T-R-O to the P to the Y,
    the reason why the sun will one day all burn out and die.
    Order from disorder is a scientific rarity,
    allow me to explain it with a little bit more clarity.
    Did I say rarity? I meant impossibility,
    at least in a closed system there will always be more entropy.
    That's entropy and I hope that you're all down with it,
    if you are here's your membership.

    Chorus
    You down with entropy?
    Yeah, you know me! (x3)
    Who's down with entropy?
    Every last homey!

    Verse 2
    Defining entropy as disorder's not complete,
    'cause disorder as a definition doesn't cover heat.
    So my first definition I would now like to withdraw,
    and offer one that fits thermodynamics second law.
    First we need to understand that entropy is energy,
    energy that can't be used to state it more specifically.
    In a closed system entropy always goes up,
    that's the second law, now you know what's up.

    You can't win, you can't break even, you can't leave the game,
    'cause entropy will take it all 'though it seems a shame.
    The second law, as we now know, is quite clear to state,
    that entropy must increase and not dissipate.

    Creationists always try to use the second law,
    to disprove evolution, but their theory has a flaw.
    The second law is quite precise about where it applies,
    only in a closed system must the entropy count rise.
    The earth's not a closed system' it's powered by the sun,
    so fuck the damn creationists, Doomsday get my gun!
    That, in a nutshell, is what entropy's about,
    you're now down with a discount.

    Chorus

    Trash Talk
    Hit it!
    Doomsday, kick it in!

    --
    Kwisatz Haderach
    Sell the spice to CHOAM
    This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
    1. Re:mc hawking still the best by db32 · · Score: 1

      Seriously...special place in hell...

      --
      The only change I can believe in is what I find in my couch cushions.
    2. Re:mc hawking still the best by jollyreaper · · Score: 1

      Special place in hell? What, you're still hating on my sig?

      --
      Kwisatz Haderach
      Sell the spice to CHOAM
      This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
    3. Re:mc hawking still the best by ragnar_donaschold · · Score: 1

      The last verse reminds me of Greydon Square, who does Rational Rap. With heavy atheist and rational roots, the music is good and the lyrics rock. The double entaundre of using the "Compton effect" as an album title for a particle physics student from Compton is clever. Not to mention being able to get Punctuated Equilibria into a song is very cool. Not a paid endorsement just a fan.

    4. Re:mc hawking still the best by db32 · · Score: 1

      Repeating the rap thing isn't helping your cause. :)

      --
      The only change I can believe in is what I find in my couch cushions.
    5. Re:mc hawking still the best by fireforadrymouth · · Score: 1

      bump cause MC hawking is teh dope killah

  11. Entropy....how can I explain it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    MC Hawking

  12. I would expect by Chrisq · · Score: 1, Funny

    That it is "Rap" with a silent "C".

    1. Re:I would expect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Whoa, what a total and original way to put down rap! I've never heard this one, and I'm sure no one on the internet has either. This is the most awesome, amazing put down of rap I've ever witnessed. Good on you, sir.

  13. Your tax dollars at work by davidwr · · Score: 1

    I hope this got paid for out of the education/marketing-to-future-astronauts budget not the entertainment budget.

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
  14. Oh my God! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's worse than the above! He's the IRS!

  15. Bah... by Jupiter+Jones · · Score: 1

    A song about astrophysics?

    It's been done before



    JJ

  16. Are they insane?!?! by elrous0 · · Score: 1

    Don't they realize they're risking the start of an intergalactic rap war? Do we want to see Neil Tyson end up like Tupac?

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    1. Re:Are they insane?!?! by V!NCENT · · Score: 1

      Expect shootouts with lasers...

      --
      Here be signatures
    2. Re:Are they insane?!?! by UncleTogie · · Score: 1

      Expect shootouts with lasers...

      Easily solved... they just need to stay away from the frickin' sharks.

      --
      Don't tell me to get a life. I'm a gamer; I have LOTS of lives!
  17. Reminds me of.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bill Nye the Science guy's raps. I'm Not entirely sure why rap was the tone of choice when making these videos, but there must be a reason for it. Does rap get appreciated by the young generations more?

  18. Periodic table by zoom-ping · · Score: 1

    Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip have an exellent track about the periodic table. Live video on youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52BkzUg310k

    1. Re:Periodic table by simplexion · · Score: 1

      Or you could check out Chemical Calisthenics by Blackalicious.

  19. Fail by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Kate McAlpine's LHC rap worked because it was fun, catchy and obviously done in good humor. This thing has got an 'urban' vibe, it's sounds like something blasting from a depraved crack den or prison rec room. I turned it off before the part where ET came down with his "crew" and his "bitches" to drop some "street knowledge" or whatever it is that 14 year old criminals do these days.

  20. Baby got brains... by neapolitan · · Score: 1

    It really reminds me of a rap I wrote back in college, to the tune of "Baby got back."

    I like SMART GIRLS and I can not lie...
    You other nerds can't deny,
    when a girl walks in with a Ph.D.
    or some other advanced degree,

    you get SPRUNG. Wanna pull out math problems
    'cause you notice her brain was awesome

    Even the books she's carrying...
    I'm hooked and I can't stop staring.

    Quantum Physics!...

    It goes on and on. The 36-24-36 part is changed to 15-13-15, referencing her MCAT scores.

    I don't know whether to be proud or ashamed.

    --
    Slashdotter, ID #101. UIDs are in binary, right?
    1. Re:Baby got brains... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      post it in entirety please.

    2. Re:Baby got brains... by jason.sweet · · Score: 1

      That should get you at least 50%.

    3. Re:Baby got brains... by denis-The-menace · · Score: 1

      There used to be a web site where you could post ideas/lyrics for parodies and sometimes they were actually produced.
      BTW: Were talking about 10y ago.

      Too bad this one didn't get "produced" on Youtube

      --
      Obama's legacy: (N)othing (S)ecure (A)nywhere and (T)error (S)imulation (A)dministration
    4. Re:Baby got brains... by jollyreaper · · Score: 1

      Heh, I like. I also redid a pop song praising smarts.

      I know you woulda voted for me (I know you woulda voted for me)
      And maybe you did (and maybe you did)
      I know I look damn good compared to Bush 43
      You want a president not an embarrassment (president not embarrassment)
      It's easy to see (it's easy to see)
      And in the back of your mind
      I know you shoulda voted for me

      [Chorus]
      Dont cha wish your president was smart like me
      Dont cha wish your president could talk like me
      Dont cha, dont cha
      Dont cha wish your president had a vocabulary
      Dont cha wish your president's IQ was higher than three
      Dont cha, dont cha

      It was a long four years (long four years)
      He was dumber than we feared (dumber than we feared)
      And though he was kinda scary
      You shoulda settled for John Kerry
      Instead we got four more years (four more wars)
      Bush and Cheney don't play fair (Diebold voting machines)
      Even if Kerry shoulda won
      The Supreme Court woulda handed Bush another one

      [Chorus]
      Dont cha wish your president was smart like me
      Dont cha wish your president won awards like me
      Dont cha, dont cha , baby
      Dont cha wish your president was credible like me
      Dont cha wish your president was respected like me
      Dont cha, dont cha

      I know it's been on your mind
      How it woulda coulda been
      I'm Mr. Environment
      I'm hip
      And I'm cool
      Not a Texan tool
      But you'd rather see me be Mr. President

      See, I know how he fooled you (I see how he fooled you)
      I understand (I understand)
      You'd rather have a beer with him
      But considering the lives he's squandered
      Perhaps you should have a higher standard? (higher standard)
      Possibly (possibly)
      Don't feel lonely, your regrets are shared by many

      [Chorus]
      Dont cha wish your president was smart like me
      Dont cha wish your president could talk like me
      Dont cha, dont cha
      Dont cha wish your president had a vocabulary
      Dont cha wish your president's IQ was higher than three
      Dont cha, dont cha

      --
      Kwisatz Haderach
      Sell the spice to CHOAM
      This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
    5. Re:Baby got brains... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hmmm... I'll try to find it - it was on my old 486-DX machine, mind you this was circa 1994!

  21. I really hope this doesÂt turn into a trend.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...because I fear for the dignity of Richard Dawkins if the evolutionary biologists feel left out.

  22. wow by Ryogo · · Score: 0

    our youth can only understand such concepts in rap format...

  23. link by windsurfer619 · · Score: 1

    Link to YouTube audio

  24. Slowing down? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What's this? An idle There's been around 30 comments, there's one or two more articles posted past this, but the crybaby "idleispants" and "pleasestop" tags aren't on the front page?

    Tsk, tsk. The auto-bitchbots and whine scripts are getting slow. Better hurry! Just think: Everyone has to read all these articles, and the only way to get them to stop is to whine constantly! If you slow down, you die!!!

  25. What about the Richard Dawkins rap? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Dick" Dawkins rap

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaGgpGLxLQw

    "Cos I'm the rappinest, rabidest atheist who unlike the Catholic, Muslim or even the Jew, believes that no God but science could ever be true, hell if I was dyslexic I'd even hate "dog" too."

    Some pretty choice lyrics there...

  26. LHC FTW by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because only because fancy AlpineKat :)

    SG:TBC/BD

  27. Rap is just another word by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    for cRAP. Seriously, who, other than gang members and easily impressed 10-years old, listen to that shit?

  28. Re:Coming Soon by pandrijeczko · · Score: 1

    I don't claim to be an expert in such matters and even within the minimal attention I gave to religious lessons at school, I recall nowhere in Christ's teachings any mention of "hoes" or "booty".

    --
    Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
  29. I confess! I confess! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Please make it stop! No more ironic rapping. I'm begging you! It was never funny.

  30. NASA Goes Rap? by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

    Hmm...alas, the final nail in the coffin for NASA.

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
  31. Is this what the US is coming to? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oh dear....

  32. lame lame lame lame LAme! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    what a monkey...

  33. Re:fp by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Do you like girls that don't shave their legs? Do you like girls that don't shave their armpits? Do you like piss-soaked pubes?

  34. This is just absurd by ndberry · · Score: 1

    I am actually a hip hop fan and it really bothers me when they create these raps to more or less try to "dumb it down" or to make it more appealing to the masses. I really have no desire to listen to a rap about life in space unless its a psychedelically induced vision. This all just reminds me of middle school and the DARE raps about anti drug. They were lame then I still think they are lame.

  35. Huh? by Quiet_Desperation · · Score: 1

    I thought we were 10 years past the point where clueless people said, "We need to reach a wider audience. Quick, make a rap song!" First the LHC and now this.

    1. Re:Huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought we were 10 years past the point where clueless people said, "We need to reach a wider audience. Quick, make a rap song!" First the LHC and now this.

      Although I agree that most of those attempts are lame, the LHC rap was actually really, really good. I don't mind when people do things that have already been done hundreds of times before, as long as it's done well enough to stand out. And the LHC rap is better than 90% of the "real" rap songs.

      That said, I haven't checked out the NASA one yet, so this is not an endorsement.

  36. Re:wrong group? by philspear · · Score: 2, Informative

    I guess now all first posts are marked offtopic? "This" was referring to... wait for it... the topic. It was definitely on the topic.

    What exactly is the criteria for stuff on idle? Isn't idle just a soapbox for how stupid letters to the editor are?

  37. Correction!!!11!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is not rap, it is hiphop and the last third is drum and bass.

  38. LHC Astrobiology by StCredZero · · Score: 1

    Astrobiology doesn't do it for me. The LHC rap had a sense of fun, was well constructed, managed to have a high density of content, and didn't take itself too seriously.

    I appreciate Jonathan's effort and his very cool video editing, but it suffers from following an act like LHC.

  39. How long before... by jglov · · Score: 1

    ...they bring back Vanilla Ice to make a "Ted Williams" rap?

  40. Actually funded by NASA? by celticryan · · Score: 2, Informative

    From what I can tell, the actual rap was done for the Astrobiology Magazine European Edition (AMEE). The AMEE credits the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Astrobiology Network Association (EANA) and the Astrobiology Magazine on its front cover. NASA only contributes funding to the Astrobiology Magazine as far as I can tell.

    So claiming this rap was commissioned by NASA is slightly misleading in my opinion.

  41. (slow-mo, deep voice saying) "NOOOOOOOO!!" by cbmeeks · · Score: 1

    Oh God...please...no...please! NASA, please keep "hip hop" or any other "let's appeal to the kids today" gimmicks out of science. I love Duran Duran but that doesn't mean I want them to sing about math.

    --
    Remember, licking doorknobs is illegal on other planets.
  42. Please make it stop!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Please make it stop before my head expl@#$@#$...

  43. Along the same lines by nEoN+nOoDlE · · Score: 1

    Check out the Search Engine Rap Battle. It's hilarious!

    --
    Don't trust a bull's horn, a doberman's tooth, a runaway horse or me.
  44. Rappers are stupid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Uh Uh Uh
    Bitch, whore, bitch
    Crack, whore, niggah

    And the most stupid of them all is that Ice Cube asshole, a racist misogynist piece of shit negro.

  45. Re:Coming Soon by Cornflake917 · · Score: 1

    You just replace "hoes" and "booty" with "Christ" and "salvation."

    Big salvation christ!!!

    --
    Abaddon: An Xbox 360 Indie game
  46. computer rap since 2003 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Eh nerdcore has been here since atleast 2003 ... with this computer rap :

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRocQgrvvJ8

  47. Re:LHC Astrobiology by floodo1 · · Score: 0

    wow, as a hip-hop fan I find the astrobiology to be much better, specifically because it takes itself seriously. The LHC rap is funny and quality fare for youtube, but its more of a joke to me. Not to mention rapping with the british accent always makes me smile!

    --
    I KUT J00 M4NG!!!