I hope these guys win a Grammy, because this rap is the bomb.
It's even better than that Narwhal song.
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« Creationists in denial | Main | An Icelandic equivalent »
Regulatin’ Genes is Crucial to Development
Category: Entertainment
Posted on: March 11, 2009 1:15 PM, by PZ Myers
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Comments
Posted by: Psychodiva | March 11, 2009 1:21 PM
Bloody Brilliant!!!
the first rap song I ever enjoyed- and understood lol
Posted by: firemancarl | March 11, 2009 1:25 PM
Lets hope this becomes a youtube phenom and millions will watch it...thanks to HOX
Posted by: Glen Davidson | March 11, 2009 1:29 PM
Kind of like watching Expelled, or observing Dembski et al. while trying to make ID cool.
Glen D
http://tinyurl.com/6mb592
Posted by: Kobra | March 11, 2009 1:29 PM
You just blew my mind, man.
Seriously.
Not counting this, 100% of the rap songs I have ever heard (which is a lot-- my brother makes his own rap songs) have been aggravatingly stupid.
An intelligent rap song... this is a whole new concept for me.
So, what do they call themselves? The Post-Docs?
Posted by: uknesvuinng | March 11, 2009 1:29 PM
Speaking of Newgrounds, did you see "Demolition Squid"? http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/233648
"Take that, you son of a church!"
Posted by: Eidolon
|
March 11, 2009 1:38 PM
Great stuff - anyone send this along to Glen Beck??
Posted by: annas | March 11, 2009 1:42 PM
This is not bad, but I like the LHC rap even better - I've been singing it for months now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j50ZssEojtM
Not as biological, though.
Posted by: ApeMachine | March 11, 2009 1:49 PM
Awesome!
Posted by: Karen | March 11, 2009 1:53 PM
That's a nice little clip of awesome right there.
Posted by: Jeff Arnold | March 11, 2009 1:57 PM
HOLY CRAP!!! Those guys are at Stanford! Why haven't I heard of this?!?!
Posted by: MissPrism | March 11, 2009 2:09 PM
Splendid stuff.
(A friend and I once wrote a lovely fly segmentation song to the tune of "The Locomotion.")
Posted by: Jim Harrison | March 11, 2009 2:12 PM
I used to deal with my insomnia by figuring out how I'd explain relativity to Newton or Wittgenstein to Socrates. I don't think I'd get to sleep very soon imagining how Charles Darwin would react to this rap song.
We live in a science fiction novel, and it's looking more and more like the author is Kilgore Trout.
Posted by: Greg | March 11, 2009 2:15 PM
Brilliant! I recognize the Stanford campus. I miss being there. Especially now in this deity-awful blizzard aftermath.
Posted by: Newfie
|
March 11, 2009 2:17 PM
diggin' the old school Jays caps
Posted by: Cheezits | March 11, 2009 2:24 PM
I dunno, I'd rather hear Tom Lehrer's take on it.
Posted by: Brian | March 11, 2009 2:25 PM
Nerdcore hiphop is a big tent.
Posted by: MissPrism | March 11, 2009 2:31 PM
Jim Harrison - Darwin would obviously reply in kind, to the popular Victorian hymn tune Abide With Me.
"Well, bugger me!
How much all this explains -
I thought that gemmules
Flowed along our veins,
Then they would blend,
Regressing to the means,
I never thought of
Regulating genes."
Then he'd put his hat on backwards and do a funky dance. You can see it, can't you?
Posted by: Chris | March 11, 2009 2:35 PM
Check out that wicked old-school Blue Jays cap. Takes me back to '92.
Posted by: Eamon Knight | March 11, 2009 2:35 PM
...and not only that, he's wearing a Jays cap....
(minor plug for my home town)
Posted by: Helioprogenus | March 11, 2009 2:36 PM
Now that's creative rapping. Sadly, the people who actually need to hear it will never have a chance because thanks to the superficial music industry, they're getting lessons on pimping, hustling, generalized misogyny, specialized misogyny, spending your cash quickly, shooting your competitors, loading your glock, etc...
The rap does certainly have an appeal, even to mainstream culture thanks to the simple but awesome bassline. Speaking of which, after I get done with work, I'm heading home to try and play that beat.
Posted by: Sclerophanax | March 11, 2009 2:42 PM
I like the lyrics a lot, I just wish their rap music had more... music in it, rather than just a repetitive beat. Although I'm not well versed in musical terminology enough to tell if adding music to rap music would turn it into hip hop or something like that.
Posted by: Peter Ashby | March 11, 2009 2:42 PM
Personally I think old Charles would like the Python's little ditty:
All things dull and ugly,
All creatures short and squat,
All things rude and nasty,
The Lord God made the lot.
Each little snake that poisons,
Each little wasp that stings,
He made their brutish venom.
He made their horrid wings.
All things sick and cancerous,
All evil great and small,
All things foul and dangerous,
The Lord God made them all.
Each nasty little hornet,
Each beastly little squid--
Who made the spikey urchin?
Who made the sharks? He did!
All things scabbed and ulcerous,
All pox both great and small,
Putrid, foul and gangrenous,
The Lord God made them all.
Amen.
Posted by: Marshall | March 11, 2009 2:46 PM
This is absolutely hilarious. I forwarded it to all my professors and friends. I especially like their other video, "going going back back to plasma membrane": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1KXibLIOGY&feature=related
Posted by: joyjoy | March 11, 2009 2:46 PM
YEAH STANFORD!! Oh, and awesome vid also.
Posted by: Bourgeois_Rage | March 11, 2009 2:47 PM
Blasphemy!Posted by: Jim Harrison | March 11, 2009 2:50 PM
I loved Miss Prism's poem, but it wasn't the content of the rap that I thought would blow Charlie's mind.
Come to think of it. You'd have a harder time explaining the new science to Darwin's granddad, but I reckon old Erasmus would have had less trouble getting down with the style, considering "Loves of the Plants" and his other literary efforts.
Posted by: The Science Pundit
|
March 11, 2009 2:52 PM
@annas (#7)
Have you heard the Astrobiology rap? I like it better than the LHC rap.
Posted by: Mud_rake | March 11, 2009 3:01 PM
Indeed, the first rap song with clear message and sung by persons beyond their GED.
Posted by: Tor A H | March 11, 2009 3:06 PM
That was pretty cool. :)
Posted by: That Other Guy | March 11, 2009 3:10 PM
Oh man, flashbacks to Bill Nye!
Posted by: Julian | March 11, 2009 3:11 PM
The Science Pundit: This is filled with win.
More generally, for all those here tired of the path commercial rap has taken, try looking up Blackalicious; its a good place to start when looking for rap and hip hop that doesn't engage in the sort of nihilism which most of it takes part in these days.
Posted by: Steve | March 11, 2009 3:14 PM
Hilarious. Wish this had happened when I was at Stanford.
Given all the religious creationists, it's ironic that most of this was shot in front of the Memorial Church!
Posted by: 'Tis Himself, OM
|
March 11, 2009 3:14 PM
But is it better than Cows With Guns?
Posted by: Chris Tucker | March 11, 2009 3:16 PM
I understand that they'll be special guest artists at the Buckaroo Banzai/Hong Kong Cavaliers & MC Hawking/Dark Matter "Monsters of Science" concert tour dates in California.
Posted by: Andysin | March 11, 2009 3:18 PM
Toronto Blue Jays repreSENT!
Posted by: Hank Bones | March 11, 2009 3:30 PM
A Geeksta rap oldie (if old school Nerdcore even exists...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89jt7zJzkNQ
Posted by: JFKman | March 11, 2009 3:58 PM
Funk dat!!!!
Posted by: Pareidolius | March 11, 2009 4:21 PM
Fresh. Is that what the kids say? Fresh? Seriously creative and comparable to The Narwhal Song only as a Trabant is comparable to a Bugatti Veyron because they both have four wheels. If you like your rap and you like it smart, download some Greydon Square on iTunes.
Posted by: Katrina | March 11, 2009 4:30 PM
Did anyone else check out the other videos these guys have?
Hi, Meiosis
I'm going going back back to plasma membrane
I just have to add how nice that BBCodeXtra add-on is after that last limoncello.
Posted by: Confused | March 11, 2009 4:35 PM
AlpineKat has a lot to answer for.
Posted by: Larry | March 11, 2009 5:23 PM
#10 Jeff: HOLY CRAP!!! Those guys are at Stanford! Why haven't I heard of this?!?!
Actually, Standford has been around for quite a while Jeff. All you need to do is look at the bottom of the Pac12 football standings and there they are! ;)
Stanford '77 alum.
Posted by: annas | March 11, 2009 5:54 PM
@The Science Pundit - thanks for the link. Who knew science could be so much fun?
(We all did, right.)
Posted by: Kevin DeGraaf | March 11, 2009 5:55 PM
Very cool, but 75% of that went over my head...
For the computer-science types, check out Kill Dash Nine.
Posted by: protocol | March 11, 2009 6:39 PM
yea for my alma mater (though all the while I was there I wished I was at berkeley.
Posted by: Nerd of Redhead, OM
|
March 11, 2009 7:06 PM
Interesting little rap. Even scientists can have fun out of the lab.
Posted by: David Marjanović, OM | March 11, 2009 7:17 PM
I'll just repeat comment 1.
(And 21. <duck & cover>)
Posted by: SquidBrandon | March 11, 2009 7:20 PM
Um...but I was told by very important people who talk to gOd, that fruit fly research is a waste of taxpayer money. So, Hox genes and other development-related regulatory genes in model organisms are consequentially unimportant. Right?
Posted by: rodiel | March 11, 2009 7:39 PM
Classic nerdcore :-)
Though I prefer actually signing when it comes to songs, so I guess my favourite is still this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaf4j19_3Zg
Grab your partner's chromatid...
Posted by: Marc Abian | March 11, 2009 8:43 PM
Blasphemy!
Posted by: arachnophilia | March 11, 2009 9:39 PM
i don't think i've had enough biology classes to get these jokes.
however, this is still somehow LESS nerdy than the star trek rap.
Posted by: Geordie | March 11, 2009 10:16 PM
The Narwhal song is better.
Posted by: SeeMoreGlass
|
March 11, 2009 10:51 PM
You may have just saved my midterm tomorrow - thank you so much. I always knew web surfing was useful! *back to studying Cactus and Ran-GEF and things*
Posted by: Goldenmane | March 11, 2009 11:31 PM
Seems to me that there's a growing tendency for science to push further into popular culture in an overt manner.
I can only say: this is a Good Thing.
Posted by: RamziD | March 11, 2009 11:52 PM
Nice song!
If you liked that, you might enjoy the rapping of Greydon Square... an atheist rapper from Phoenix, AZ... enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pBtsIm2k5E
Posted by: RamziD | March 12, 2009 12:01 AM
another good one by Greydon Square:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5R8kok_4d4&feature=related
Posted by: RamziD | March 12, 2009 12:08 AM
Okay, sorry, but this is the last one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpZ5xfuxTig&feature=related
I'm so happy that a message of rationality and secularism is even being delivered through pop media...
Posted by: scott | March 12, 2009 1:26 AM
What would Hoekstra and Coyne have to say about their overt gene-regulation bias?
What about protein evolution??!!?? ;-)
Posted by: gribley | March 12, 2009 1:47 AM
Awesome, although it made me cringe a little. I'm impressed about the HOX bits, especially.
But yo, firemancarl, Kobra, and especially Mud Rake -- this hating on rap is totally unwarranted -- you folks sound as closed-minded as any creationist. I bet none of you have spent, say, even 3 minutes in total investigating the genre. There is a lot of shit rap out there, just as there's a lot of crappy pop music, but to decry rap because you didn't like the few seconds you heard while switching stations is as pathetic as dissing all of rock music because of Britney.
If you make a claim as dumb as Mud Rake's, I expect you to be able to back it up with names of songs and a little musical and lyrical analysis. Hell, the Stanford rap wasn't particularly clever or lyrically interesting compared even to mainstream rap. There is a lot of tremendously intelligent, thoughtful rap out there. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that rap has been *at least* as productive, innovative, and interesting a musical form over the last 20 years as any you can name. Just because you don't know anything about it doesn't give you the right to put it down.
whew. Sorry for the tangent. But I hate that any mention of rap on a public forum brings this uninformed crap out of the woodwork.
Posted by: Scott Hatfield, OM | March 12, 2009 2:09 AM
That was awesome.
And here's something in a similar vein, courtesy of the Rogue Festival in Fresno!
Posted by: Brodach | March 12, 2009 10:46 AM
Great links from everyone: thanks all! I second the recommendation of Blackalicious for those looking for intelligent rap.
Posted by: Barb | March 12, 2009 11:12 AM
Genes are regulated for sure --lest that leg grow where it ought not!
"fearfully and wonderfully made" --"and through Him was not anything made that was made."
Posted by: marilove | March 12, 2009 11:40 AM
The ignorance in these comments in regards to rap/hip-hop make me sad :(
Posted by: Nerd of Redhead, OM
|
March 12, 2009 11:45 AM
Barb the Bimbo Blathering. Nothing cogent, just manure. Move along folks, hold your nose to avoid the smell.
Posted by: JPBrowning | March 12, 2009 11:56 AM
Just so you know, the music is not their own, so don't blame them. They took the music and the flow from an old Jay-Z song, "Money ain't a thing." From probably before any of you had heard of Jay-Z, he wasn't big at that point in time. Nice rap though, I think I learned a little bit and it made me laugh.
Posted by: Ed_CO | March 12, 2009 12:08 PM
If you guys like more nerdcore rap. Here is some Unix rap, Kill Dash Nine by Monzy. Also performed at Stanford. What is with Stanford and nerd rap?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fow7iUaKrq4
Posted by: HeWhoYouDespise | March 12, 2009 12:21 PM
But who regulates the regulating genes? good old non-genetic, cytoplasmic architectural and physical factors, that's who.
Cool rap, though. I will have to diss them with my own anti-homuncular rap: "epigenesis is crucial for development"
Posted by: BlueIndependent | March 12, 2009 12:41 PM
Definitely more Beastie than Fitty.
Posted by: ryan | March 12, 2009 6:49 PM
Yeah... Blackalicious - Alphabet Aerobics & Chemical Calisthenics! If you're not digging the beginning, skip to 2:10.
Posted by: ryan | March 12, 2009 6:52 PM
doh! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foEU2WHdOzA
Posted by: Danny | March 13, 2009 8:08 AM
This is even better than MC Hawkings' Fuck the Creationists!
Posted by: Maria | March 13, 2009 8:00 PM
This is awful as far as music goes, but fun and informative. I have to say something to all the people who are incredibly condescending towards hip hop in general, assuming that all hip hop artists are illiterate and idiotic: most are not, and some are introspective and very intelligent. Please get off your high horse and sit down and listen to some intelligent hip hop artists, because they are out there.
Posted by: Sili | March 15, 2009 4:15 PM
Those preferring Tom Lehrer seem to miss the point. How many people in his day (yes, I know he's not dead yet) were upset that he lampooned the works of Gilbert 'n' Sullivan?
"I'd rather hear the real Major General's patter song."
I say this as a fan of Lehrer: Grow the fuck up.
And thus I've ruined the comment I wanted to make:
Are we not men?
We are devo.
E-E. V. O.
Evo devo.