Adam WarRock

Adam WarRock

Adam WarRock on stage at Kracklefest 2011
Background information
Birth name Eugene Ahn
Born Pittsburgh, United States
Genres Nerdcore, Hip hop
Occupation(s) Rapper, songwriter
Years active 2010–present
Website www.adamwarrock.com

Eugene Ahn, better known by his stage name Adam WarRock, is an American nerdcore rapper. In 2010 he left his job as a lawyer to pursue a full-time career as an independent musical artist.

Early life

Ahn was born in Pittsburgh but raised in Memphis.[1]

Lawyer

Ahn graduated from the Emory University School of Law and worked at a small litigation and employment law firm in Washington, D.C.[2]

In 2000, while in college, he began making independent music as a side project and continued through to his legal job.[2] During his time with the law firm, he was also producing and co-hosting a comic book podcast called War Rocket Ajax with comic book writer Chris Sims.[3] As part of this, he began make rap songs and decided to adopt an appropriate stage name. Simms suggested the name Adam WarRock, after the Marvel Comics character Adam Warlock and name of the podcast (War Rocket Ajax).[3] Ahn registered his new stage name as a website and used it to keep his musical career separate from his real name and legal career.[2]

Rapper
B.S.F.X.
A short sample of "B.S.F.X." from Adam WarRock's third album The Middle of Nowhere (2013).
Problems playing this file? See media help.

With his two careers each taking up more time, he decided that the creative one was the more fulfilling. In an interview he said, "Everything I wanted to do out there in the world was being prevented simply because I had this job. And it was a job that I didn't really enjoy in the first place."[2] Noting however, "There are things I still very much believe in about the legal profession, and it has undeniably made me a smarter, better organized, savvier person, but there is this lack of focus and epidemic of bad management in the legal industry that makes it unbearable to people who, like me, can visualize and see things beyond a paycheck and a secure lifestyle."[2]

As a result, in 2010, Ahn quit his job with the law firm to pursue a full-time career as an independent musical artist.[2][3][4] His job as a self-employed independent artist is less secure than his career in law, which Ahn has described as "scary".[4] He does not necessarily recommend it to others, saying, "Now, I think I should say this: It’s a very bad idea to do this. So don’t take this story as inspiration to quit your job in a brash and impulsive manner," but, "If you have something you love doing, and think you got the chops to back it up, put your stuff out there"[3] Describing the nature of his work, he says "You wake up and think: 'What am I going to create today?' [...] [the website is] a place for quick turnarounds where I can capitalise on topicality."[4]

Most tracks are released for free on his website, usually on a subject within geek culture or wider pop culture.[1] He has also released a few studio albums.

Other work

Ahn was an early contributor to the "Fake AP Stylebook" Twitter feed because he was friends with the creators. As a result, he is also a contributor to the spin-off website The Bureau Chiefs and print book Write More Good (2011).[3]

Discography

In addition to a large number of individual tracks and several EPs, WarRock has released three studio albums to date:

  1. War For Infinity (2010)[5][6]
  2. You Dare Call That Thing Human?!? (2012)[5][7]
  3. The Middle of Nowhere (2013)[5][8]
  4. 24 Hour Rap-A-Thon 2014 (2014)[5]

War For Infinity

A concept album inspired by his stage name and his namesake's comic storylines.[3][6]

No. Title Length
1. "I Am Him"   03:17
2. "Absolute Truth"   04:10
3. "Bad Mother (Villainy)"   03:27
4. "The View From Eternity"   02:36
5. "Battle (Introductions)"   05:15
6. "Crooked Deal"   03:14
7. "Special Bulletin"   03:17
8. "Heroes Requiem"   05:05
9. "Battle (Reprise)"   03:40
10. "Laxidazia"   03:13
11. "Up & Adam"   04:02
12. "Battle (Finale)"   03:27
13. "Lady Death Never Wanted Me As a Lover"   05:57
14. "The Silver Age" (featuring Tribe One) 03:50
15. "Ira Glass" (bonus track) 04:00

You Dare Call That Thing Human?!?

No. Title Length
1. "On the Subject of Normal..."   02:24
2. "Human?!?"   01:54
3. "Retcon"   03:59
4. "616"   03:59
5. "The Kids Table" (featuring Doctor Awkward) 03:52
6. "Booster Gold" (featuring Mikal kHill) 04:10
7. "I Kill Giants"   03:41
8. "MLF" (featuring Beefy & int80) 03:35
9. "Sensitive Side"   03:57
10. "Civil War" (featuring Tribe One & Gary Samurai) 04:36
11. "Beast I.Z."   04:13
12. "Snows of Kilimanjaro" (featuring MC Lars) 04:11
13. "Inhuman"   03:40
14. "Andrew Garfield @ SDCC (Joules remix)" (bonus track) 03:51
15. "616 (Saturday Morning Remix)" (bonus track) 03:31

The Middle of Nowhere

No. Title Length
1. "Nowhere" (by James Urbaniak) 02:25
2. "High School Reunion"   04:22
3. "B.S.F.X."   03:35
4. "Shoulda Beens"   02:59
5. "That Kid, Icarus"   03:37
6. "How You Die (On the Internet)" (featuring Schaffer the Darklord & int80) 05:10
7. "J.A.R.V.I.S."   03:52
8. "Internet Crush"   03:35
9. "Sinestrocore" (featuring Tribe One) 03:37
10. "Puzzle" (featuring Amy Gregory) 03:47
11. "Sticks & Stones"   03:25
12. "Mutant Massacre"   03:41
13. "Nuclear Family"   03:38
14. "Salieri" (featuring MC Frontalot & Louis Logic) 04:06

References

  1. 1 2 Nisen, Jeremy (July 15, 2010). "Adam WarRock Talks (and raps … and podcasts … and writes)". Osmosis Online. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hill, Kashmir (August 9, 2010). "Career Alternatives: Starving Artist". abovethelaw.com. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Suen, Michael (August 10, 2010). "'X-Men Whore,' Ex-Lawyer, Gamer, and … Rapper? Adam WarRock Takes the Stage". The Mary Sue. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Virtue, Graeme (8 November 2013). "Adam WarRock: the man who raps about Doctor Who". The Guardian.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Adam WarRock". MusicBrainz. July 19, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Ahn, Eugene (September 10, 2011). "Greetings New People – A quick update from the road…". adamwarrock.com. Retrieved May 12, 2015. My debut album, The War For Infinity, was a concept album that tells a story through the whole thing and is loosely based on Marvel Comics’ Infinity Gauntlet saga.
  7. ↑ Ahn, Eugene. "You Dare Call That Thing Human?!?". Bandcamp. Retrieved May 12, 2015. The second full-length release from The Internet's Foremost Comic Book Rapper, Adam WarRock.
  8. ↑ Ahn, Eugene. "The Middle of Nowhere". Bandcamp. Retrieved May 12, 2015. The third full-length album by Adam WarRock. Written while on the moon.

External links

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