Do you have a really unique market niche and a loyal following?

Are their downsides to having both?

Let’s learn from MC Frontalot and nerdcore. Watch the video to learn more about this unique hip-hop niche gaining a loyal following and then I’ll share with you some lessons you can apply to your business.

*Warning*  strong language used in parts of this video.

2.1 of our 6 (+) billion population listens to rap music.

And some of them (small, but loyal) are beginning to listen to MC Frontalot, the lead singer of a hip-hop group credited with being the original nerdcore rapper. Nerdcore is the genre name for “nerds” who listen to hip-hop. MC Frontalot, a balding 32 yr. old man sporting a soul patch that used to hustle for quick paying web design jobs is now rhyming full-time lyrics requiring a thesarus for non-geeks with lyrics like, “Braggadocio and moving my arms like Ralph Macchio.”

Nerdcore is a juxtaposition that produced a sub-culture and market niche.

This story is one where the same nerdy white kids who were denied access into any of the social events or rites of passage for many high-school are now center stage. But somethings don’t change. They are not performing to those who made fun of them, but rather to those just like them.

They even have groupie girls who are smoking hot, in a nerdy way, follow them around the country while on tour. Turns-out the nerdy girls who were repressed in high-school are now liberated while dancing with no rhythm to nerd slang lyrics with a familiar hip hop beat.

The internet made nerdcore possible.

Nerds dominate the internet. Figuring out how to market online for free and find online nerd hangouts where ideas go viral in days not years was not a problem for MC Frontalot. The band played online games and hung-out at gaming conventions. So that’s where they played their music.

“Be careful of your own stereotype or it could be your own prison.”

There is constant pressure for MC Frontalot to be unique and even funny without being a joke.

It’s a choice. If they try to become mainstream and capture a bigger listening audience then they run the risk of losing their loyal nerd fan base who may accuse them of “selling-out.”

In the end, MC Frontalot stays true to their authentic vision and have become a huge hit and even have earned the respect of mainstream hip-hip artists that admire the band’s approach to music.

MC Frontalot did many things right:

• Created and filled an unmet market niche.
• Masters of free public relations.
• Knew where their target market “hung-out” both online and offline.
• Actually had talent and not just hype curiosity.
• Did not sell out to their original vision.
• Linked the popularity of one industry (gaming) with the popularity of another industry (hip-hop).
• Built a band (team) that was willing to “burn bridges” and give this opportunity a full-time fighting chance of making it.
• Had a backup plan if the music career did not work out.
• 24×7 online responsiveness. Because the band already lived online they stayed plugged-in to their growing fan base with social media.
• Consistent identity. From the clothes they wear on and off stage to their promotions, they consistently maintained a “nerd” identity.
• They had at least one visionary and a few followers. This dynamic makes them a band.
• Created their own market recognized vocabulary word. Nerdcore.
  

What else can you learn form this niche market example and apply to your business idea?