Hip-hop and nerd culture are two things that don’t necessarily go hand in hand but in the case of San Diego’s own Dr. Awkward, they blend together perfectly.
Dr. Awkward —- real name Joshua Watson —- started making music in 2009 and has released seven different EPs and two LPs since. He is influenced by a variety of artists including Tupac, Incubus, Metallica and The Roots.
He creates a musical style that is pleasing to anyone and everyone. In this day and age where most of hip-hop artists rap about how much money someone has or how many people they have slept with, Watson raps about anything and everything nerd culture. From video games, comic books and superheroes to television, film and fairy tales; he leaves no stone unturned.
One of the things that makes him so unique is that he is doing what most artists wish they were doing: touring the world, releasing good music and working with producers of his choosing; all without the backing of a label.
“I am a completely independent musician. I always prefer to do my thing solo, it gives me the freedom to release music about what I want, when I want,” Watson said.
Musically, he fuses hip-hop with elements of other genres such as rock, funk and various electronic dance music styles like dubstep and electro.
“I think music is constantly developing and evolving, if you look at the life of hip-hop it has progressed rapidly and culminated in countless sub genres,” he said. “My music is just apart of the bigger scheme. It has moved quickly, as any other form of hip-hop. I am constant looking to expand my sound.”
His lyrics are really enjoyable and drive off the beaten path of the mainstream hip-hop artists. One of his standout tracks is “Allegory (Plato’s Cave)” off of his 2012 EP “Different,” where he beautifully recites one of Plato’s Allegory about what it meant to be a human being and how we view this world set to his style of music.
One of his releases, “Boy Without a Fairy,” is a concept album based on arguably one of the greatest video games of all time: “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.”
“I wanted to explore some of the themes of the game that weren’t so obvious,” he said. “It was a 20-minute trip back to the world of Hyrule, through the eyes of Link, the boy without a fairy.”
His latest album, “Blank Pages” is everything you would expect from a Dr. Awkward release. lyrics that touch on ’90s nostalgia, cartoons, love and collaborations with fellow artists such as MC Chris, Schaffer the Darklord and ZeaLouS1.
Previous releases include a mixtape about DC Comics “New 52” storyline revamp and re-launch, an EP of remixes, an EP celebrating differences and six more releases, including two full length albums, are all worth listening to.
Dr. Awkward is proving to be one the most talented artists in the San Diego music scene today. With his atypical lyric content and blending of genres, he has become a breath of fresh air for hip-hop fans that are tired of the same stuff being played on the radio.
All of Dr. Awkward’s music is available pay-what-you-want style on his website: www.DrAwkward.com.
