Erk tha Jerk Performing Live

Rapper Erk Tha Jerk scored a regional hit here in the Bay Area in 2010 with "Right Here," a smooth, seductive, hypersexual ballad. Most people know him for this song, but it's actually a bit of an anomaly. It came off of an album called Nerd's Eye View, a mostly laid back rap album, with funny and vulnerable personal lyrics. He raps self-doubt—not so common in hip-hop. In 2008, he poked fun at the Bay Area hyphy scene with the hilarious "I'm so dumb" in which he declared in no uncertain terms that hyphy has long since reached its expiration date. Erk Tha jerk also produces his own beats, which are all pretty mellow. Even when they're upbeat, they’re still really chill. (KF)