I am ytcracker, hacktivist and de facto bard of the internet underworld, shamelessly slanging my new project, AMA.

Yo YTC! Just listened to Neals and I can highly recommend it as the best stuff i've ever heard from you, which is a huge compliment! I appreciate how you constantly keep it creative and new on each release.

my question is one that people ask me a lot: what's your writing process? Do you write to a beat only when inspired, or just jot down ideas all year?

also what's your favorite verse you ever wrote? one you look back on like "yooo I murdered this!"

hope to rock another show with you sometime homie. <3

hey ran! anyone viewing this comment needs to check out /u/megaran ama in about 30 minutes from the time of this post.

honestly, my writing process is i make a bunch of noises that sound like words just to kind of get a feel for how i should sit on the beat, and then i kind of figure out what words i want to say that fit the noises with the narrative i am trying to spit. this is probably going to make no sense to anyone who doesn't write lyrics to beats, but i guarantee you know what i'm talking about.

favorite verse i ever wrote changes so much - right now i am really jocking a lot of the stuff on the new album just because it "seems" like a step up. i'm sure you know how that goes too - things fall in and out of favor, gain nostalgia factor, etc.

You once claimed to have "had a five and quarter floppy, labeled please don't drop me". You made a million copies and no one could ever stop you. What was on those floppys and did anyone ever stop you?

oregon trail

and nah

You jacked my AOL account in 1999. Can I have it back, please?

i probably dont have it anymore

sorry for jacking it

Where can I buy your new release for bitcoin?

STC is the greatest!

what /u/SeansOutpost said

What comes after Introducing Neals and the forthcoming movie event?

musicwise, i have no idea what i am going to do next.

as far as hustles go, i am working on a pretty disruptive technology to help the homeless with /u/seansoutpost, and a dating app.

Welcome to Reddit, YT. So I've listened to your album five times over since release last night, how much of your life parallels Neals? (Have to admit I'm incredibly excited about the movie)

neals is just a construct of a bunch of people. neals is everyone i've ever known in this game.

Who in the hell voiced that sexy motherfucker Skip Turner? His voice is like audible chocolate.

you already know

YT,

Big fan of your work. I think "Supernova Swag" might be the greatest song ever written.

I have two quick questions:

1.) do you see yourself doing any more full-length collaborative efforts like you did with MC Lars, or is that process too exhausting and difficult to organize for an entire album?

2.) If you could do an entire album with ANYONE in the history of music, who would it be?

Thanks!

1. i think lars and i are going to do another album. i like working with lars. dglp1 only took a week in san francisco - i loved the experience.

2. phil collins, hands down

Care to opine a bit on the evolution of Bitcoin? Can projects like Medici and sidechains be heralding in an even greater democratization of money?

i honestly think that the blockchain technology is incredibly revolutionary and has a TON of applications even beyond currency, but it is the miners that truly make the technology usable, and they must be incentivized.

i think it is fascinating that even the initial release of bitcoin already solved a bunch of insane tendrils i never would have thought of. every time i release any type of software, it is always filled with a shitload of bugs and things i forgot to dummyproof.

i don't know what medici is so i am just rambling about how much i love the blockchain. hail blockchain.

Did the Dekalb Police audio ever get mirrored after the popularity of the DCPD Bangerz album?

On a scale of 1 to infinity, how happy are you to have Surge back?

Been a fan since Nerdrap Entertainment System. Excited for Introducing Neals!

no, but i think i have the instrumentals somewhere. i could start the archive.org of dcpd beats.

i love surge very much and i got a bunch of cases. people give me surge for free too, now, so that is cool.

love you cuddles

Is it true ANYTHING can be hacked?

yes - simply because human beings are idiots. human beings built the systems and work the systems we use every day. until skynet is a reality, hacking is here to stay.

have you given your thanks to Him today?

ASGPHE

Ytcracker! Huge fan of yours! I remember I first heard of you through G4's commercial they had featuring you. I've always wanted to kinda get a chance to talk to you, my questions for you AMA:

1. Being a nerdcore veteran, what's your thoughts on the current status of nerdcore?

2. Is there a chance you will ever sell T-shirts again?

3. What is your opinion of BackTrack?

4. Gotta ask one i've always been curious about; What's your favorite color?

Thanks!

1. i think it is healthy, the VPCs are a huge testament to that
2. selling shirts as part of the neals crowdfunding
3. backtrack is phased out, people are using kali now, but that's even probably been phased out
4. blue

What are your plans with "open your eyes" and will there be more like it? It seems like you cut it from Introducing Neals, why?

I love the anger you throw down in it and some of your recent stuff. MORE!

oh that was just a one off and wasn't going on an album anyway

i should probably just make it available for download

Are you going to be playing SXSW in 2015 and are the 8-bit boys dead?

8bb is just on a knee i dunno whats up with it

i could probably do sxsw i know the people to bug and ive done it a bunch of years in the past ill see whats up soon

Wish you woulda come out to Seattle with Lars, Chris, and Spose!

What do you think about the US government buying up and hoarding zero days?

where there is a market, there is a way. i guarantee you that black market whodis can fire harder on 0days than a lot of the bug bounty guys can, and the government doesn't have the swag to pull the real deal with 100% accuracy.

Hi, long time fan of your music.

1. Your latest album is one of the more serious nerdcore releases i've heard so far. It's a pretty rare entry, because the scene still seems to be quite light-hearted and humorous at it's core. Do you perceive nerdcore rappers in general as being afraid to take themselves seriously?
2. Who are the main people involved in the Niels anime project?
3. Procedural music generation. Is it a thing?

1. the definition of nerdcore is pretty malleable, which is why i put the term in quotes. if i had to choose a genre for myself, it would be digital gangster rap or hackercore or something dumb like that. give it a name.

2. my alter ego quantum torrentino and this beautiful studio in serbia.

3. it is indeed a thing. stick to pentatonic scales and lunch pails.

WE ever gonna see any more chrono nurga?

i volume one everything and never do a volume two

i always thought it was hilarious on some mel brooks tip

Indica or Sativa?

blends always

[deleted]

ya were internet rich

i just want people to like it

Are you, in fact, some kind of homeless wizard?

yes

did you get any heat for the miley cyrus hack back in the day?

nah, just tangentially

Why is Vamos a la playa so hacktastic? And what are your future plans for Digitalgangster.com?

i think i'm going to open it up again since cam0 did the today show yesterday.

what are the languages you are writing code in these days? can i get an invite to dg? is it even worth it? haven't been in since the closening. how many times do you listen to swygar on a daily basis? thanks for the years of listens

dg is kind of faltering, but i could probably bring it back with some tlc

lately ive just been managing coders and not getting my hands dirty myself, but c# php objc been in the roster of foster

swygar is a cool song <3

Were you able to get your hands on any Surge, that hocus pocus focus juice?

ya i had vip access i got a few cases

What are the proper ethical boundaries activists should observe when resisting the surveillance and police states, and government overreach in general?

the biggest problem when asking questions of "ethics" is if - hypothetically - you are playing a game - are you playing by the same rules? if you're playing by the same rules, you can play by the same ethics.

that answer is really weird, but i think you know what i mean.

I've supported you on all of your albums (except the ones you released for free), big fan of 8 bit boys, angelpool, and cat5 techno

Also gotta shout out to my other Digital Gangsters -> DG4Life.

My favorite albums were NES and Nerd Life, will you ever return with another album like those that us hardcore computer science nerds and hackers can get behind? I like the new stuff but it doesn't give me the same woody that the old ones did.

Also, please give us an EP with Quintessence. And put less on the beat and more on your lyrical computer science voodoo genius.

My YTC playlist right now:

Random Toxicity, Untouchable, Throne I Own, Spam or Not, View Source, The Legend, STC Is The Greatest, Internet Worth, Halloween Hack Attack.

quintessence is a grocer now maybe i can pull him out of retirement

What advice would give for someone who is alarmed with increasing surveillance, but still wants to work and be a part of the infosec community?

i know people working on both sides of the fence - cops need robbers, red teams need blue teams.

the thing about infosec is you can totally choose your own adventure - it is still such a budding field that you can attach your own style of moral compass in your actions, so just do you playa.

Last time I watched one of your drunk streams you gave instructions as how to introduce yourself to hardcore drugs, how women exist only to be screwed, woke up your roommate and then felt bad about it for 3 hours, and detailed how easy it is to start a porn website. This concluded with you showing off your Lambo and buying tickets to a Ed Sheeran concert in London. While I must say it was very entertaining to watch, my question is how much of these drunk decisions do you actually regret the following day, and do you even remember anything I'm saying? That stupid question aside, I've listened to Imprisoned by Syndicate at least 100 times today, love the 80's synth.

i love to be americas top scientist at any given moment, and luckily i am branded as an eccentric, so no one takes me too seriously or judges me too radically.

that said, i would rather regret the things i have done in life than regret the things i did not. just live life and be a person and give people something to talk about.

Why are you so awesome?

-Monster

i am not that awesome, trust me

Does phlow still rap?

no hes an accountant

Hmm...new ytcracker album. That definitely sounds like me. A lot. Heard of you through DualCore. I have no recollection of how I heard of them, but I'm glad I did. I need more nerdcore in my life. I'm not sure I have a question, really...I've been incredibly remiss in my nerdcore listening.

Ok, I've got one. You're probably long gone, but my frustration lives on. Why did you have to remind me that I have yet to start watching V for Vendetta today?! I've done it every year for the past 6 or so, and nobody would believe me if I don't, but...after so many years it gets kinda stale, ya know? Eh, I should still watch it.

sigh

EDIT (with real questions):
As it turns out, I can come up with a few questions!

• Is "neals" short for Neal Stephenson? I want it to be true very badly.
• Okay, listening to the album, I hear "Nice Guyman" and I'm almost certain at this point. That more or less makes this edit moot, but I'm keeping it for posterity.

yes neals is short for neal stephenson the same way as YT is yours truly

nice guiman is how it is spelled but call a spade a spade

Why am I surprised that you're awake at this hour? I know I shouldn't be...I gotta fly out to meet the folks I develop cryptocurrency with tomorrow...

At any rate, I'm pretty sure you just made my week. Have a beer. /u/changetip

SEED OR DIE http://thepiratebay.se/torrent/11383547/YTCracker_-_Introducing_Neals_(2014)

Ever since CO went weed legal has the stuff you've been smoking gotten a lot better than what you use to get from DGs?

there was a guy in cali who spammed his hash out to pretty much everywhere around the country

i got to smoke his hash whenever i was on tour

i dont think the legality has much to do with it, it just makes the arms race more awesome

What's your go to game at the moment? Also loving neals

kerbal space program

I'm trying to get into programming but I am at a loss at how to make it fun. most projects I see are things like build a calculator or a web crawler. got any tips for a fun project I can do in python that would be useful and help me grab the ropes and run with it?

best thing to do is figure out a problem you want to solve and solve it with programming

lets say theres a task that you find yourself doing multiple times a day - maybe it can be automated, maybe it cant - but approach programming as trying to make whatever that task is easier

Hi YTC! How about sweden and dreamhack? Are we going to se you there.

i have huge roots in sweden via the pirate party and one of the chief producers of the album, so who knows

Hey YT, I'm probably way to late to this, but I did a show with you at the Beauty Bar and CES in Vegas in like...2007? Holy fuck we're old. Anyway, I sucked, but you were totally cool to me and the first person to come up and say "nice job", so I wanted to say thanks for that.

Also, totally digging the Synthwave sound!

hahhhahahah nice that was a cool show

What role did the AOL hacking scene play in the evolution of ytcracker?

i call aol the alpha omicron lambda fraternity, because seriously everyone that came out of that clique is doing something important, and we all help each other out. even mark zuckerburg is a part of the fraternity.

a lot of my earlier music was pretty aol-centric, and i love /u/MrSteveCase - we share a last name so you know how we do

What do you think we need to help teach the general public about hackivists, hackers, and general security? Everytime I try to explain something simple it still seems like the only thing that they can understand is when I tell them to use a phrase that includes uppercase, lowercase, and a punctuation mark for their passwords. But even then they still want to keep their pass as something like: "puppy123".

Other than password security what do you think we can do to help educate the general population?

just not using the same password for everything is the most important thing in the history of luddite security we can possibly hope for

people are fallible, even i have been taken for a ride on good social engineering scam

condoms arent 100% effective, neither are "best practices"

What game-themed EP/LP (Chrono Nurga, Nerdrap Entertainment etc) do you think is your personal best, and why?

prob chrono nurga - it encapsulated a lot of how i was at the time

YT, been a long time fan, since NES. My co-founder recently sent you the video of us using lol money as the intro music for our startup's presentation at the end of our accelerator. He also mentioned the show forever ago at JMU in VA where it was like 30 of us in a room, and you, Lars and Front all killed it. It's one of my favorite shows that I've ever attended, but it makes me wonder what is your favorite show you ever performed? Do you like the small intimate venues, or do you like doing shows in front of huge crowds? Any memories you want to share?

Listening to Neals on Spotify right now, and as soon as I'm off public wifi I'll shoot some BTC for it. Keep it scientific.

i actually remember that show very vividly because of how crazy it was - i showed your partner a video from that show - they are available on youtube

i hate this being my answer, but really, so many venues bleed together - it is incredibly hard to keep them all straight, so i don't really think i have a breakout show in my mind

i like playing the smaller shows better because i am super social anxiety weirdo, so the smaller the show, the better in my eyes

Yeah, I remember geeking out at that show because we could chill and talk with you guys for a while afterwards. It was an awesome time, and like I said, one of my favorite concerts ever.

We're in Chicago now, so any time you come through the midwest we'll be there. Thanks for the inspiration. You gonna be at defcon next year?

every year

Hey YTC! Looking forward to the movie, I've listened to the album twice so far and thanks for sharing the 0day vids and music <3

How many more classic games do you think you can sample before it's too much?

Besides hacking, writing/producing music, Minecraft with bibs and science, what's something you enjoy that we don't hear about?

When are we going to hear another song with bibs? That was fucking adorable.

Thanks for the music and the rad impromptu motivational speeches, looking forward to the next time we hang out -g3k

i already sampled waaaaaaaaay too many

i enjoy gambling a lot i love to bust sick parlays and get paid like a crazy math nerd

ill get bibs on another track soon she digs the science

and thank you love you

I love Bitcoin and the English language and am interested in speaking.

I think it would be fun to make a rap sometime. Any advice how someone with no experience might make a rap song?

rhythm and meter are the most important thing in my eyes, but lately there has been a lot more "avant-garde" projects that see huge success.

honestly, my only advice to people making music is to have fun. as long as you are having fun, who gives a shit what other people think?

Hello YT, I have a question. What is the best tools to use as someone who has little to none experience in hacking? I promise not to be a blackhat.

dont promise to not be a blackhat because it may be what you want to do with your life

take a look at offensive security and their guides and take a look at the kali distro - scripts like wifite make hacking friends wifi for fun and profit easy as pie

drag yourself up from there and become a beast

Hi YT. Your rap delivery has seemed to have a bit of a dirty (nerdy) south drawl that is very different from how you speak. What rappers influenced your style?

too many to count

ive probably appropriated way more stylistically than i can quantify

whats up bryce? i remember you from the gen[m]ay days. makes me sad that such a strong community just went the way of the dodo. glad you are still around

you know how we do

What are some of your favorite sci fi novels/authors? Are there any in particular whose influence is strong in Introducing Neals?

neals is actually named after neal stephenson, which is where the YT from my own name comes from. gibson is obviously the largest influence in anything done in the cyberpunk arena from my generation.

I've suspected that's where YT was from forever, but I never saw it confirmed anywhere. Thanks for freeing up some of my mental RAM!

kourier = spammer

natural progression

What do you think about the million post thread in the 5um? Would you like to see the million posts reached or what are your opinions? Yes I am the spammer.

But the spam game is winnable

/u/aerno is who you be biting ya feel me

Why isn't N.E.S. on Spotify?

its old

What do those shirts and hoodies look like? Would throw some money that way if i could see them

It's going to be the same graphic as the album art.

Which musical artists inspire you?

the problem i have with music is the farther i travel up the mountain, the higher i realize the mountain is. there are a lot of people that can't tell the difference between artist a and artist b, but anyone "in the know" can.

that said, i really sweat this group out of LA called "oliver"'s mixing, pendulum/knife party composition and mixing and sound design - the list is tall and wide actually i could go on for hours.

So what the fuck happened with the 8 bit boys? One good album and then it seemed like everyone went into meltdown.

yea thats a weird subject ask me again in 5 years or so

If the 90's were the golden age of rap, what period do you consider the golden age of the internet? Do you ever yearn for the late 90's / early 2000's underground feel again? Back then (and earlier), programmers were a bit like magicians.. people were in awe of what we could do. Everybody is at it now.

i actually think the internet is getting more and more awesome

there is this line in the wire where slim charles tells cutty that the game aint changed it just got more fierce

thats all it is the game is more fierce

Been listening to the new album all morning at work. A+.

Who do you think is the most underrated/under appreciated/under recognized artist in Nerdcore right now?

i really dig the work coming from the female sector, like shubzilla

live show on point as well

Why do you feel inclined to pee into public sinks?

i moved up to peeing everywhere now no place is safe

Hey YTC. In February 2010, you came to London for a couple of days. I was 17 at the time and had gotten into nerdcore in a big way a year or two earlier. Not many nerdcore artists had made it over here at the time (since then I've been able to see Random and Front, as well as Lars a few times), so I was pretty excited at the chance of seeing you perform while you were here. I sent you a couple of emails and you said it was all too short-notice so you weren't planning on doing any shows (but you were planning on coming back for a tour a few months later).

Then I saw this tweet saying that you were planning to be at an open mic night across London from where I lived. The day of the open night I emailed you asking if you were still planning on being there, but got no response. I was hesitant about going as it was about an hour and a half from where I lived, I was broke (public transport ain't cheap), and I had school the next day. But I thought I might not get another chance to see you, so I decided to go for it.

I embarked on my long journey across the city, and eventually made it to this open mic in the basement of some pub. I got there a little while after it started, but the night was young so I figured you probably hadn't been by yet. I sat there at the back of the room watching the mostly bad (but occasionally decent) people singing their songs, but there was no ytcracker (no rap of any kind if I recall correctly). Right in front of the stage, across the room from me, there was a group of youngish guys, who looked like they could potentially be you and your friends. But it was a bit dark and I was at the other end of the room, and I wasn't that familiar with what you looked like anyway, so I just wasn't sure.

After several hours I was almost ready to give up, but the guy I had thought was most likely to be you got up and walked past me towards the loos. I thought "shit, that was him..." so I got my nerves up, and when the guy came back through I stood up and said to him "Sorry... are you YTCracker?". He looked confused and said "What? ... no?" and went back over to the table. I sat down again and waited a few minutes to hide the embarrassment, and then left for my long journey back home.

I've sometimes wondered if you made it and I missed you, or your plans just changed. So my question is: did you ever make it to that open mic?

i don't think i did make it to the open mic. if it is the trip i remember, the only thing i remember doing was going to the camden roadhouse with my friends jordan and gareth. i was probably very inebriated.

i have been meaning to come out to england with wheatus and frontalot or lars or whatever sometime to actually do a real show, but i have been very bad about getting on the tours out there. please don't hate me.

Your show in Houston with MC Chris in 2010 was, by far, the most fun show I've ever been to. When are you coming back?

probably going to tour on this release

How can I get into hacking?

take a look at offensive security and their guides and take a look at the kali distro - scripts like wifite make hacking friends wifi for fun and profit easy as pie drag yourself up from there and become a beast

I love your music, Nerd Life and Space Mission are my favorite albums.

Anyway, some questions: Favorite programming language[s]? How do you manage to cope with the overwhelming shit going on in the world?

I guess that's all I can think of right now... been up all night! I love the new album, it gave me something to look forward to, so thank you!

the world is a beautiful place fuck the bullshit

im really digging the laravel php framework lately

Mr Game Genie,

When is the last time you cut the head off a fish and then burnt the remains in someone's back yard?

HAHAHAHHAAHHAAH <333333333

seriously you know when

What did you have for breakfast?

weed and vodka, like a true fake rockstar.

How stoked were you when Surge came back?

very

Did you slang those acai berries?

(how hard? ballparks?)

i slung bizop way harder than acai

like infinitely harder

but them berries are cherry ya feel get on that garcinia

How do I get back on DG? Is my username recoverable from when everything was compromised over a year ago?

nah its all a new roll

Have you played Netrunner? It's a card game of hackers (runners) vs. mega-corps, and it's fucking awesome.

Loving Neals, can't wait to see the rest of it animated!

i havent yet i probably should get on that

YT, I just want to give props and congratulate you on your success. Love your music to the point of having some old STC stuff in my main playlists, it's just unbeatable. A lot of your music got me through the high and lows in my life.

If you get the chance, business or pleasure, you gotta come to Cinci. Thanking you personally would completely change the definition I have of my schooldays.

Not to mention smoking one with you would be the best thing ever.

The Moderator Bot wanted me to ask a question: What's the coolest fact a fan could know about you?

i love the 513

i dont really have any cool facts about me other than the fact that maybe i am only half white, so ytcracker is shitty application

im hawaiian american indian chinese and irish

represent

Why haven't you answered my emails about joining 5um? I used to frequent 4um all the way up to the end...

i dont control that anymore the members do

im going to open it up again though

What do you think about SP?

ahhh shit is that n0fx hell yea you know sp is in the mix

What's your deal with the strong dislike you appear to harbor for the opposite sex? Is this real or simply gaslighting randomness just for the sake of it? In addition to that, what is your opinion on female hackers?

its odd because i get called a misogynist but i really have no idea where that comes from

i get involved in weird sjw discussions but i believe in the meritocracy

i hate "scene whores" i guess but there are a plethora of female hackers i know who are waaaaaaaaay more talented than me and i have learned a lot from and frankly, they tend to share the same opinions as i do

judge people on their skills, not their sex

Just wanted to say thanks for the amazing music over the years. I still bump APM in my car from time to time.

My question for you is waffles or pancakes?

waffles in the winter pancakes ine summer

How did getting arrested for hacking affect later life?

if anything it helped me

i mean i cant really get too many square jobs but anything that pays for that type of thing pays well so it is all good

[deleted]

what part of canadia

Vancouver!

van city goes hard