Artists like Mega Ran

Andrew Robert Nielsen, known professionally as MC Lars, is an American rapper, producer, educator, and founder of Horris Records. A graduate of Stanford University and the University of Oxford, he has been described as a pioneer of "lit-hop", a genre blending hip-hop with themes from classical and American literature. In a 2003 song, he used the term "iGeneration", which ASCAP credited as an early instance of the term. He has performed at venues including Carnegie Hall and multiple TEDx events. His work frequently references authors like William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, and Herman Melville, and he is considered a key figure in the early nerdcore movement.

Damian Alexander Hess, better known by his stage name MC Frontalot, is an American rapper and web designer. He is widely credited as a pioneer of the nerdcore genre, blending elements of hip hop with themes from nerd culture.

Christopher Brendan Ward IV, better known by the stage name mc chris, is an American rapper, voice actor, comedian, and writer. He is recognized for his high-pitched voice and for blending his "geek” background with a “gangsta rap” persona, contributing to the popularization of the nerdcore genre. He has released ten albums, five EPs, one re-release, and a tenth-anniversary edition of his recordings with the Lee Majors. He is also known for his work on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block.

Optimus Rhyme was a hip hop group from Seattle, Washington. Optimus Rhyme is most widely considered a nerdcore group because of the nerdy nature of their lyrics. The name of the band as well as the stage names of the members and many of their lyrics refer to the Transformers franchise. Their music is a combination of rapped hip hop lyrics with funk rock music. Optimus Rhyme formed in Seattle in 2000.

Ian Matthias Bavitz, better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American rapper and producer. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and alternative hip-hop acts that emerged during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was signed to El-P's Definitive Jux label until it went on hiatus in 2010. In a 2010 retrospective, betterPropaganda ranked him at number 19 at the Top 100 Artists of the Decade.

Tsutomu William "Tom" Shimura, better known by his stage name Lyrics Born, is a Japanese-American rapper, singer, and producer. He is one half of the duo Latyrx with Lateef the Truthspeaker.

Teren Delvon Jones, better known by his stage name Del the Funky Homosapien or Sir DZL, is an American rapper.

Blackalicious was an American hip-hop duo from Sacramento, California, made up of rapper Gift of Gab and DJ/producer Chief Xcel. They are noted for Gift of Gab's often tongue-twisting, multisyllabic, complex rhymes and Chief Xcel's soulful production. The duo released four full-length albums: Nia in 1999, Blazing Arrow in 2002, The Craft in 2005, and Imani Vol. 1 in 2015. Gift of Gab died in June 2021.

Paul Edward Huston, better known by his stage name Prince Paul, is an American record producer, disc jockey and recording artist from Amityville, New York. Paul began his career as a DJ for Stetsasonic. He has worked on albums by Boogie Down Productions, Gravediggaz, MC Lyte, Big Daddy Kane and 3rd Bass, among others. Major recognition for Prince Paul came when he produced De La Soul's debut album 3 Feet High and Rising (1989), in which he pioneered new approaches to hip hop production, mixing and sampling, notably by including comedy sketches.

Talib Kweli Greene is an American rapper. He is one half of the hip-hop duo Black Star, which he formed in 1997 with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def. Their 1998 single, "Definition", entered the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded their eponymous debut album (1998), which entered the Billboard 200. The duo then began pursuing solo careers, although one further Black Star album — No Fear of Time (2022) — was released thereafter.

Fort Minor was a hip hop side project by American musician Mike Shinoda, who is better known as the rhythm guitarist, keyboardist, producer, and rapper of the rock band Linkin Park. The project's only album, The Rising Tied, was released in 2005. The album's fourth single "Where'd You Go" reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Adam Kidd Drucker, better known by his stage name Doseone, is an American rapper, producer, poet and artist. He is a co-founder of the indie hip hop record label Anticon. He has also been a member of numerous groups including Deep Puddle Dynamics, A7pha, Greenthink, Clouddead, Themselves, Subtle, 13 & God, Go Dark, and Nevermen.