Being a “nerd” is typically not something people aspire to. The label can get more difficult to navigate within Black American circles; a deviation from Black art and media may be misconstrued as a betrayal of "authentic Blackness." Today, much of Black nerd (also known as “Blerd”) culture has made it to the mainstream — and even popularized — thanks to celebrities like rapper Megan thee Stallion, actor Michael B. Jordan and guitarist Thundercat.
Social media creators have found great success leaning into their Blerdiness and special interests. Shawn “Rab” Fentress is among them. In under a year of content creation under the moniker RabSoPetty, Fentress has amassed more than 650,000 followers across multiple social media platforms. He scripts and records his own parodic voice overs to animes, including Jujitsu Kaisen, Naruto and Demon Slayer and calls his work “hood dubs” partly for its use of African American Vernacular English —and his St. Louis accent.
“I'm from St. Louis through and through,” he told St. Louis on the Air. “Every time I talk, like when I say ‘here,’ I say ‘hurr’ ... people can hear it once they realize I'm from St. Louis.”
Fentress said that when he was coming of age, Blackness and nerdom was complicated. “Just being Black and enjoying nerd culture was something that just didn't mix for most people. The first thing you really think of is Steve Urkel with suspenders on these big ole glasses,” he said. “You had to put on this facade of being, like, this real heavy street guy … you just couldn't just be a nerd in peace. I got bullied [about] anime for a while.”
Now, what he was teased for as a child and a passion for voice acting brings him closer to fans across the world. Fentress has fostered and moderated an online community of over 2,000 members on Discord. The motivation to be hands-on and create content with his audience comes from his own unmet needs for community as a teenager.
“I've got people coming out of high school looking at me as a big brother and their favorite creator, looking for guidance from me,” Fentress explained. “I try to be someone who can not only teach but give you a place where you can chill. I try to do for my community how I would want to be treated. Everybody is showing love to each other and we're one big family.”
For an extended version of our conversation with Shawn “Rab” Fentress, including his initial apprehensions about calling his content “hood dubs,” his work with rappers NandoSTL and T-Pain and going toe-to-toe with Aniplex, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube, or click the play button below.
Related Event
What: Anime After Dark - St. Louis
When: 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. Aug. 31
Where: Hot Java Bar (4193 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110)
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Ulaa Kuziez, Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Roshae Hemmings is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
