Schaffer the Darklord (New York, NY)

Schaffer the Darklord (or STD) is a New York City-based rapper and comedian with material best-suited for brainy and/or drug-addled audiences. With manic energy fueling a cartoonishly commanding stage presence, STD skewers such topics as hedonistic substance abuse, sexual compulsion, urban anxiety and obsessive cat-enthusiasts. Imagine a Frankenstein-esque monster assembled from equal parts Bill Hicks, Adam Yauch, Joey Ramone and Prince, stitched together inside the shell of a maniacal heavy metal ex-patriot. STD has released eight albums (2004's "Meet My Maker," 2007's "Mark of the Beast," 2009's "Manslaughterer," 2012's "Junk Drawer," 2013's "Sick Passenger," 2015's "Sex Rhymes," 2017's "Junk Drawer Vol. 2" and 2018's "The Department of Darkness") and toured the country with such artists as MC Chris, MC Frontalot, Mega Ran and MC Lars. When he's not on the road, he produces and co-hosts The Epic Piecast on the Nerdy Show Podcast Network. STD continues to write, record and perform with great frequency and has no intention of stopping until his masochistic rock-n-roll lifestyle destroys him.