Mega Ran

Random, aka Mega Ran, or Random Beats. Teacher, Rapper, Hero. If you put video games, the 80′s, hip-hop, soul music, jazz and standup comedy into a blender and hit “puree,” you'd have something close to The Mega Ran Experience. Before being chosen as LA Weekly’s “Rapper Most Likely To Be Big in 2014,” the Penn State graduate and self-proclaimed “TeacherRapperHero” made waves by going way left of his backpack roots by combining 8-bit video game sounds and hard hitting hip-hop tracks, and has become a trailblazer in the budding genres of chiptune and nerdcore hip-hop, while maintaining a career as a middle school teacher. Ran’s first album The Call was a critical success, featuring tracks with some of the underground’s most respected heads.

“One of the most prolific and innovative rappers of the 21st Century,” - Phoenix New Times“Random’s proven he can excel in storytelling, punchlines, poignancy, freestyling and, well, pretty much any other way you can measure an MC.” – LA Weekly

Ran cut his teeth in the city of Philadelphia as a moonlighting emcee and producer, performing, freestyle rapping, producing and later engineering at a studio. After relocating to Phoenix, competing in the Scribble Jam emcee battle championships and taking an early exit, Ran almost quit before he was even started, when a creative lightning bolt struck, and a fire was lit. Retro video games were catalyst. Random began the transformation into Mega Ran, his alter-ego, an ode to the classic video game character Mega Man. After creating a tribute album and receiving an unprecedented level of support and blessing from Capcom to continue, Ran was reborn and became a trailblazer in the budding “nerdcore” and chiptune subgenres, while coining his own term to describe what he had done, “Chip-Hop.”

Various video game developer co-signs and admiration from the genre’s toughest critics have led to placements in TV, movies, university coursework, and of course, games. Random’s music and story have been shared on stages across the world, on television (ABC/NBC News, ESPN, Portlandia, Tosh.O, WWE Wrestling) and in leading music, gaming and tech publications, print and online. Today, Random is no longer a teacher by title, but maintains a rigorous touring and recording schedule, traveling the world to entertain and educate through the gift of rhyme. With 3 million YouTube views, over $50,000 raised on Kickstarter, and a legion of smart art fans he calls “Team Mega” beside him, the future looks brighter than ever.

Now that’s Random.

Past Shows


Jun
18
th
2023
First Avenue
Jun
18
th
2023
First Avenue

Wrestlepalooza

A Pride Pre-Party
with Mega Ran
Nov
8
th
2016
7th St Entry
Nov
8
th
2016
7th St Entry

mc chris

with MC Lars and Mega Ran
Jul
5
th
2015
7th St Entry
Jul
5
th
2015
7th St Entry

Mega Ran

with Carnage The Executioner, PHILIP MORRIS and Do a Barrel Roll!
Mar
3
rd
2014
7th St Entry
Mar
3
rd
2014
7th St Entry

Mega Ran and E-DUBBLE & 27 LIGHTS

with BRENTALFLOSS, Danimal Cannon and Metasota
Aug
16
th
2013
7th St Entry
Aug
16
th
2013
7th St Entry

Homeboy Sandman

The Dear Hunter Tour
with Open Mike Eagle and Mega Ran
Sep
13
th
2011
7th St Entry
Sep
13
th
2011
7th St Entry

mc chris

with Mega Ran, MC Lars and Adam WarRock

More Shows

Jun
11
th
Turf Club

Man Man

Jun
27
th
Turf Club

Pallbearer

with REZN and The Keening
Jun
16
th
Fine Line

Searows

with runo plum
Jul
12
th
Palace Theatre

Hiatus Kaiyote