Raheem Jarbo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Raheem Jarbo
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Jarbo in 2007
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Mega Ran, Random, Random Beats |
| Born | September 3, 1977 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop, nerdcore |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, songwriter, record producer, author |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | RAHM Nation, River City, SoulSpazm, RandomBeats |
| Associated acts | MC Frontalot, Reef the Lost Cauze, Panacea, MC Lars, K-Murdock, Open Mike Eagle, Sammus, The Regiment, Young RJ of Slum Village |
Raheem Jarbo (born September 3, 1977), known by his stage name Mega Ran, is an American rapper, DJ, author, and music producer. He is famous for his "nerdcore" hip hop music. This style of music often talks about video games, comic books, and other pop culture topics. In 2015, he officially changed his stage name to Mega Ran.
Contents
About Mega Ran
His Early Life
Raheem Jarbo was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His mother was American, and his father was from Africa. He started writing songs in 1993 and began producing music in 2000. After college, Jarbo worked as an engineer in a music studio in Philadelphia. There, he made his first demo, which caught the attention of a local rapper named Ohene Savant. Ohene Savant had a record label for creative hip-hop music. Jarbo lived in Philadelphia until 2006, when he moved to Phoenix, Arizona.
From Teacher to Rapper
Jarbo went to Martin Luther King High School in Philadelphia. He then earned a bachelor's degree from Penn State. For a while, he worked as a special education teacher in Philadelphia. Later, he became a middle school teacher in Phoenix, Arizona.
Jarbo balanced his music career with his teaching job until 2011. At that point, he decided to stop teaching and focus on music full-time. Today, some of his albums are even used in college courses at Penn State University and the University of Michigan. In 2022, Jarbo was a main speaker at a big conference about video game music.
Mega Ran's Music
Video Game Inspired Albums
Mega Ran released his first album, The Call, in 2006. But he became well-known for his 2007 album, Mega Ran. This album was a tribute to the classic Mega Man video game series. Because of this album, Jarbo got a special agreement with the video game company Capcom. He even got to perform at the Capcom booth at San Diego Comic-Con.
This album helped Mega Ran gain many fans in the nerdcore music world. He also got attention from magazines and websites like Nintendo Power, IGN, and Complex. In 2009, he released another Mega Man album called Mega Ran 9. This album was based on the Mega Man 9 video game and also had Capcom's approval.
In 2010, Mega Ran worked with producer K-Murdock to release Forever Famicom. This album used sounds from classic video games on the NES and Super NES consoles. In 2011, he created Black Materia, an album completely based on the popular game Final Fantasy VII. He later released a remixed version of this album.
In 2013, Mega Ran started calling his music "Chip-Hop." This name combines "chiptune" (music made with old video game sounds) and "hip-hop." He also released a hip-hop opera called "Castelvania: Nocturnal Cantata." It told the story of the game "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night."
Working with Other Artists
Mega Ran often works with other musicians. In 2013, he teamed up with rapper Mister Wilson for Blur Bomber. This album was inspired by a comic book story where Mega Man and Sonic the Hedgehog meet.
In 2015, Mega Ran released Soul Veggies, which became his most successful album at the time. He also went on tour with Bag of Tricks Cat. His album RNDM came out in Fall 2015 and appeared on the Billboard Top 200 chart. In 2018, his album "Emerald Knights 2" also made it onto the Billboard Top 200 chart.
In 2023, Mega Ran released his first album for children, called "Buddy's Magic Toy Box." This album quickly reached #2 on the Kids Music Billboard charts.
Mega Ran in Video Games
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Mega Ran's connection to video games goes beyond his music. In 2009, he worked with Capcom on a hip-hop soundtrack for the game Marvel vs. Capcom 2. His song "The Remainder Is One" was part of this album.
His music has been featured in many video game publications, like Game Developer and Nintendo Power. His Final Fantasy VII album was even mentioned in Game Informer magazine.
In 2012, Mega Ran and Lunar Giant Studios released a video game based on his album Mega Ran in Language Arts. In 2013, he added guest vocals to a song on the soundtrack of the game Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine. He also performed at the first-ever Halo 4 Global Championships in Seattle. This event was shown live on Xbox Live.
In 2015, Mega Ran announced that he would perform the ending credits song for the game Mighty No. 9. In 2016, he released his own video game called Tales of the Elements on Steam. He was one of the main characters in the game, which also had an album that followed its story. A second game, Tales of the Elements – 2nd Chapter, came out in 2018.
More recently, in 2019, Mega Ran appeared on the official soundtrack for Mortal Kombat 11 with a song called 'Rise'. In 2022, he lent his voice to the end-credits song, "It's a Pizza Party!", for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge.
Mega Ran on Screen
TV Shows and Movies
Mega Ran's music has also been used in movies and TV shows. His song "Grow Up" from the Mega Ran album played during the end credits of the 2008 film Second Skin.
In 2010, his song "Splash Woman" was featured on episodes of TNA IMPACT! and on an ABC special hosted by Barbara Walters. It also appeared on IFC's Portlandia and Comedy Central's Tosh.0.
Mega Ran used to host a weekly hip-hop show on his YouTube channel called "Life After Lesson Plans." In the final episode, he shared his decision to leave teaching to focus on music full-time. In 2012, he released "Mega Ran's Jeremy Lin Rap," a song about the basketball player Jeremy Lin. The song got over 500,000 views on YouTube and was even shown on ESPN's SportsCenter.
In 2014, a documentary called Mega-Lo-Mania was released. It followed Mega Ran and his band, The Lo-Classics, on a tour.
Wrestling Appearances
Mega Ran has also appeared in professional wrestling. In 2017, he was part of a rap battle skit on WWE's WWE SmackDown Live. In 2019, he appeared at a big wrestling event called G1 Supercard. He tried to perform his song "Going To the Garden," but had a confrontation with wrestler Bully Ray. In 2021, Mega Ran wrote a song called "Bow Down" for WWE wrestler Xavier Woods to celebrate his King Of The Ring win. The song debuted on WWE SmackDown Live in November 2021.
Live Performances
Mega Ran has toured all over the U.S., both as a headliner and opening for other artists like MC Chris and MC Lars. He has performed at major festivals such as SXSW Music Festival and Nerdapalooza. He has also performed at San Diego Comic-Con multiple times.
In 2011, he went on his first European tour. Later that year, he toured Japan. He returned to Japan after a successful Kickstarter campaign helped fund the trip. Mega Ran has also performed at the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) and MAGfest, a music and gaming festival. In 2023, he organized his own music festival called The Dream Master Mixtape.
His Life Outside Music
Mega Ran lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife. He proposed to her at MAGfest in 2017. In 2021, he released a book about his life called Dream Master.
Mega Ran's Albums
Solo Albums
- 2006 – The Call
- 2007 – Mega Ran
- 2009 – Mega Ran 9
- 2011 – Black Materia: Final Fantasy VII
- 2012 – Mega Ran in Language Arts
- 2015 – RNDM
- 2023 – Buddy's Magic Toy Box (Children's Album)
Collaborative Projects
- 2010 – Forever Famicom with K-Murdock
- 2011 – The Memorandum with Mr. Miranda
- 2013 – Blur Bomber with Mister Wilson
- 2015 – Soul Veggies with Storyville
- 2017 – Emerald Knights 2 with Bag of Tricks Cat
- 2019 – The Dewey Decibel System with MC Lars
- 2020 – 2 Hands Up with Young RJ of Slum Village
