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) is an American rapper, DJ, and author better known by his stage name, Mega Ran. He is famous for a special style of music called nerdcore, which mixes hip-hop with topics that people who love video games and comics enjoy. He also makes chiptune music, which uses sounds from old video game consoles. He used to be called Random, but in 2015, he officially changed his name to Mega Ran for all his music.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Raheem Jarbo was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He started writing songs when he was a teenager in 1993 and began making his own music beats in 2000. After graduating from Penn State, he worked as a sound engineer in a music studio.
Before becoming a full-time musician, Jarbo was a teacher. He taught special education in Philadelphia and later taught middle school in Phoenix, Arizona. He balanced both teaching and music until 2011, when he decided to focus completely on his music career. Today, some of his albums are even studied in classes at universities like Penn State.
Music Career
Jarbo's music often celebrates video games and geek culture. His style is sometimes called "Chip-Hop" because it blends classic hip-hop with the chip sounds of old video games.
Video Game Tributes
In 2007, Jarbo released an album called Mega Ran, which was a tribute to the classic Mega Man video game series. The album was a huge hit and even got him a licensing deal with Capcom, the company that makes Mega Man. This allowed him to perform at big events like San Diego Comic-Con.
He continued to make music inspired by games.
- Mega Ran 9 (2009): This album was based on the video game Mega Man 9.
- Forever Famicom (2010): He worked with producer K-Murdock to create this album, which used samples from many different games for the NES and Super NES consoles.
- Black Materia (2011): This popular album was based entirely on the story of the video game Final Fantasy VII.
- Castlevania: The Nocturnal Cantata (2013): This was a hip-hop opera that told the story of the game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
Other Major Albums
In 2015, Jarbo released RNDM, which was so popular that it appeared on the Billboard Top 200 music chart. He achieved this again in 2018 with his album Emerald Knights 2.
In 2023, he released his first album for kids, called Buddy's Magic Toy Box. It was very successful and reached #2 on the Kids Music Billboard charts.
Working in Video Games and TV
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Mega Ran's music is not just about video games; it's also in them! He has created songs for the official soundtracks of many popular games.
Video Game Soundtracks
- Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (2009): He was featured on the official hip-hop soundtrack for this fighting game.
- Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine (2013): He provided vocals for the song "Welcome to Monaco."
- Mighty No. 9 (2015): He was chosen to perform the song for the game's ending credits.
- Mortal Kombat 11 (2019): He appeared on the official soundtrack with the song "Rise."
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (2022): He rapped on the fun end-credits song, "It's a Pizza Party!"
Film and Television
Mega Ran's music and personality have also appeared on TV. His song "Splash Woman" was used on shows like Portlandia and Tosh.0.
In 2012, he wrote a rap song about the basketball player Jeremy Lin that became a viral hit on YouTube and was even shown on ESPN's SportsCenter. He has also appeared on WWE SmackDown Live and at a professional wrestling event at Madison Square Garden.
Live Performances
Mega Ran has toured all over the United States and the world, performing his music for fans. He has been a regular performer at big festivals that celebrate games and nerd culture, such as:
- SXSW (South by Southwest)
- Nerdapalooza
- San Diego Comic-Con
- Penny Arcade Expo (PAX)
- MAGFest (Music and Gaming Festival)
He has toured in Europe and Japan and continues to perform at events around the world.
Personal Life
Jarbo lives in Phoenix, Arizona. He proposed to his wife during his performance at the MAGFest festival in 2015. In 2021, he published a book about his life and career called Dream Master.
Discography
Solo Albums
- The Call (2006)
- Mega Ran (2007)
- The 8th Day (2008)
- Mega Ran 9 (2009)
- Black Materia: Final Fantasy VII (2011)
- Mega Ran in Language Arts (2012)
- RNDM (2015)
- Extra Credit (2017)
- The Visitor (2018)
- Live ‘95 (2021)
- Wrestling is Real, People Are Fake (2023)
- Buddy's Magic Toy Box (2023)
Collaborative Projects
- Forever Famicom (2010) with K-Murdock
- The Memorandum (2011) with Mr. Miranda
- The Ghouls 'n Ghosts EP (2012) with Richie Branson
- Blur Bomber (2013) with Mister Wilson
- Soul Veggies (2015) with Storyville
- Emerald Knights (2015 & 2017) with Bag of Tricks Cat
- The Dewey Decibel System (2019) with MC Lars
- 2 Hands Up (2020) with Young RJ of Slum Village
