Mega Ran
| Mega Ran | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Raheem Jameel Jarbo |
| Also known as | Random, Random Beats, Big Ran |
| Born | September 3, 1977 |
| Origin |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Genres | Hip hop, nerdcore |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, songwriter, record producer, teacher |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | RAHM Nation Recordings, River City Records |
| Associated acts | MC Frontalot, Reef the Lost Cauze, Panacea, MC Lars, K-Murdock, Open Mike Eagle, Sammus, The Regiment |
Raheem Jarbo, also known by his stage names Mega Ran and Random, is an American underground rapper, chiptune DJ, and record producer. He is mainly associated with the genre known as nerdcore. In February 2015, he changed his name, removing Random from any releases.
Jarbo was born in Philadelphia, PA to an American-born mother and African-born father. He has stated in interviews that he wrote his first song in 1993 and began producing in 2000. After college, Jarbo landed a job as an engineer in a Philadelphia studio, and recorded his first demo which caught the ear of Philadelphia emcee Ohene Savant, who had created a label as a home for creative hip-hop music. Jarbo resided in Philadelphia until a 2006 move to Phoenix, Arizona.
Jarbo holds a bachelor's degree from Penn State and worked full-time as a special education teacher in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, then as a middle school teacher in Phoenix, Arizona. Jarbo maintained both a music and teaching career until 2011, when he retired from teaching to focus on music full-time. Jarbo's albums are currently being utilized in coursework at Penn State University, Temple University, and Virginia Tech among others.
Jarbo released his debut album The Call in 2006, but is noted for releasing an album called Mega Ran, a tribute to the Mega Man video game series in 2007. This album landed Jarbo a licensing agreement with video game distributor Capcom and an opportunity to perform at the Capcom booth at Comic-Con in San Diego.
This album gained Jarbo a fan base within the nerdcore genre, as well as press coverage by Nintendo Power, IGN, Okayplayer, Complex, Exclaim, and Blender among others.
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