SOUL VEGGIES release party!
Hear the new album in full!
Live Performances by:
Mega Ran and Storyville
Bright Primate
The World Is Square
Shane Hall
And more special guests TBA!
Short version: Teacher, Rapper Hero. Mega Ran.
Long Version:
RANDOM (a): Unpredictable, Following no particular pattern, deterministic...a system whose evolution cannot be predicted exactly. Random, aka Random Beats, aka Big Ran personifies what Hip-Hop should be: Spontaneous, fun, and true. Every album conveys a different theme, a different vibe and a different emotion.
Welcome to The Random Experience, where You Are the Music.
Born Raheem Jarbo in Philadelphia to a southern mother and African father, Random’s songs are filled with all of the heartache, pain, triumph, tragedy and fun that come with everyday living. A Philadelphia native and Phoenix transplant, graduate of Penn State University and middle school instructor, Random speaks to the everyman, transcending race or class barriers.”I never want anyone to predict my next move,” he says.
You can, however, expect the unexpected from Random, hence the name. After teaching himself to make beats on the MTV Music Generator software for PlayStation, Random landed a job at a Philadelphia studio as a producer and engineer. During downtime, he would create his first demo tape. This led to Random signing with indie label RAHM Nation Recordings and releasing his debut album, The Call in 2006. Random made waves by going way left of his backpack roots when he released “Mega Ran” in 2007. It was an album completely comprised of sampled 8-bit beats from the hit video game series “Mega Man.”
This led to an unprecedented barrage of work from Ran. The album (and its follow up, Mega Ran 9) virtually exploded after video game corporation CAPCOM offered Random a special licensing agreement, and calling on Ran to perform at Comic-Con and other special events. In 2009, Random signed a deal with Japanese record label River City Records and released RANDOMONIUM, a collection of previously released material. In 2010, Random collaborated with critically acclaimed producer K-Murdock to release FOREVER FAMICOM, a conceptual album paying homage to the 8-Bit NES and 16-Bit Super NES video game consoles.
In 2011, less than a year after the success of FOREVER FAMICOM, Random teamed with AZ producer LOST PERCEPTION to create “Black Materia,” an immense album experience that chronicled the events and story of the classic video game Final Fantasy VII. This album went on to rank in the top 10 of its categories on Amazon and iTunes, beating out mainstream stars such as Kanye West and Lil Wayne. in November, he released the final piece of the Mega Ran trilogy, Mega Ran 10, with CDs and even a special blue vinyl. A month later, Ran released "The Memorandum," a throwback hip-hop experience with AZ hip-hop artist Mr. Miranda.
A remixed and remastered version of the Black Materia album released Jan 31, 2012.
Today, Random is no longer a teacher by title, but still travels the world to entertain and educate through the gift of music. From the clubs and lounges to the packed comic and gaming conventions all over, Random’s music has managed game and movie soundtrack placements and press coverage in Playstation Magazine, Wired Magazine, The Phoenix New Times, URB Magazine, Game Developer, Nintendo Power, and more. Something old..something new...something Random.
