Introducing ‘Notes from Mr. Sandman‘ – a column slapping a spotlight on lyricists overlooked, under appreciated, or just plain criminally slept on. Or like a man named Nas once said, “I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death.” Enter Mr. Sandman with what y’all missed while chasing the REM dragon.
Raheem Jarbo aka Mega Ran was born inside a video game, an 8-bit lyricist who maneuvers through impossible levels with deft precision. He’s a lyrical 1-Up, the type of wordsmith that slaps the canvas with broad, colorful strokes.
With a name like Mega Ran (a clear nod to Mega Man) his inspirations, on the surface, may seem juvenile, but they come from something far deeper. It comes from grinding it out in the game for nearly 15 years and having to believe that you’re a superhero in order to do it.
When asked where he draws inspiration from Mega Ran proudly proclaims “Life. Usually a painful time or moment inspires me to write something happy or funny. A dream can bring a song out of me. I try to never write unless I’m inspired to.”
The methodology is pure in its intent and it projects in each bar. In “Robot City” for example (off his self-titled album) he teams up with some like-minded compatriots for what amounts to a spirited call to arms, a revolution that begins with the self: [LISTEN]
When it comes to Mega Ran’s style, it’s important not to get too caught up in the novelty of video game culture. It’s fueled so many of his albums, but no one element can contain a writer of his skill level. And that’s what he is first and foremost, a writer. “I make sure to figure out what I did well and not so well on the past release and try to build on that,” said Mega Ran. “Or touch on an area that I purposely didn’t touch on the previous release.”
Mega Ran’s newest album RNDM, an old moniker he used to go by, is a stylistic shift, one that has him embracing new territory. “I try to think in concepts,” said Mega Ran. “But on RNDM, I literally wrote about everything in my life that I hadn’t written about before.”
The album is a milestone of sorts as he’s fusing together two elements of his persona. When asked if there’s any difference between Mega Ran and Random he responded with, “Not any more. There used to be, but I realized that wasn’t best for my growth or the fans consumption…I found a way to be both Random and Mega Ran within the same album, even the same song now. I’ve located a comfort zone that I didn’t know existed.”
That comfort zone allows for some candid storytelling. On “Believe” he openly talks about growing up in a broken home and the struggles he went through, how tears were not a rare occurrence in his life. Few rappers are willing to open up like he does, and hip-hop culture is better for it. A way to broaden the scope of emotions within a culture that often embraces anything but: [LISTEN]
Mega Ran’s career has been a war of attrition, but it’s how he’s handled those moments of difficulty that’s made the difference. When adversity hit he embraced it and put it in his raps instead of using it as an excuse to fold. He approaches each project with a renewed sense of vigor, unafraid to let his deepest emotions fly. And you don’t need to know a damn thing about video games to respect that.
