Chiptune and hip hop make unlikely bedfellows, but for middle-school-teacher-turned-rapper Mega Ran, the pair were a perfect match. Mega Ran (aka Random) samples theme songs from video game classics like Mega Man, Castlevania, and Final Fantasy 7 and writes his own verses inspired by the characters and stories in them. Like old school MCs, Mega Ran says he sticks to real experiences: "Normally I don’t do songs unless I’ve played the game. I try to keep things authentic as possible." The results are eclectic but smooth, and if you can pick up the lyrics, some of the verses are worth a chuckle. Mega Ran has gone pro since his early days of illicitly sampling game soundtracks, and Vice's music blog, Noisey, has the full story on what he's been up to.
