Ran's Comic Con 2009 Plans

THIS WEEKEND:

after a 1 year absence, Mega Ran will be BACK at Comic Con!

all of you congoers have 3 chances to catch Random:

Friday July 24 12-1pm @ Capcom's booth (signing stuff and jamming to Mega Ran 9)

I'll also be somewhere near their Fighting Games Panel (2:30-3:30 in Room 5AB)
where they'll be giving out these bad boys:



oooooooooooh!

and yes, Random is on it.


Saturday July 25, 12-1pm @ Capcom's booth, the same thing
3-5PM @ The OC Remix booth

and more...stay tuned.

Sunday night, 7-10pm - Nerdcoricon
featuring live sets by Random, Zealous1, Maja, Dr. Awkward and more!
@ Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd, SD, CA
$5 cover.

RSVP (for a limited time) at contact@megaran.com for reduced admission! lol.

The Back To the Future Tour Blog, Part 1

So the show started with the first gig,

date 1: 6-17 at Burts Tiki Lounge in Albuquerque. We were joined on the first leg of the tour by Big Ox, Major Problems and DJ Bonus of Tucson, who held us down nicely at the spot. Mr Miranda and I ripped it, and after the show we all celebrated with some mystery drinks...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsbPcUagdxM

afterwards, Dave had a Green Chile shot... He says it was good.

Big ups to: Flux and Serif, and the team at Burts.

date 2: 6-18: El Patio, Las Cruces, NM
So Dave and I bounce to the venue but weren't informed that the venue had changed. We got to the spot late, but it was well worth the wait. this time Dave and I play headlining role, performing after several acts, and going on after 1am. no worries! The crowd is still there and still supportive. Best part was when I invited a cat from the crowd up on stage to freestyle, and the dude started RAPPING... Lol. Big fun.

Big ups to: Henry G of Underground Kingz Radio, The 8-Bit Cynics (who unfortunately don't make 8-bit music, but it's dope).

Date 3 got a little fuzzy.. We were supposed to have a date in El Paso, but that fell through. So we decided to get an early start toward Dallas. Along the way, I get an email from Shadix (who helped produce the acoustic remix of "Splash Woman") offering us a show opportunity the next day in Austin. I was down. I had told Dave a thousand stories about how dope and unbelievable Austin is.... So who would pass up a show out there? So we set a course for Austin.

Along the way we hit Noah's Ark-like floods and rains, and almost hit a freakin' deer on the road. Scariest drive ever for sure.

date 3: (just added: Hutto, Tx)

as you can see, Hutto is NOT Austin. Hutto is a small town about 45 minutes away. On top of that, the show was a rock show, and we were the only hip hop on the bill. We get there, we have sound issues... so, we decide to freestyle and rock over the band. Furthest From The Star, a dope band who had never done an impromptu set before, rocked with us and we had a ball.

Also while in Austin, we met with ChopSteak and chopped it up (pun intended) with him, and he showed us around town. Ate a spectacular Sunday brunch at Threadgill's (sweet potato pancakes ftw) and got on the road to Dallas.

Big ups to: Chop Steak, Shadix (and all of ocremix.org)

Show 4: The Cavern, Dallas TX
Dallas is HOT. I mean, like Really hot. And I live in Phoenix, so for me to call something else hot, it must be. It's like a big skillet out there.

I had to do something in Dallas I always wanted to do, so we took care of that.

I hadn't been to Dallas before, but I had great tour guides, DJ Rob Viktum and Kristi of The Young Agent.

We had some great grub out there, including a spectacular lunch at Cuba Libre, and what seemed like unlimited Mojitos. That night, we rocked a set at The Cavern, which prior to that night, hadn't had a live performance, ever. But it went smoothly. Dave busted out one of my fave joints from his mixtape, "Cool," and I rocked a memorable freestyle over "A Milli." which means, officially, EVERY rapper has now rapped on that beat. :)

Big Ups to: Markus of Big Red Rooster, all of the tweeps I met at the event for the first time: @guerillamilk @misscarey @lovejones83 @summa_reign and Big J of the Clever Monkeys.

from here on out, I was on my own for the rest of the tour, as Mr. Miranda had to bounce. So I got on the road, and headed for Nashville.

Show 5: 6-25-09, Cafe Coco, Nashville, TN

I always have fun in Nashville, the most recent time before this was at the Mid Tennessee Anime Con

But this was much different... I got the news of Michael Jackson's passing on that day, and the rest of the show was a blur. in fact, lets not even dwell on this show.

Show 6: 6-26-09 @ Tacony Billiards, Phila, PA

Finally back in the hometown, the city of brotherly Thugs, Killadelphia, you name it. No place like home. I did the show with my man Storyville, who always has my back when I come into town, and the show was great. Super Big Ups to Big O and DJ Akshun for holding me down... felt like '06 all over again out there.

We shot video but it was waaaaaay too long to post. :-(


Finally got some time off, so I got to visit family and friends, but mostly what I did was sleep. driving across country is HARD work.

Show 7: 7-3-09 @ Dubland Underground, Rochester, NY


I never really felt like a big star until this show. I got in town and met my liason who informed me that I was in the City Paper and they were really expecting a dope crowd. I had fun, we ripped it, and made some really good friends and fans.

I have to shout out Ray (Fumaofthelake), who I met on my Message Board, for coming through, but also for telling friends and offering a place to crash!

more to come later.... i'm tired.

The Back to the Future Tour!

http://mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=120627

The “Back to the Future Tour” will kick off June 17 in Albuquerque, NM and ends July 25 at the granddaddy of them all, Comic Con.

Tour Dates and Locations:
June 17, 2009 @ Burt’s Tiki Lounge, Albuquerque, NM
June 18, 2009 @ Code Red, Las Cruces, NM
June 20, 2009 @ TBA, El Paso, TX
June 22, 2009 @ The Cavern, Dallas, TX
June 25, 2009 @ Café Coco, Nashville, TN
June 26, 2009 @ Tacony Billiards Club, Philadelphia, PA
June 30, 2009 @ Pure Lounge, Washington, DC
July 3, 2009 @ Dubland Underground, Rochester, NY
July 9, 2009 @ Midtown Tavern, Harrisburg, PA
July 11-12 2009 @ Nerdapalooza 2009 (Holiday Inn Orlando), Orlando, FL
July 17-18, 2009 @ Otakon (Baltimore Conv Center), Baltimore, MD
July 24, 2009 @ Goodbye Blue Monday, Brooklyn, NY
July 25, 2009 @ Comic-Con (San Diego Conv Center), SD, CA
July 31, 2009 @ TuCon, Tucson, AZ
August 15, 2009 @ San-Japan, San Antonio, TX

Jay-Z - D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)

wow.

Jiggaman returns and fires shots at the hip hop game.


I love it.


Just watching Flex and Mister Cee go ape over the premiere gave me some goosebumps and took me back to those late nights in Philly listening to RadioActive.



lyrics

“Only rapper to rewrite history without a pen,
No ID on the track let the story begin, begin, begin” (chorus)

This is anti autotune, death of the ringtone, this ain’t for itunes, this ain’t for sing alongs,
this is Sinatra at the opera, bring a blonde, preferably with a fat ass who can sing a song, wrong,
this aint politcally correct, this might offend my political connects,
my raps don’t have melodies, this should make jackers wanna go and commit felonies, ahh
get your chain tooken, I may do it myself - I’m so Brooklyn.
I know we facing a recession, but the music y’all making going make it the great depression.
All y’all lack aggression put your skirt back down, grow a set man.
Yeah this just violent, this is the death of autotune, moment of silence.

(Chorus)

This ain’t a number one record, this is practically assault with a deadly weapon,
I made it just for flex and Mister CEE I want people to feel threatened
stop your bloodclot crying, the kid, the dog everybody dying, no lying,
you boys jeans too tight, you colors too bright, your voice too light
I might wear black for a year straight, I might bring back Versace shades
this ain’t for z100, Ye told me to kill y’all to keep it 1 hundred,
this is for hot 97, for Khaled we the best’n,
yeah this is just violent, this is death of autotune, moment of silence.

(Chorus)

This might need a verse from Jeezy, I might send this to the mixtape weezy,
get somebody from BMF to talk on this, give this to a blood let a crip walk on it,
50 thou to style on this, I just don’t need nobody to smile on this,
you rappers singing too much, get back to rap you t-paining too much.
I’m a multi-millionaire so how is it I’m still the hardest here,
I don’t be in the project hallway talking about how I be in the project all day
that sound stupid to me, if you a gangsta this is how you prove it to me.
Yeah just get violent, this is death of auto-tune moment of silence.

CDQ: http://www.mediafire.com/?zdmzzjenyyz

enjoy.

the Ex-TeacherRapperHero blog.

good news first.






and now, bad news.

ex-teacherrapperhero.

Random interviews Saigon. "I'm Still On Atlantic Records."

lot of real talk in this interview.... between all the other stuff.

Random is Wired with Capcom (interviews)

Mega Ran 9 seems to be picking up a new steam; it's sold out at a few online retailers and people seem to be content with spending money for it...go figure.

a few new interviews have surfaced this week, including a Q&A with S-Kill of Capcom Unity... a great read.

excerpt:

Unity: Who are you collaborating with these days? What do you feel they bring to the table creatively?

I draw so much inspiration from so many things and people, so I've been working with a few awesome producers and musicians. K-Murdock, of the group Panacea, and I are working on a project called Forever Famicom, where he'll make the beats off of plenty of the classic NES games, and I'll lay the vocals.

I've recently signed a deal with a Japanese label, River City Records, to release an album called Randomonium' this year; it'll contain some of my biggest "hits" if you can call them that, along with some new stuff. Collaborators on there include DN3; my DJ, Samik, Young B, DJ Prolifik, Wordsworth, 88-Keys, Naledge of Kidz in the Hall and more.


There's more, as the good folks at Wired Magazine's blog put me up on the front page for a spell

and then asked me some great questions. Click to read.

Random Blogs: The Game in Concert, Phoenix

I tell ppl all the time that Game is one of my favorite rappers today... its sort of a guilty pleasure. I mean, he can spit but we all know what's gonna come out of his mouth... and yet its STILL entertaining.

anyway I saw him live a few weeks ago and he pulled THIS stunt:



i say they just carry an empty bottle around to each show and fill it with spring water... thoughts?

Get Mega Ran 9. Now.

okay this isn't really a demand, but a call for you to stop by my new site: www.megaran.com and grab the Mega Ran 9 album... I mean, it's free!

DOWNLOAD RANDOM's MEGA RAN 9 album.

My Interview with J-Live

the 'Random Interviews' continue with a short chat with one of my favorites, fellow Teacher/MC J-Live. I thought I stayed busy...he wears a few more hats than I do, as a DJ and producer, and family man as well.




I remember seeing him live in like 2004 opening for GZA, and he blew me away by rapping and spinning at the same time.

We went on to do a show together in Philly when he lived out there, and now he's in Atlanta.

so here are the questions...
(part 1)

[b]Which artist has you whipped? (meaning you'll buy whatever they put out)[/b]

The Roots. Whether I like it or not. I always look forward to their
albums. Closest thing left for me to anticipating walking home from
The Wiz with a cassette in the walkman.


[b] how do you measure success in music?[/b]

For me. When enough people know love and support my music that I can support my children's children, build great things in my community,
and impact the planet not just with inspiring and enlightening
thoughts and sounds, but with endeavors that empower the so called third world.

[b] is Obama the answer?[/b]

No. There's too many questions. He is our President. OUR President.
The first time in MY lifetime I actually feel well represented in the
Executive Branch. And not just because he's black. He was the best man
for the job. He's the anti Bush. And its great having black love in
the White House and such a beautiful historic First Family. Makes me
proud.

[b] when did you realize that music was your calling...if it is :)[/b]

Tokyo Japan in the late 90s doing Club Yellow and being told it was
the illest show since Tribe Called Quest.

here's an mp3 for ya...one of my favorite J-Live jams..

Splash Mountain

Here it is, finally...

finally!

Random - Splash Woman
Produced by Samik
mixed and mastered by Storyville @ Deepscene Studios


hear here:
Myspace

own here:

My message Board (exclusive section)



enjoy everywhere ;D


pass on!



but bring them here first...lol


splash.

Happy Blue Year.

I just landed in Phoenix and was very happy to see and feel 70 degree weather. I got a lot of work done on Mega Ran 9, in fact about 65% of it is done. I have a few last minute entries on the beat side of things that are making me rethink a few songs.

one that is definitely done is Megalude 9. if you remember on the first Mega Ran, there was an instrumental interlude... so this one will also have that.

here it is; sampled from Wily Stage 3 and played by Vince "The Rocket Scientist."

Get a writer's credit for Mega Ran 9.

I used to love those 'choose your own adventure' storybooks when i was young...

so I'm offering you guys a chance to help out and make this Mega Ran 9 album extra special.

join the discussion here: The Random Hip Hop Board


and read the current story so far. then, add your 2 cents.

no matter how silly or crazy, i'll consider it... just dont say he meets Mario or something ridiculous.

My Capcom-Unity blog isnt letting me log in, so the good news is that this place will be updated more often.
I'm out in Philly with the peeps, freezing...

got a show tomorrow with Chief Kamachi, havent seen him rock in at least 2 years.

so, join me at the forum so we can make Mega Ran 9 THE BEST RANDOM ALBUM YET.

Peace.


join the discussion here: The Random Hip Hop Board

Aki Con FTW.

first year con.

an hour away from the city.

crappy weather...


a recipe for disaster, right?

BZZZT! WRONG!

I had a BLAST at Aki-Con. great staff, friendly con-goers.. and I felt like a celebrity there.


but it started off a little worrisome...

I arrived in Seattle at the airport with no clue on my travel arrangements to the hotel...we just hadn't discussed it. I thought about renting a car until I saw a shuttle service that would get me to the Hotel for $30.

so I did it.
little did I know, the con chair's family was waiting for me at the exit, but with nothing to go on, we missed each other...

problem was fixed when I got back, because they were nice enough to reimburse me for the shuttle.
I get there and there's a full itinerary for me.. so for the weekend I:

judged a dance contest
judged a karaoke contest
judged a swimsuit contest (I volunteered for that one)

in addition to performing and stuff.

So on Saturday, I was determined to do some sightseeing... and did.

traveled to the Seattle Center, where the Space Needle and other things are. took a ride up the Needle and took some pics.

got back to Everett and rested up before the performance.

RIGHT before the performance, I got a hold of Mr. Marriott, aka DJ PM3, a dope DJ who stays in Seattle. He volunteered to come out and DJ my set, which went well. his friend got some great pics.

Overall, a great time... rainy, but it was a calming rain..plus coming from Phoenix, it's good to see some wet stuff sometime.

highlights
-a plush room to myself
-a full itinerary = no boredom
- Derek: my biggest fan that I never met.

great story: I was talking to Karl Olson, another tatented artist, and a guy came up and asked me 'excuse me, are you Random?' when I said yes, he went ballistic and said I was his hero, and that he plays my music all time for his friends. all I could do is blush. Not sure how superstars can get tired of that...

anyway, during the show, when I got to the grand finale, a little tune called "Grow Up" and I invited Derek onstage to sing along..and it was epic.

Great times. Looking forward to getting back to the North West soon... Sakuracon and PAX, are you listening!?!? :)

Mega Man 9 + Random = Mega Ran 9? Maybe.

Okay, I have an announcement to make.

At first it was funny, even cute to know I was nominated for an award.

But now,



I can't lie, I want to win this Online Hip Hop Award-- and I need the
peoples' help.



I'm about 60 votes out with 5 days to go.

I get asked a lot everyday if I'm gonna make a new Mega Ran album.

So, I'll make a deal with you guys.

IF I WIN...

I promise to record a NEW Mega Ran EP (tentatively it'll be titled
"Mega Ran 9") using only the music from Mega Man 9.



I've been playing Mega Man 9 a lot.. and dying a lot.

but the ideas are already swimming in my head....



Best of all-- it'll be FREE to anyone in the Capcom Music group, the Yahoo! Mega Ran group or members
of my forum:

http://randomhiphop.proboards.com/index. cgi

FREE!!

So, all you have to do is vote for the next 4 days, right here:



http://onlinehiphopawards.com/index.php?page=nominee&nomination_id=1761



And help Mega Ran get into office, and I'll show the love right back.


I haven't even announced this to the world yet, and not sure if I will.

BUT-- You're the first to know.

what are you gonna do with the knowledge? and the power?

let MC guns-hoes-and- drugs win the award?



NO!



you need substance...style..Mega Ran.



you're gonna make the right choice....right?



http://onlinehiphop awards.com/ index.php? page=nominee& nomination_ id=1761

There were some weird issues preventing me from getting the votes I
needed yesterday (dimpled chads or something), but they seem to be resolved.



60 votes, 4 days... lets do this.




remember-- I win, you win.. WE Win.

now tell someone!!










I'm Random and I approve this message.



thanks!!!



again:

get on Board.

Why join the Random hip hop board??

you'll get:

exclusive links to unreleased Random and Mega Ran tracks:

news and updates on Ran and RAHM Nation first

to rant and rave about your favorite and least favorite stuff

to chat with me! whenever!!

get on board.

http://randomhiphop.proboards.com/index.cgi

This week's bonuses

- a never before heard Random track
- new exclusive beats from DN3
- Scribble Jam battle footage
- video footage from Zia Las Vegas


yeah!

so get in there.

http://randomhiphop.proboards.com/index.cgi

Big Ran at Scribble Jam

What up... wild weekend in RanLand:

I entered the Scribble Jam preliminaries in Phoenix this weekend, just for the heck of it... and WOW! I won!

best part about that is that my homie Storyville won the NY Prelims so we'll be meeting up in OH at the end of the month.

but I knew there was a reason why I had never entered an MC Battle before...

rappers have egos..but at the same time they get super sensitive when they lose.

So I had a problem arise out of one of the non-winners of the contest asking me for a rematch in the parking lot, and me not being interested.

This leads to some internet thuggery, of course.



So do I have my first rap beef? let's hope not.

Common Sense meets Random Thought. In a Blender.

This Saturday.








On newsstands now!

:-)

This time, I'M asking the questions....

In my quest to make "the 8th day" album an experience, I needed good music, so I got with good producers and emcees. Then, I needed great artwork, so I got with Kasey.
so for everyone who has complimented the artwork, thank you...but you have this
man to thank. So I decided to interview the man himself responsible for it,
Kasey Moore. In addition to being an incredibly talented graphic designer, he
also is a huge hip-hop head, with quite an impressive list of clientele.

so if you're looking for some great work, check him out...

and now... the interview...


1. how long have you been doing graphic design?

I've been designing for about 8 years... or
at least what I like to think of as design. I've been
professionally designing for a little over two (I
don't know if college counts)


2. any big projects?

I don't know if you have heard of Random's
new album, The 8th Day, but I did that... ha. I have
also done some big projects for Miller Lite (they are
the main client I work on), but have dabbled into
Samsung, Sara Lee and Pur Water Filters.



3. What inspired you to come up with "The 8th Day"
artwork?

When Random told me his idea it kind made a
spark. I didn't follow what exactly he was asking for,
but I understood the theme and feel that he was
looking for. I started thinking about the idea of new
beginnings and the whole idea of starting over. To me
a good way of representing that was with a kind of
dystopian feel where this new life was emerging from
the destruction (aka the flower).


4. have you heard the album? what's your favorite
track?

Why yes I have heard the album and I am
absolutely proud to be even a little part of it.
Obviously there is more than one song that I'm really
feeling, I can't decide which I like the best... I can
narrow it down to two. Placebo is amazing. The theme
of the song in general is what really does it for me.
I think it really talks to an issue that's going on in
this country that needs to be confronted, not to
mention the hook that caught my attention immediately.
I am also really into Fastlane. I just love the flow
of the song and the way Random can sound so one with
the beat. The man knows what he is doing.



5. have you done album covers before? if so,who?

I have never done an album cover for an actual artist,
but in college I did my senior thesis on hip-hip cover
design where I created 10 different album covers for
some of my favorite artists. The whole thing was
directed towards independent artists and reasoning for
having well designed albums, but that's for another
interview.

6. What made you take on this job?

Well, I first heard of Random from the Megaran album
(which blew my mind) and then from there on I listened
to whatever I could from him. Album design has always
been my passion, so when Random presented me with the
opportunity I took it. I'm always willing to do what I
can for somebody that is actually making intelligent
music that doesn't have to do with nursery worthy
rhymes and bling.

7. How was it working with Random? (feel free to be
honest!)

It was great. Random was very receptive to
my ideas and understood what I was trying to do. I
appreciate that he allowed me to have creative freedom
on his album.

8. what do you do when you're not doing graphic
design? any family?

I have the normal family stuff. Parents and siblings,
no wife or kids... I need to stay young for a little
while longer. When I'm not doing graphic design, and
well even when I'm doing design I'm buying and
listening to music as much as possible... it's kind of
a problem. My girlfriend would probably tell you that
I'm playing 360 too much, but can you really play too
many video games?



9. Who are you listening to these days?
Hmmmmm.
Great question. Well, not to kiss too much ass
but Random's up there on my list. I'm really feeling
Murs and all the Living Legends for that matter. Let's
see I love M.F. Doom even though he has been a hiatus
as of late. One.Be.Lo is amazing (I'm originally from
Michigan so I'm a little partial). Ok I'm taking too
long so Chromeo, Ed O.G. (old and new), J Dilla (RIP),
Eyedea and Abilities, and Hanger 18... I want to name
more but that would be annoying.



10. How can people who are interested get in touch
with you?


Drop me an email at lyricalholix@yahoo.com. Working on
a website, but it's not fully functional yet (I hope
someone gets that reference).

Thanks!

08.08.08.08.08.08.08.08....

well, happy new year to you. August 8, 2008 is an important date for
many reasons, one being the Olympics starting today, and another that 9000 couples are getting married...

but also because
my new album "The 8th Day" is now available. Some of you might have
gotten it early, and I appreciate your feedback on it. The Special
Editions are not quite sold out yet, (70 sold, so 18 more of those are
available!) after that you'll have to get the standard edition, which
is actually FAR from standard...because it includes:

-different liner notes

-an added bonus track "New and Improved" produced by DN3

-a lower price....just $8.88!

now can ya beat that?? nah, you can't.


and of course with both, you get a free download link to DN3's jazz
album.

Enjoy the music and take care.

take a look at 'em:


Deluxe Version:
http://kunaki.com/sales.asp?PID=PX00ZRH9QY


Standard Version:
http://kunaki.com/sales.asp?PID=PX00ZOK554


info here:

Press:

http://i-newswire.com/pr191479.html



(I-Newswire) - Mega Ran blasts toward "The 8th Day" on 08.08.08



Philly-born, Phoenix resident emcee and teacher Random ( aka Random
Beats, Mega Ran ) is prepared to release his newest album, the
conceptual project "The 8th Day" on August 8, 2008.



"The number 8 is the number of new beginnings; therefore I wanted to
release a special project on that day, talking about new beginnings.
Also, turning an 8 sideways will make the symbol for infinity, so I
feel this album will also make a statement that hip-hop will live
forever, in some form or fashion."


The album includes guest appearances by LMNO of the Visionaries,
Naledge of Kidz in the Hall, nerdcore hero MC Frontalot and more.
Production will be handled by Samik ( "Raze The Bar," G-Unit, Ruff
Ryders projects ), DN3 ( executive producer of "The Call" and "Mega
Ran" ), Storyville and more.

Singles "Exhale" feat. Naledge and "On the Wall" are currently in
rotation.

In a move that can only be described as Random, "The 8th Day" will
contain 8 tracks, which are actually 16 songs. Each track will include
2 songs in one, containing two different takes on one concept.


Random's past albums "The Call" and "Mega Ran" continue to rack up
huge accolades, garnering rave reviews from press outlets and leading
to feature articles in Wired Magazine, Complex Magazine, Exclaim! and
Blender Magazine. He has recently wrapped up a national tour, hitting
cities up and down both coasts.


The 8th Day will hit stores and digital retailers on August 8th, 2008.

Pre-Orders are now being taken at Random's myspace site,
www.myspace.com/random215, and at the email address given. Those who
pre-order will get a free copy of co-executive producer DN3's
experimental jazz album.
###

RAHM Nation, LLC
Philadelphia, PA 19104
thecall@rahmnation.org



let the games begin!!