It’s been a few years since Philly emcee Random first introduced his alter ego, Mega Ran, based on the classic video game series Mega Man. Mega Ran 10 is based on the latest game in this series, but that’s really just the starting point for the album. Using samples from the game’s soundtrack to create his sound, Mega Ran been embraced by the nerdcore scene. However, he’s managed to take this extremely nerdy premise and make hip hop that appeals to a much wider fan base, thanks to some inventive production and lyrics that transcend the original premise.

What makes Mega Ran 10 a real success is that Ran managed to walk the fine line between being very nerdy and being very accessible. Video game nerds will definitely be able to geek about to the samples from the original Mega Man soundtrack and references to plot points in the game. That’s just the starting point for Ran, though, as he worked with a slew of producers, including his usual collaborator K-Murdock, to take these old school 8 bit melodies and transform them into some really funky beats. There are a few songs that really stretch the boundaries of the album and take it in interesting directions, namely the instrumental track “MegaLude 10” featuring Motherpluckin’ B, which translates the Mega Man music to sound like early ‘70s prog rock, and the heavy guitar riffs of “Bassnium.” We also get a wide variety of hip hop styles, from new school West Coast beats to early ‘90s R&B/hip hop to Dirty South. There are plenty of songs that you could bump on your car speakers and drive around the neighborhood that would have people nodding their heads well before they caught on to any Mega Man samples. That is to say, with Mega Man 10, Ran has developed his sound to a point where it’s not just a novelty of source material. There is some excellent hip hop production happening here.

The other side that makes Mega Ran 10 special is that Ran is a very talented emcee. He is able to spin video game tales into personal stories that makes the themes transcend their source material, all while throwing in some really clever wordplay. He doesn’t stay in the within the Mega Man text for the entire album, though. “Pump It Up!” with Adam WarRock is a party/battle jam with two emcees with great chemistry trading verses. “Now Hiring” with Open Mike Eagle does a great job of relating the frustrations of being a DIY artist, with a chorus declaring “I need a manager!” This song in particular helps us relate to Ran on a personal level, making the connection to the album more intimate.

Weaving together all these elements into a coherent listening experience is no small task, but Mega Ran delivers the goods. In lesser hands a project like this could just be a novelty, but Mega Ran 10 mixes escapist fantasies with real life problems, 8 bit video game samples with bangin’ hip hop beats. This is a great example of just how good nerdcore can be.