It was pretty random when I got a message from my pal, hip hop recording artist Random a.k.a. Mega Ran, asking if I knew anything about making trading cards that looked like the ones from the early 1990s.
Turns out… Yeah! I can do that.
We went back-and-forth about what to include on this, and what was probably legal, for a little bit over the fall. And Ran just put these up for sale on his shop a couple of days ago. You can get them here:
https://random.bandcamp.com/merch/mega-ran-series-3-cards
But hurry, because a very limited number were printed!
And while you’re at it, you can check out some of his music: https://random.bandcamp.com/music
Ran’s pretty prolific, so here are some of my favorites:
Mega Ran (2007) — Raps over the music of classic Mega Man video games. The “Metal Man” track featuring The Megas is pretty rad.
Mega Ran 9 (2009) — Raps over the music of the then-newly-released Mega Man 9. “Splash Woman.”
Mega Ran 10 (2011) — …And Mega Man 10. Maybe my favorite overall of the Mega Man-inspired albums. “Lookin’ Up,” “Bassnium,” “Pump it Up!,” and “Easy Mode” all get me going.
River City Random (2012) — Inspired by River City Ransom, the U.S. version of Kunio-Kun. All of the tracks are great, but the tune behind “Sock Hop” really stand out.
Castlevania: The Nocturnal Cantata (2013) — Inspired by Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. This is more of a whole rap opera, following Alucard, Richter, and Maria as they go through the story of the game.
TRAP (Television and Radio Are Poison) (2013) — This one’s not about video games. It’s all real shit. “Black Bags” is a standout.
PRIME (2022) — I mean, c’mon. This is me.
That’s too much info. Just go listen to Mega Ran and buy a card.