The Witzard

Rob Kovacs (CREDIT: J. Bartholomew) We first came into contact with Rob Kovacs very recently, as he was one of the primary driving forces behind Mega Ran & K-Murdock (Bits & Rhymes') Forever Famicom: Diamond Edition . Essentially, a re-mixed, re-mastered, re-released 10th anniversary edition of Bits & Rhymes' 2010 collaborative debut, Forever Famicom. For this Diamond Edition re-issue, EVERY in-game sample was meticulously and pain-stakingly re-played by the talented pianist Rob "88bit" Kovacs. Yes, Kovacs moonlights as 88bit, a project wherein he frequently re-plays and re-interprets popular Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in-game soundtracks note-for-note across his ivory keys. Rob Kovacs is a multi-talented recording artist, professional pianist, award-winning composer, and singer-songwriter. He toured and released one record with the piano-based trio, Return of Simple, and started the Indie Rock band, Math + Logic , before embarking on a solo ca...

Tribute to George Floyd for @mic By: Dewey Bryan Saunders (@deweysaunders) This is a very rare occasion, but I'm at a loss for words... but, in all seriousness, these are very strange, upsetting, and uncertain times. Not only re we all grappling with separation anxiety, cabin fever, Fear of Missing Out (FOMO,) and extreme uncertainty amidst this global COVID-19/Coronavirus Pandemic, but, as you may have seen on the news, we're dealing with a whole other crisis now, as well: racial injustice. We're in no position to speak on behalf of The Black & Brown Communities, but anyone who was raised with any sense of morals, values, etc. knows whats going on right now across The United States, and, I'm assuming across the whole world everyday, is completely unjust and wrong. No one deserves to die based solely on their race, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ideals and values, etc. and we, as an entity, stand in solidarity with The Black & Brown Communities. Today...

"20 years to the day of the tragic murder of rapper The Notorious B.I.G. Mega Ran offers this heartfelt creative tribute to the man they called Biggie. Ran and producers Fresh Kils & DJ DN3 cleverly re-sample 10 classic B.I.G. bangers, adding new lyrics and perspective to the sounds of the legendary emcee. Narrated by Ran's childhood friend, Notorious R.A.N. revisits the feeling, the rhymes, and the charm of the fallen Hip-Hop hero, while continuing Mega Ran's track record of quality releases," reads an emailed press release sent along with Mega Ran's Biggie tribute mixtape, Notorious R.A.N: Ready to Live. As Ran (formerly Random) states, he's releasing Notorious R.A.N: Ready to Live today on March 9, 2017—the 20th anniversary of Christopher "Biggie" Wallace's tragic murder—with little to no prior press. I believe I first worked with Mega Ran—then, still Random AKA Mega Ran—around the time of his 2010 video game-sampling album, Forever Famic...