It’s not uncommon for fatherhood to change the trajectory of a nerdcore artist. The arrival of a new baby compelled MC Lars (along with his wife, Ash Tell Em) to pen a parody song about the rigors of messy diapers, mc chris, released not one but two children’s albums inspired by his kid, and Illbotz’s Stevie D went so far as to start a whole new band with his son.
However, Chip-hop pioneer Mega Ran took a slightly different approach; his latest full-length album, Buddy’s Magic Toy Box, collects a dozen tracks of tuneful advice, encouragement, affirmations, and education tailor-made for his young son. Still, you and yours will find it wonderfully inspiring as well. Priced at $11 for the digital album, $11.99 cassette, $12.99 CD, and $26.99 LP, it’s available on MegaRan’s Bandcamp page. –Z.