Across a 20-year career, Philadelphia-naive rapper Mega Ran has experienced plenty of high points, from making it into the Guinness Book of World Records to performing at Madison Square Garden.
And now, he can add Grammy nominee to his list of accolades.
“I had some friends telling me, ‘This is probably the biggest thing you’ve done up to this point, right?’ and I’m like, ‘I feel like I say that every couple of years, so yeah, I can say that,’” Mega Ran tells The Pop Break. “And then, we just wait for the next thing – but as of now, this is definitely huge. It’s the top of your field as a musician, it doesn’t really get higher than this outside of, I don’t know, a platinum plaque or the Rock + Roll Hall of Fame, but these things come first, usually, so I’m really excited about being here.”
At the 2026 Grammys, which take place Sunday, Mega Ran is in the running in the category of Best Children’s Music Album for the LP Buddy’s Magic Tree House. It’s the culmination to date of a career pivot into kindie music that began after he and his wife began foster parenting in 2022, eventually adopting a son. He released Buddy’s Magic Toy Box, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard kids music charts, in 2023, followed by Buddy’s Magic Remixes in 2024 and then, in 2025, Buddy’s Magic Tree House.
“It’s the most meaningful, this is the best-case-scenario because this is the album that means the most to me, it’s got the most story behind it,” he said. “And my whole goal in making music is just to make stuff with purpose and have meaning behind it. And this was very purposeful, very meaningful, and it’s a record that will forever be important to me. So, Grammy or not, this will always be the most important record I’ve made. So to get this recognition on top of that is an absolutely extreme almost-miracle.”
The album is an engaging, rewarding and entertaining experience for listeners of all ages, rich with inspirational, affirmational and educational material.
“I just wanted to make the album that young me would be proud of, and that young me would have appreciated having,” he said.
“It’s so much easier said than done to be like, ‘Don’t worry about your friends, you don’t have to chase trends and be like your friends’ when friends groups are everything growing up and peer acceptance is everything,” he explained. “But I think if I could have told myself that ‘None of this really means anything, be the person that you are – be weird, be funny looking, and enjoy that because that’s what makes you special and makes you stand out. Fitting in is easy, standing out is the hard part.’
“That’s the stuff that I never was told growing up and I never would have understood – except maybe if it was in a hip-hop song with a great beat. So that’s really what it was, I just wanted songs that would have helped me when I was young. And so that’s really what it was, I just wanted songs that would have helped me when I was young, and when I write them now – especially songs like ‘Love That Guy’ and ‘Here’s Some Advice’ – those are records where hopefully my kid will literally listen to that and be like, ‘Oh yeah, Dad did say this would happen, he went through this too. People teased him too, what?’ So understanding that they’re not alone in this life is so important. And ultimately I just wanted to make songs that made me smile and brought me a good feeling at the end of the day.”
