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Dream Master A Memoir
“Dream Master” chronicles Raheem “Mega Ran” Jarbo’s unbelievable quest to boldly go where no one has gone before. From its humble beginnings in Philadelphia to the world of academia to performing on stages all over the planet, Mega Ran’s journey is tightly woven through his unique relationship with hip-hop and pop culture media. This testament to self-love and perseverance ultimately culminates in London with the receipt of a Guinness World Record.
234 pages, Hardcover
Published December 11, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 11, 2021
I actually got to meet Mega Ran at a show in Colorado back in... I think it was 2018. It was kind of a dive bar/grill kinda place, but fans packed the place wall to wall and it was a fantastic time. I got to talk to him for a few minutes before the show kicked off at the merch stand, and he just seems like a stand up dude. I had a great time chatting about games, music, and just general stuff for a bit. A lot of times that's not the case with celebrities and such, so I'm glad. It's awesome, and that character is on display in this book.
Saying the above, I feel a bit bad initially regarding this book. When I got the email in mid-January that Mega Ran was releasing a memoir book my first thought was "aw man, COVID-19 has my dude hustling." I dismissed it initially, and I shouldn't have. After a few days curiosity got the better of me and I looked it up on Amazon and read the excerpt and was immediately hooked. I bought it immediately and queued it up next on my "to read" list.
So I apologize. I was wrong.
Ran has never been anything but real, and even if things are tough and touring is down of late with COVID and everything, this is not a cash grab or a rushed product. This is an excellent book, and I feel bad for jumping to conclusions.
With that out of the way, this is basically the history of Ran, from his early school days, life in Philly, through high school and college, teaching, rapping, traveling the country and later the world, and just telling interesting anecdotes of all the good and bad that happened throughout his life that made him the TeacherRapperHero he is today.
A lot of the early book hit close to home for me, both with locale and music, as I grew up in Philly, and I'm only a bit younger than Ran himself, so I remember quite a lot of what he wrote about personally.
Most importantly for me was all the background that went into a lot of the songs, both as Random and as Mega Ran, and I jammed my way through the book, listening to a lot of the tracks and albums as they got mentioned. It was a great experience.
I was sad to find out that "Mighty" got panned the way it did. I know the game was a flop but it's honestly one of my favorite tracks on Ran's enormous discography. Also was a bit sad to hear he regretted doing the 8-bit anniversary of "The Call." I actually like that one, though I'll admit the originals are better. Also was a bit surprised there wasn't any mention of River City Random. I get it, he's got a huge discography. But he made a whole album on River City Ransom and it's fantastic.
All told too, it hit a personal note when he talked about a lot of the bigotry he encountered on the road late in the book. I'm white and pale as can be so I can't pretend to fully understand, but having grown up with almost nothing but minorities as friends in elementary through high school, and married to a black woman for nearly 15 years, I've seen some of this stuff first hand, and have even had to cut ties and estrange myself from family over bigoted behavior, and I hate that America is still like this even today.
Also, he's right about the food. It's damn hard to find a decent cheesesteak outside the Northeast Tri-State area.
This is a five star book for sure, and I absolutely loved learning some more about one of my favorite artists and the history and inspiration behind his music.
Saying the above, I feel a bit bad initially regarding this book. When I got the email in mid-January that Mega Ran was releasing a memoir book my first thought was "aw man, COVID-19 has my dude hustling." I dismissed it initially, and I shouldn't have. After a few days curiosity got the better of me and I looked it up on Amazon and read the excerpt and was immediately hooked. I bought it immediately and queued it up next on my "to read" list.
So I apologize. I was wrong.
Ran has never been anything but real, and even if things are tough and touring is down of late with COVID and everything, this is not a cash grab or a rushed product. This is an excellent book, and I feel bad for jumping to conclusions.
With that out of the way, this is basically the history of Ran, from his early school days, life in Philly, through high school and college, teaching, rapping, traveling the country and later the world, and just telling interesting anecdotes of all the good and bad that happened throughout his life that made him the TeacherRapperHero he is today.
A lot of the early book hit close to home for me, both with locale and music, as I grew up in Philly, and I'm only a bit younger than Ran himself, so I remember quite a lot of what he wrote about personally.
Most importantly for me was all the background that went into a lot of the songs, both as Random and as Mega Ran, and I jammed my way through the book, listening to a lot of the tracks and albums as they got mentioned. It was a great experience.
I was sad to find out that "Mighty" got panned the way it did. I know the game was a flop but it's honestly one of my favorite tracks on Ran's enormous discography. Also was a bit sad to hear he regretted doing the 8-bit anniversary of "The Call." I actually like that one, though I'll admit the originals are better. Also was a bit surprised there wasn't any mention of River City Random. I get it, he's got a huge discography. But he made a whole album on River City Ransom and it's fantastic.
All told too, it hit a personal note when he talked about a lot of the bigotry he encountered on the road late in the book. I'm white and pale as can be so I can't pretend to fully understand, but having grown up with almost nothing but minorities as friends in elementary through high school, and married to a black woman for nearly 15 years, I've seen some of this stuff first hand, and have even had to cut ties and estrange myself from family over bigoted behavior, and I hate that America is still like this even today.
Also, he's right about the food. It's damn hard to find a decent cheesesteak outside the Northeast Tri-State area.
This is a five star book for sure, and I absolutely loved learning some more about one of my favorite artists and the history and inspiration behind his music.
June 17, 2022
Mega Ran is one of my favorite musicians and I enjoyed his memoir as much as I enjoy his raps. I am drawn to Mega Ran's passion, knowledge, humor and thoughtfulness. I admire his bravery in forging a career as an independent artist so he can create meaningful art.
February 23, 2021
I have met Ran, i expected to give this 5 stars. I am super glad i purchased this because it did not disappoint.
December 25, 2025
I knew Mega was a great rapper because of his music, but because of his book I know he's an even better human being. Great book about the journey of a great dude.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews