Unfortunately, the album loses steam with a quarter of the way to go. Where some rappers coast, Meek's mere existence feels earned. It extends to "Traumatized", a track where Meek addresses his father's killer while illustrating exactly how treacherous his upbringing was for him and those around him. He is as much a truth-teller as lyricist, and this singular viewpoint and delivery have both been carried over from his mixtapes. Struggle and triumph, are palpable and plainly articulated in his music, and it makes the best of Dreams and Nightmares (including "In God We Trust" and "Believe It") feel eminently vital. Sneering talking heads and confused elitists use that struggle as a weapon against the music: How can this music, and these artists, be taken seriously when they brag about throwing money at strippers? The genius of Meek's music is that he embodies, fleshes out, and answers the rapper's dilemma. Rap is often about contradiction, of wanting to stay humble and true while still stunting. It's a track that best distills Meek's singularity hurt oozes from his voice and words, illustrating rap's literal and spiritual roots. On the opening title track, he raps unabated for nearly four minutes, tracing lines from his come-up in Philly to strip clubs in Miami and back, over a beat that morphs into menace halfway through.
His music channels pain, anger, empathy, and glee into a wave that hits immediately and forcefully, especially on the album's first two songs. It is tense and dramatic, with variations of piano constituting the bedrock of the album and Meek rapping passionately even by his own standards. After navigating that push-pull, Meek Mill has emerged with an album that is distinct in both voice and sound and also plays to his strengths. So maybe Dreams and Nightmares is something to celebrate, even though it's imperfect. But this is still a thin line for artists to walk, one so difficult that good-to-great major label rap debuts now feel like a minor miracle. Waka Flocka Flame was smart enough to capitalize on his timing simply by turning a proposed mixtape into a debut album, and, most recently, Kendrick Lamar used his unwavering artistic vision to essentially subvert this game entirely.
Cole have made better, more accessible versions of the early songs that first got them buzz, and Nicki Minaj plays both sides of the field. That’s what everybody loves Meek Mill for.There are exceptions. “The first part is more nostalgic and shows that can really rap, but the second part is Meek Mill. “To this day, nobody would think to play an intro as the hottest hip-hop song in the club until after that record came out,” offers Martin. I didn’t think they was gon’ catch it the way they caught it.” “But you know, that’s why I made that song in that manner.
“I didn’t think would respond to that song like that,” Meek revealed on Hot 97’s Juan Epstein podcast in 2013. The song rang off in clubs and arenas, and instantly became Meek’s go-to outro at every performance he had, showing the wide cultural impact a non-radio single could have in 2010s hip-hop. In 2014, Meek’s on-again/off-again rival Drake tweeted how the song was “one of the best rap moments of our generation.” And in 2018, the Philadelphia Eagles embraced the record as their anthem during their shaky route to the Super Bowl. Meek Mill's 'Dreams and Nightmares' Earned 1.4 Million U.S. Though Meek’s initial attempt didn’t fully wow Ross and company because the song was unfinished, two weeks later, the Philly lyricist had the last laugh at Miami’s Ocean Sky Hotel. “He rapped the first part with the piano for me and Ross at Ross’ studio in Miami… he was like, ‘Then, I’m gonna have Beat Bully change the beat right here, and I’m gonna be like, ‘Hold on, wait a minute, y’all thought I was finished…’ But the beat wasn’t changed yet. “When he first played it, the music was all the same, because Beat Bully did the beat,” recalls Dallas Martin, svp of A&R at Atlantic Records. 86 on the Hot 100, behind the scenes, Meek was readying his sonorous intro “Dreams and Nightmares,” which he knew would serve as his real introduction to the spotlight. Though the AutoTune-tinged record peaked at No. While recording in Miami, he came to relish the city’s club atmosphere and doled out his first Dreams single “Young & Gettin’ It,” featuring Kirko Bangz. Fresh off the success of his acclaimed 2012 mixtape Dreamchasers 2, the 25-year-old Meek looked to graduate into the big league of rap with his first official album under Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group imprint.
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