And when he’s rapping of trusting no one, Meek Mill is smart enough to tell these stories himself, without anyone else interfering. Meek Mill often spins stories of betrayal, the catchiest example being “In God We Trust” (as in, “Fortheloveofthemoney, Fortheloveofthemoney”). “You made my mama cry / so when I see you n-, it’s gonna be a homicide,” he spits. And in “Traumatized,” the MC leaps from local stages (where he stood) to the casket (where his loved ones lay), before he weaves a hook of his vengeful intentions, to whoever shot his father. 2,” the sequel to his Dreamchasers rap fable, Meek Mill acts as a street war correspondent, his voice growing shrill as he relays details of an increasingly heating pursuit. The best moments of Dreams And Nightmares - and there are plenty - are when Meek Mill counts his losses, not his riches. Now, here on his proper debut Dreams And Nightmares (out today, October 30), Meek Mill delivers his most personal and promising material yet, only to have its impact diminished by moments that simply serve to fulfill some mainstream-rap-album quota. He rapped to a Rozay chorus in his first hit “Ima Boss” and pissed off a north Philadelphia pastor with his second hit “Amen” (a song in which he praised bottle service and women). Like Nas immediately after Illmatic, though (see: his transformation into Nas Escobar), Meek Mill soon had to face the money-throwing, devil-may-care standards of mainstream hip hop - in the Philly rapper’s case, the standards implemented by Maybach Music Group head Rick Ross. (A choice sample: The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air theme song, as heard in “Philadelphia Born And Raised.”) The rapper spat out his street tales with a squeak in his voice and plenty of urgency -both huge giveaways of just how young, then 23, and inspired by Illmatic he was. #Dreams and nightmares meek mill download album plusAs far as graduations from mixtapes to major-label releases go, this one is still satisfying and a step forward, plus slicked up and pimped out in a way that's entirely Maybach.On his 2010 mixtape Flamerz, Meek Mill proudly boasted of his affiliations to T.I.‘s Grand Hustle label, and his once-humble Philly roots. Blige backing he gets on 'Who Your Around,' but his stories of growing up in the concrete jungle lack insight or angle, as turning to a life of crime is just a way to afford 'Polo & Shell Tops,' because that's the way it goes, and it makes for a damn good hook. He's cocky enough to kick off 'Amen' with 'I just wanna thank God, for all the pretty women he let into my life' and then respectful enough to deserve the rich Mary J. Any shuffle button could do just as well, but sliced off into little bits, this is the glittery gangster feeling, big boss stuff that Ross and Maybach fans expect, delivered with Meek's love of combining Twista fast with Rick Ross force, making him the MVP of the star-studded 'Maybach Curtains' (with Nas, John Legend, and Ross) by sheer force of will and volume. Check how the hooky swagger anthem 'Young & Gettin' It' with Kirko Bangz gives way to the heartbreaking 'Traumatized' without a pause, and while Meek's a strong enough, smart enough, and, most of all, determined enough rapper to make these two sides happen, the album doesn't sort these cuts with even a mixtape's sense of care. Having torn it up on the first two volumes of Maybach Music's Self Made compilations, Philadelphia rapper and former Grand Hustle artist Meek Mill finally busts out on his own on Dreams and Nightmares, an apt title for an album that haphazardly bounces between the two.
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