VIBE x Rap Genius Present: Meek Mill's 10 Hottest Lines From 'Dreams And Nightmares'
The debut album by the Maybach Music Group “lieutenant,” Dreams and Nightmares, is a hardcore, headstrong look into the split between hood dreams and harsh realities. With Meek Mill's last project, Dreamchasers 2, pulling in a mindblowing 3,683,798 downloads to date, anticipation for the album is at its peak. Filled with dark imagery of a life on the streets without a father, jail sentences, and a dream of success as a rapper, Dreams and Nightmares greets the real-life struggles of the hustler lifestyle at full force. While Mill's never preaches against the life, his stories are enough to convince anyone to reconsider. Rap Genius presents the Top 10 lines from Meek Mill's Dreams and Nightmares. —Gavin Matthews
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10. Who You're Around
“But it's okay to keep enemies close/As long as you know, just make sure you know who you're around” —Mary J. Blige
While “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” works in theory, letting in the people who try the hardest to ruin your life might not be the best idea. Mary J. Blige, no amateur to scandal and enemies, realizes this issue. While you keep tabs on the most active haters, be sure to watch your own shoulder. Not only will people try to sneak up when you are distracted, but people within your own circle may be looking for a come up.
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9. In God We Trust
“I seen grown men cry, grown men die, for the love of that money/In God we trust!” —Meek Mill
The truth of the streets is that cash rules everything. The only way to get out of the struggle is to take advantage of it, capitalizing on drugs, music, or theft to have enough to leave. Mill is no stranger to that life, serving jail sentences and growing up beside death. Using the “In God We Trust” found on every coin and dollar in the US, Mill tells a story of the hood in two lines. While we trust God to lead us out of suffering, we also trust money to be the ultimate goal. The result is a neighborhood filled with people living only to earn, killing friends and relatives for lust of cash. The situation never changes, making this bad investment one destined to cause more death and pain.
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8. Young and Gettin' It
“Okay, your baby mama: I bought that, side chick: I bought that/Main chick: I bought that, and your dream girl just called back” —Meek Mill
Mill's game is so strong that he was able to get your entire love life on his team. Using all of his throwaway money, he “bought” your girlfriend, other girlfriend, and other other girlfriend, using expensive clothes and cars. The kicker is that Meek Mill, with a swagger on full attack, already knows the girl you dream about. Don't even try to challenge him; Milly will run your life.
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7. Rich and Famous
“They call me racked up shawty, she can smell the aura/Had her out in Bora exploring like she was Dora” —Meek Mill
With a net worth clocking in around $2 million (sure to blossom after Dreams and Nightmares reaches airplay), Mill has money to burn and the attitude of a rich man. “Racked Up Shawty” featured on Mill's Dreamchasers 2 and the message is still the same: Mill gives off an “aura” of wealth. When a girl approaches him, she automatically picks up on the traces and jets off on exotic vacations, ending the night with some “exploration” of her own. Kudos for the cartoon namedrop: Dora the Explorer is now forever tainted for the sake of a hot line.
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6. Intro
“When I bought the Rolls Royce they thought it was leased/Then I bought that new Ferrari, hater rest in peace” —Meek Mill
The world of leased exotic cars is bigger than most fans thing: chances are, your favorite rapper is rolling in rented wheels. Meek Mill, however, can afford to cop not only a brand new $328,000 Phantom, but can buy a Ferrari the same year. While all of his haters suspected that Mill was only posing himself as a richer man, he was out living his dreams and spending money. His ability to buy is a nail in the coffin of his critics.
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5. Polo & Shell Tops
“I was out there trying to sell rocks/'Cause I wanted Polo and some shell tops” —Meek Mill
The cash-to-clothes street lifestyle has already been well told by A$AP Rocky, Kanye West, and plenty of other rappers. Yet, Meek Mill is the only one to make the case so directly and passionately. Hustling drugs for money means a chance to buy a new outfit and become a corner king, giving off a vibe of wealth and gaining respect. Mill dealt crack to make enough to afford the then stylish Polo line and shell top Adidas shoes, signs of status that promised more chances for wealth. The truth is blunt, but the fact remains that this loop is real life.
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4. Young Kings
“Just rap and take my niggas to places we never been/And when it comes to cake I get it like Entenmann's” —Meek Mill
Street cred for a famous rapper is a hard thing to hold; when you have too many cars and too much cash, a “thug” image is impossible to maintain. What helps is name dropping convenience store favorites, a nod back to the days in Philadelphia that puts Mill squarely back in his home. Entenmann's cakes are mass produced pastries that can be found in every store and cost almost nothing. When Mill goes to get cash and cocaine, the world is his corner market and everything comes easy. With his money firm and career set, all he looks to now is taking his crew around the world and into the dream life outside of the hood.
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3. Burn
“Maybach with Ricky Ross my chain rock like I know Jigga/That's cause I do, hoe” —Meek Mill
“Burn” first featured on Dreamchasers 2 and was an instant radio hit; thankfully, “Burn” contains some of the best wordplay of Dreams and Nightmares. A star of Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group, Mill has adopted the big chain image of the other members, and, with an already massive fortune, can afford a flashy chain full of diamonds and not blink an eye. His “rocking” chain is on the level of a rap boss like Jay-Z, a purchase that his critics were quick to judge. However, Mill actually knows Jay-Z and can rap beside the greats. The wordplay on “rock/Roc” refers back to Hova's Roc Nation record label and ties the whole line together.
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2. Maybach Curtains
“My liquid money's a hynotist to your Mrs/Lay back like I'm in the chair of a dentist/Nasir relentless, a freak like Prince is” —Nas
Leave it to Nas, already on fire after a year of excellent features and the widely successful Life is Good, to mellow out Mill's decidedly more aggressive rapping. Using his “thug seduction” to hypnotize your girl, Nas is like a new Prince, known for songs full of sexual innuendo. With cash to burn, Nas can let dollars run like water and lead your girl back to his bed. Playing off of the “Maybach” name, a car famous for its high cost, luxury, and reclining back seats, all Nas has to do is sit back as if in a dentist's chair and watch the game come to him.
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1. Traumatized
“My hammer sing murda music, I'll let you listen to death/I'll have you walk with the reaper when hollows rip through your chest/'Cause if you throw 'em I throw back like Mitchell & Ness” —Meek Mill
“Traumatized” is a beast of a ballad, one of Mill's best tracks to date and a silent star of Dreams and Nightmares. At only 5, Mill's father was gunned down in an unsolved murder. Carrying the bullet destined for his father's real life killer, Mill holds his “hammer” to sing the song of revenge. Playing on the murder imagery, Mill fires off hollow-tip bullets that sound like “hallows,” mixing with “reaper” to continue the vicious plan. Capping of the already hot line is a nod to throwback jersey manufacturer Mitchell & Ness, signaling Mill's willingness to fire back in place of his father. Make no mistake: Meek Mill may be on the road to incredible success, but he still holds one bullet at all times.
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