The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

Meek Mill’s dark debut triumphs

Imagine being young and dealing with the murder of several loved ones before having your greatest dreams of success come true.  That same feeling is what Robert Williams, known by his stage name Meek Mill, recalls on his debut album Dreams and Nightmares.

Philadelphia native and Maybach Music Group’s protege released his debut album Dreams and Nightmares on Halloween Day. With a background as a veteran of rap battles and  mixtapes, today, being a mainstream artist, his fans wondered which direction he would lean toward in this album. To the
surprise of many, he blended both sounds of rap battles and mixtapes into an amazing debut.

Meek Mill is known to rap about his success, money, cars and girls, but his secret weapon is rapping about his past and what he witnessed growing up in the streets of Philadelphia and the pain it caused him.

On the first two tracks, Dreams and Nightmares and “In God We Trust” he raps about the joy and importance of being in the position that he is in and his
success; with the beat of the former making a seamless switch from easy to tough midway through the song, and Mill’s flow switches from calm to insane to match it, and it has insured his fans that they were going to enjoy the ride.

With joy comes pain and Mill has the talent to be able to discuss both subjects. “Traumatized” is an open letter to the murderer of his father and an explanation of his desire to seek revenge. He also raps about his aunt being murdered and his friends being in prison. On “Who You’re Around,” featuring R&B diva Mary J. Blige, he raps about disloyalty among friends once he made it big.

Critics questioned if Mill could breakout successfully in the mainstream, but with the release of  Dreams and Nightmares, he most definitely proved that he could. “I don’t really try to focus on what critics say,” Mill said in an interview with MTV News. “The worst thing that critics said is [that] I have a long way to go. I just do what I do for my fans and keep my fans comfortable and happy and just vibe from there.”

The storytelling that goes on throughout the album is what hip-hop is missing. He is able to paint a picture with his words. After a listen to Dreams and Nightmares, his fans will be able to feel closer to him more than they did before because of his vivid details of the nightmares that occurred in the past before his dreams came true.

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