![]() Those overdone beats, Rick Ross’s ever-present persona. They also often come with, say, the soulful sampling of the beat on “Traumatized” that shifts away from the MMG-approved, blustery, horror-flick piano runs and banging bass on most of these – and Rick Ross’s, and Wale’s – beats.īut much of the rest of Mill’s yelling, or strident rapping high in the mix, sounds like him trying to simply be heard over the machinations of Maybach Music. These moments give us unique insight, and let Mill turn his clever wordplay towards telling his own story. The best moments of Dreams and Nightmares are the ones that tell us about Mill himself, whether it’s the nostalgia of young crime and hood cred on “Polo and Shell Tops” or the deep loss and regret of “Traumatized”. No one since Ghostface has so perfectly undercut the uber-masculine image of gunplay with the very real fear of death underneath. Later in the record, Mill screams out the gunplay anxiety of “Tony Story Pt. The song builds its anger, and Meek Mill spits long verses, line after blistering line, and you know right away that Mill is, at least here, trying to bring his A-game, separating himself from any laid-back, half-assed rapping with some true skill. Sometimes his shouting is a brilliant turn, as with the on-fire opener “(Intro) Dreams and Nightmares”. It seems necessary for Mill, a guy trying hard to make a name for himself even as he is charged with building the MMG brand at every turn – yes, we do get the woman saying “Maybach Music” tagline more than once here. In fact, the whole record feels ham-handedly strident. So it’s no real surprise that Meek Mill spends a lot of time yelling on this record. It’s a record that proves MMG a conglomerate, a very direct money-making machine, rather than making money through creativity. MEEK MILL DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES 2 PROFESSIONALBut it also feels professional in all the coldest ways. ![]() There are moments of greatness from Mill here, and as a whole it is a well-built record. It’s another safe full-length from the group, the kind of thing that will sell copies but stifles the charm and creativity of the rapper in the spotlight. He’s got the immediate fire of Ross’s carefully regimented rhymes and the intricate flow of Wale’s tricky wordplay, but he manages to sound like neither of his MMG partners.īut if this year’s Dreamchaser 2 showed Meek Mill at the top of his game, Dreams and Nightmares tells a story more about MMG than Mill himself. Mill has given us two great mixtapes, Dreamchasers and Dreamchasers 2, that prove he is as smooth a rapper as there is working today. And then you’ve got Meek Mill, the most curious and unknown rapper of the bunch, which isn’t to say he hasn’t been busy. Wale had a decent sophomore record in Ambition, but the Eleven One Eleven Theory tape was far better. Rick Ross’s Rich Forever was a mixtape that doubled as his far-and-away best full-length. But for a group of rappers that want to be “rich forever”, they often give their best work away free. Head honcho Rick Ross has become, as he claimed he would, a don in today’s hip-hop world, an untouchable hit and tastemaker that has assembled a popular stable of rappers, himself included. MEEK MILL DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES 2 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.Maybach Music Group works curiously backwards. 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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