When Meek Mill jumped into the rap game as a young bull in the mid-2000s and later broke into the mainstream in the early 2010s, he was one of the most passionate young artists on the scene. You could hear it in his voice. The fervor on Flamers 1 through 3 was paplable. The intro track to his debut album, Dreams and Nightmares, deserves to be put in the Library of Congress.
But in the years since then, Meek’s passion has seemingly been replaced with anger. Anger for the music industry. Anger of the judicial system. Anger with the media, rumors and speculation about his personal life. All of which has seemed to consume the Philadelphia rapper, knocking him off his chi.
However, Meek’s new verse on fellow Philly artist Fridayy‘s new song “Proud of Me,” released on Feb. 28, has changed the conversation from jokes and rolled eyes to people wondering if the old Meek is back.
Meek takes on the song with a heartfelt approach about his late father, dissecting the impact of the event on his life.
“Hunnid dollar nightmares turn to million dollar dreams/Ridin’ past the block where my dad got left on the scene,” he raps on the track, which can be heard below. “Look at your lil’ boy now, we done turned to kings/Sh*t turned me a grown man ‘fore I was 17/Had to go and play my own hand, I did this for Nasheema and the whole fam/I got everything, but I just really wanna hold hands with my old man/On wedding day while we slow dance/But ain’t no love, shot him in his heart, ain’t have no chance/So I can’t sleep, ‘somniac, bullet holes out the Pontiac (Brrr)/Swear to God, I’d trade in all these riches to get Robbie back.”
The passionate verse is getting high marks from fans on social media.
“Meek Mill gotta clean slate after dat Fridayy verse OMFG,” one person wrote on X.
“If we’re talking pain rap/music, meek mill is up there with the best ibsr what he did on that fridayy album was very cold,” another person added.
“That Meek Mill verse on Fridayy album,” someone else captioned a GIF of Vince McMahon crying. “Welcome back Meek from Diddy’s chamber.”
OK, some Diddy jokes persist. But you get the point. Meek seems to have captured another memorable moment with the new verse. A moment fans have been waiting on for a while.
The collaboration is not a first for Meek and Fridayy. They also joined forces on the track “Don’t Give Up on Me” in 2022. Fridayy recently named Meek as one of his inspirations while growing up in the City of Brotherly Love.
Amid the social media jokes and recent online spats, Meek has been clamoring for respect. ’Nuff respect is due following his memorable display on “Proud of Me.”
