Sheesh, Meek Mill has had a tough run of it the past year or so. Granted, he brought a lot of it on himself, but when it rains it pours. Instead of celebrating his most successful release to date he was taking shots from just about every direction and dealing with the legal system at the same time. That’s recipe enough to kill off any artists wave, but he’s managed to weather it all. And after a year of teasing Dreamchasers 4, he finally dropped it and let his music do the talking.
Mixtape Meek will forever be greater than album Meek to me. The structure, or lack thereof, just suit his style best, and it’s where he’s produced some of his best stuff. The production in particular seems to always be better, maybe because there’s no label pressures, but that trend continues here. “On the Regular” is yet another epic intro to one of his projects. The cinematic, Goldberg-esque horns perk you up, then the monstrous combination of bass, kicks, and percussions take you over the edge. It’s fire! “Litty” is another high energy track that has hard knocking bass and a filthy drum loop that’ll definitely have it being run back in the clubs (let the rent money stunting begin). But it’s not all high-tempo and bass, “Blue Notes” is one of my favorite songs off DC4 and the blues guitar playing in the background really takes this one over the top. “Shine” has a large gospel sounding production, complete with choir voices and piano keys, turning it into a victory lap of sorts. There are a few generic beats on the tape though like “The Difference” and “Froze”, but for the most part it has standout production.
“It’s no roof so they can see me shine
Whole city came out just to see me rhyme
Started off in Impalas, now it’s DB9
In the Aston like he James Bond
Who he think he is?”
If you hate Meek Mill’s style of rapping, then Dreamchasers 4 won’t be changing your opinion. He’s still screaming through every lyric, rapping about the streets, and trying to stunt in just about every verse. I personally like Meek, because he does actually have bars, and while at times it sounds like he’s recycling some because of how similar the subject matter is, he does always surprise me every now and then. “Blue Notes” he spits some of the realest lyrics on the whole tape and “Tony Story 3” shows that he can spin a compelling tale when he puts his mind to it. Despite the jokes and memes, at the end of the day Meek Mill really can rap and when he just lets his music speak for itself is when he’s at his best.
“Been through some shit and I’m sick of jail
No disease but I’m sick of cells
Sick and tired of sending niggas mail
Calling niggas just to get a bail
I just seen a nigga get a L
Never coming home, minute on the phone
Sick and tired of seeing niggas fail
Sick and tired of seeing niggas lose
Sinning like we tryna get to hell”
I have to note that everytime I hear Lil Snupe, I can’t help but think what a waste. That kid had ‘it’, and would’ve been something special. It’s dope that Meek gives him shine every chance he can.
Have you heard Dreamchasers 4? What’d you think about it? Do you think it lived up to the hype? Has he done enough to quiet all the critics? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to leave a rating for the album.
