★★★★★
Since signing with Maybach Music Group in 2011, Meek Mill has steadily increased his profile through numerous guest features and mixtapes, as well as high-profile contributions to his label's Self Made compilations. Now, the Philly representative is preparing to take his career to the next level with the release of official studio debut Dreams & Nightmares...
- www.djbooth.net
2013-04-02
★★★★★
Release Date: October 30, 2012 Meek Mill owes a lot of his popularity to Rick Ross with the latter signing him to his label, Maybach Music, and collaborating with the Philadelphia based rapper in a plethora of songs and even albums (Self Made, Vol. 1 and Self Made, Vol. 2). However, in terms of success, Meek Mill has done it on his own thanks to his unique and fiery delivery...
- absolutepunk.net
2012-12-06
★★★★★
"Rapper" is a term that doesn't quite fit Robert Williams, the talented Philadelphia MC who performs as Meek Mill. He is a barker, a bellower - an heir to the tradition of Ice Cube, unloading his rhymes in a rat-a-tat staccato assault, at maximum volume. Listeners who know Meek from his Dreamchasers mixtapes and scene-stealing cameos on Maybach Music compilations will recognize the character in the title track on his major-label debut: a braggart with a chip on his shoulder and a knack for...
- www.rollingstone.com
2012-11-09
★★★★★
Just as the title would have you believe, Meek Mill 's Dreams and Nightmares follows the 25-year-old from the nightmarish hard-knocks of his native Philadelphia to the many luxuries of his current post as the most dependable member of Rick Ross's Maybach Music clique. Ascensions like these are presented on seemingly every major-label rap debut, but while Meek isn't strong enough lyrically to totally override such familiarity, he's also got the talent to prevent himself from becoming too mired...
- consequenceofsound.net
2012-11-09
★★★★★
Let's take a moment to frame Meek Mill in a slightly larger context than just his new album, Dreams and Nightmares. Meek Mill is a rapper from Philadelphia who specializes in "going in" in the same way Ray Allen specializes in hitting threes. Since he first appeared on the radar with "Tupac Back," it's been hard to think of him doing much else than the kind of super-hyped shouting that is now his calling card...
- www.prefixmag.com
2012-11-08
★★★★★
No achievement in rap is more romanticized than the classic debut, and for good reason. Rappers only get one shot at making one, after all, and the few who do join the elite company of many of the genre's all-time greats. What artist wouldn't dream of ensuring his legacy in one swift shot? In the age of mixtapes that play like albums, though, "debut" has become an obsolete distinction...
- www.avclub.com
2012-11-06
★★★★★
Maybach Music Group works curiously backwards. 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. But for a group of rappers that want to be "rich forever", they often give their best work away free. Rick Ross's Rich Forever was a mixtape that doubled as his far-and-away best full-length...
- www.popmatters.com
2012-11-05
★★★★★
The breakout star of the generally dreary Maybach Music Group bench, Meek Mill has shown a distinct talent for drawing blood from boilerplate material, a gift brightly displayed on "Tupac Back" and "Ima Boss," two booming singles from last year's Self Made, Vol. 1 compilation. He works the same magic on his debut, Dreams and Nightmares, a big-budget effort that's partially an occasion for MMG's Papa Bear, Rick Ross, to show how massive of a coming-out party he can throw...
- www.slantmagazine.com
2012-10-29
★★★★★
Meek Mill eases into his debut album, Dreams and Nightmares. "I used to pray for times like this, to rhyme like this / So I had to grind like that, to shine like this." At this moment, the "that" isn't important, Mill wants to celebrate where he is now: "I did it without an album / I did s*** with Mariah." Then, cued by the recognisable "M-M-M-M-Maybach Music" drop, the Philadelphia rapper flips a switch, fuming about everything from his work ethic to committing homicides...
- www.bbc.co.uk
2013-04-23