Meek Mill debut ‘Dreams and Nightmares’ falls short of the hype

Meek Mill generated buzz when he signed to Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group imprint last year. Now, after releasing two solid mixtapes that added to his hype, Meek Mill has released his first full-length album “Dreams and Nightmares.”

The album’s introduction “Dreams and Nightmares” sets the tone for the album. The track starts off with smooth piano strokes and angelic strings while Mill rhymes, calmly reflecting on his recent success, which gives the listener a sense of comfort. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the instrumental switches up to a more gritty, bass-heavy beat while Mill furiously raps about everything from committing crimes to bragging about his fortunes. Sadly, after this stellar beginning, the album fails to keep consistency.

For the most part, the production on the album is solid, but it’s repetitive. There’s little variation with the production and a lot of the beats sound similar. This lack of variety makes the album quite boring at times.

Meek Mill has never been a very technical rapper. His flows are often repetitive, and his voice is sometimes annoyingly high-pitched. His wordplay is mediocre on tracks like “Lay Up,” where he makes cringe-worthy basketball puns. Also, on the track “Young & Gettin’ It,” Mill’s voice is so loud that it makes his words difficult to bear.

Most of the standout tracks are when Mill tones it down as he does on “Maybach Curtains” with Rick Ross, Nas and John Legend.

Mill also displays his great storytelling skills on “Tony Story Pt. 2” as he continues a story he started in his 2011 mixtape “Dreamchasers,”telling a tale about street violence. Mill also gets personal on tracks like “Polo & Shelltops” and “Traumatized.” In “Polo & Shelltops,” he explains the repercussions of street crimes. In a world of rappers glorying violence and drug trafficking, Mill brings light to a rarely discussed reality. With “Traumatized,” he describes the pain he felt after his father’s murder.

Tracks like these are where the album succeeds, but there’s too few moments like them.

Meek Mill shows potential in his debut, but not enough. “Dreams and Nightmares” will not be remembered as a high point in his career.

Ryan Wright is journalism major from Wichita, KS. Read more from Ryan Wright.

• Updated Jan. 30, 2013 at 12:10 am
• Edited by Christy Khamphilay