Raised in the North Philadelphia section of the city with his sister and inspired by his mother and father; who died when he was five, Meek Mill began taking the rap game seriously at the age of 12 after losing a street battle to neighboring rappers. He says his desire to rap grew after watching his uncle Philly hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Nell. While hanging out in his neighborhood, Meek met three guys and formed the group, โBloodHoundz,โ which consisted of Mel Love, Dat Nigga Leel and Young Pooh. The group lasted for fives years and Meek ventured on his own.
With a solo career in tow, Meek became one of Philadelphiaโs hottest underground rap artists on an independent label. In 2007, Meek debuted his Flamerz series, which stands for hottest songs and released his first mix tape, Flamerz 1, which featured the hit single, โIn My Bag.โ
In 2008, Meek debuted the highly anticipated Flamerz 2 โโHottest In Da City,โ which showcased more of his lyrical abilities with the singles, โSo Fly,โ โProlli,โ and โHottest In Da City.โ Upon release of Flamerz 2, it caught the attention of founder and President of 215Aphillyated Records, Charlie Mack. Mack was immediately impressed with Meek that he signed him to his management company. During the same year, he met the founder and owner of Grand Hustle, TI. TI was impressed with his lyrical ability that he offered him an opportunity to travel to Los Angeles to meet with him along with the Warner Brothers Records, within one week both record companies offered him a deal. Meek was overwhelmed by the offers; however, he felt collaborating with TI was an opportunity of a lifetime and chose his label. An ecstatic Meek was on top of the world; a record deal and the chance to work with one of hip hopโs greatest rappers and then a set back occurred. He was arrested, charged with a crime and order to serve seven months in jail.
Meek pre-released three singles from his third mix tape Flamerz 2.5 โ โThe Previewโ in August of 2009, which featured the chart topping hits, โMake โEm Say,โ โImma Da Ish,โ featuring Ms. Jade and โStarting Something,โ in honor Michael Jackson. Within the first two weeks of its release, Clear Channel added it to their play list, which is an anomaly in the music business. In June of 2009, Meek began immediately working on his freshman album โ Flamerz 3, โHottest In America โ Gangster Grill Edition,โ hosted by DJ Drama and featuring the songs: โBaby Girl,โ โHottest In America,โ and โIโm Killinem.โ The highly anticipated cd is set to be released on January 19, 2010. Despite his stint in jail, Meekโs fans remained loyal, he currently boasts of 13 million hits on My Space and 20 million viewers on You Tube. Meek Mill has recently just signed to Rick Ross's Maybach Music Group.
In the future, Meek plans to establish the Meek Mill Foundation, which will mentor young males between the ages of 12-24 on the importance of โEducation over Incarceration.โ He gives a shoutout to the next artist coming up named shizz.. He also plans to collaborate with United Community Action Network and the Lifers of Graterford Prison to address the violence plaguing our cities. To learn more about Meek, you can visit the official website: www.meekmillflamerz.com and for bookings or shows, you can call Charlie Mack at 215-910-4675 or e-mail: firstoutdalimo@aol.com.
2015 - BEEF WITH DRAKE
In July 2015 Meek attempted to air out Drake for "not writing his own raps" via popular social media site Twitter. These tweets resulted in a huge reaction from the hip hop community, however, the stunt went awry when Drake (Aubrey Graham) decided to respond. Drake released the diss track "Charged Up" during an Apple Music stream and an immediate response from Meek was demanded. Funkmaster Flex announced he would debut Meek's response live on Hot97. However, the track never came. After four days there was still no sign of a response from Meek, prompting Drake to release a second diss track "Back To Back." The response to this was huge and a harsh blow to Meek's career. Two days later Meek finally released "Wanna Know." This track received largely negative reviews and it was clear to most that Drake had won the beef. On August 2nd at the annual OVOfest, Drake truly roasted Meek Mill; performing "Back To Back" in front of various memes poking fun at Meek to a raucous Toronto crowd. Many fans believed this to be the nail in the coffin spelling the end for Meek's career.
Faded Too Long
Meek Mill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
See when I do joints like this
I do it for the youngin' in the ghetto
That... Never hear story 'cause he gonna make it to say
See you know what's crazy
I want to court all the day the da say she hate me
How you gonna hate me when me and Lu just took twenty racks
And put coast on them kids back
[Verse]
Twenty-four how could I ask for more
I got my deal it's getting real I'm making cash for sure
Stuntin every chance I get because I had it poor
But every time I go to sleep I hear the devil at my door
And I'm on them papers so them courts I'm going back and forth
Dealing with probation man they all said I'll be back for sure
Mommies turn to zombies from that raw because it's crack the law
You wonder why them babies running crazy steady clapping off
Getting life before they get pussy
Cuz ain't nobody love 'em so they lives get tooken
Locked in cages have 'em fighting over cookies
And lunch trays, just happy them days ain't never kill me
Yea I remember, it was a hot December
N-ggas dieing top of winter cuz them kids need them toys
But Santa Claus don't see the boys or see them girls around here
There's jack boys downstairs
No man with the big bag just man with the big gat
Tryna take his shit back cuz he feel the world owe him
And his daughter want a Barbie bike for Christmas
He gon show her
That the love is there, no mother there
Just her and little brother there
We wash our pain with Belvedere
And use the drugs they brung us here
We get high to get by, hot dogs no ribies
Where tears drip from red eyes
Where ends don't meet the deadlines
The D. A. Said she hate me but I don't understand
When I just rocked a show in front of fifty thousand fans
I think that bitch racist she probably in The Klan
She take her pain out on me but she probably need a man
I took my mom from public housing, put her in the sticks
We came a long way from welfare and getting W. I. C
That shit just made me hungry and now we getting rich
And all these n-ggas getting sick
I know they wanna get me hit cuz I'm ballin
Yea, cuz I'm ballin
[Outro:]
And bitch say she hate me I f-ck with...
Last night we just came out giving three hundred pay
She was just at the schools to the girls and the boys basketball teams
Why you hate me, you hate me 'cause I'm doing and I'm supposed to
And I'm making more money than you
But bitch you can hate me for that
Let's get it
The song "Faded Too Long" by Meek Mill features lyrics that delve into his experiences and those of the people living in the ghetto. The song starts with Meek Mill talking about how he makes music for young people living in ghettos who do not have many positive role models or examples to follow. He further shares how he and Lu took twenty racks and used it to help children back in the ghetto. The verses are more introspective, focusing on Meek Millโs life experiences, going through the struggle, and dealing with the consequences of being on paper.
In the first verse, Meek Mill speaks about how he has come a long way after getting his deal and making a lot of money since he had nothing before. Despite his success, he still feels the devil knocking on his door every night. He talks about dealing with probation and going back and forth to court. Meek Mill also uses the lyrics to shed light on how drug addiction and poverty have ravaged many people's lives, leaving kids fighting over cookies and lunch trays. The system, which is supposed to help them, has failed them, and that's how they ended up locked up. He reminisces about how people die in the ghetto just when Christmas approaches because they can't buy toys for their kids.
In the second verse, Meek Mill speaks about his struggles and the challenges he faced despite making it big in the music industry. He talks about putting his mom out of the public housing, and they moved to a better place where they don't have to rely on welfare or WI.C. But this has not stopped people from hating on him because of his success. He relates how he still has to deal with the hate and people looking to harm him because he is balling. He ends by saying that he does not understand why the DA hates him, even though he has millions of fans and is doing well for himself.
Line by Line Meaning
See when I do joints like this I do it for the youngin' in the ghetto That... Never hear story 'cause he gonna make it to say
I make music like this for the kid in the hood who people don't expect to make it, so he can be inspired to prove them wrong.
See you know what's crazy I want to court all the day the da say she hate me How you gonna hate me when me and Lu just took twenty racks And put coast on them kids back It's 30 degrees outside
It's crazy that I was in court while we were donating money to kids in need in the middle of winter. The DA hates me for no reason even though I'm actively helping the community.
Twenty-four how could I ask for more I got my deal it's getting real I'm making cash for sure Stuntin every chance I get because I had it poor
I'm only 24 and I'm making more money than I ever thought I could. I like to show off a little because I had a tough upbringing.
But every time I go to sleep I hear the devil at my door And I'm on them papers so them courts I'm going back and forth Dealing with probation man they all said I'll be back for sure
I have a guilty conscience about my past, and I'm constantly dealing with the legal system's consequences. People are convinced I'll end up back in jail.
Mommies turn to zombies from that raw because it's crack the law You wonder why them babies running crazy steady clapping off Getting life before they get pussy Cuz ain't nobody love 'em so they lives get tooken
Mothers turn into drug addicts because the laws punish them more harshly than the real criminals. Kids are growing up too fast and turning to violence because they feel unloved and hopeless.
Locked in cages have 'em fighting over cookies And lunch trays, just happy them days ain't never kill me Yea I remember, it was a hot December N-ggas dieing top of winter cuz them kids need them toys
People are literally killing each other in jail over petty things. I'm grateful that I survived harsh conditions in the past, like when people would die over toys during the holidays.
Where ends don't meet the deadlines The D. A. Said she hate me but I don't understand When I just rocked a show in front of fifty thousand fans I think that bitch racist she probably in The Klan
I'm struggling to make ends meet despite my success, and I don't understand the DA's hatred towards me. I suspect racism is at play.
She take her pain out on me but she probably need a man I took my mom from public housing, put her in the sticks We came a long way from welfare and getting W. I. C That shit just made me hungry and now we getting rich And all these n-ggas getting sick
The DA's harsh treatment of me probably stems from her personal issues, like needing love. I helped my mom escape poverty and welfare and we're now living in a better home. My past struggles only made me more ambitious and now I'm successful while others are envious.
I know they wanna get me hit cuz I'm ballin Yea, cuz I'm ballin
People are trying to harm me because I'm successful and living lavishly.
Why you hate me, you hate me 'cause I'm doing and I'm supposed to And I'm making more money than you But bitch you can hate me for that
People hate me solely because I'm succeeding and making more money than them, and that's okay.
Contributed by Isabella H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Pancho Medina
2023 and it still hits hard brings back good and bad memories
Phan
Itโs 2019...this song was published in 2012 and still speaks volumes. Ima let that sink in.
Rick M
Almost 2020 and still banging this around Christmas time to remind myself how good life is. Thanks meek, this one a classic.
Luke Powers
Every day is a blessing.
Muhammad Musa
I cry every time I listen to this, you a legend meek
Trill Gawd Thibodeaux
Trillical as n Trill Biblical
Michael Starks
This beat is LITERAL soul music...TRUST. ๐ฅ๐ผ๐ต๐ถ๐ต๐ถ...
Mo Adam
Nearly 10 years later, still ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ
G B
Still a classic 9 Years blew past!
Timothy O'Riley
This is a song I want to play when I get my money up and give back to the people who never had the chance