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, “BloodHoundz,” 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 Philadelphia’s 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, “In My Bag.”
In 2008, Meek debuted the highly anticipated Flamerz 2 –“Hottest In Da City,” which showcased more of his lyrical abilities with the singles, “So Fly,” “Prolli,” and “Hottest In Da City.” 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 hop’s 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 – “The Preview” in August of 2009, which featured the chart topping hits, “Make ‘Em Say,” “Imma Da Ish,” featuring Ms. Jade and “Starting Something,” 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 – Flamerz 3, “Hottest In America – Gangster Grill Edition,” hosted by DJ Drama and featuring the songs: “Baby Girl,” “Hottest In America,” and “I’m Killinem.” The highly anticipated cd is set to be released on January 19, 2010. Despite his stint in jail, Meek’s 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 “Education over Incarceration.” 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.
The Ride
Meek Mill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I do it for the young'n in the ghetto
That you ain't go'n never hear his story cause he ain't gonna make it to tell ya
So you know what's crazy?
I went to court the other day, the D.A. say she hate me
How you gonna hate me when me and Lou just took 20 racks and put coats on them kids back?
It's 30 degrees outside
I got my deals, gettin' real, I'm makin' cash fo' 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 goin' back and forth
Dealing with probation, man they all said I'd come back for sure
Minds is turned to zombies from that raw because it's crack galore
You wonder why them babies runnin' crazy 'steady clappin' off
Gettin' life before they get pussy
Cause ain't nobody love 'em so they lives get took'en
Locked in cages, have 'em fighting over cookies
And lunch trays, just happy them days ain't never killed 'em
Yea I remember, it was a hot December
Niggas die on top of winter, cause them kids need them toys
Well Santa Claus don't see them boys
Or see the girls around here, there's Jack boys down stairs
No man with the big bag just man with the big gat
Try and take your shit back cause he feel the world owe 'em
And his daughter want a Barbie bike for Christmas, he gon' show her
That the love is there, no mother there
Just her little brother there
We wash our pain with Belvedere and use the drugs they brought us here
We get high to get by
Hot dogs more rib buys with tears drip from red eyes
When ends don't meet the dead lines
The D.A. said she hate me but I don't understand
When I just rock the show in front of 50,000 fans
I think that bitch racist, she probably in a clan
She take her pain out on me, but she probably need a man
I took my mind from public housin', put it in the Styx
We came a long way from welfare and gettin' W.I.C
That shit just made me hungry
And now we gettin' rich, and all these niggas gettin' sick
I know they wanna get me hit cause I'm ballin'
Yea, cause I'm ballin'
It's like sometimes I always gotta let these type of joints go man,
Just speakin' to the streets
That bitch said she hate me
I felt some type of way about that
Last night we just came out giving two three hundred pair of shoes to the schools
To the girls and the boys basketball teams
How you hate me?
You hate me cause I'm doin' what I'm suppose to do
And I got that money and I'm making more money than you?
Well, bitch you can hate me for that
Let's get it
The lyrics of Meek Mill's song The Ride speaks about the struggles and hardships of living in poverty in the ghetto. The song speaks to the young black men who have been marginalized and forgotten; those whose stories will never be told because they will never make it out alive. Meek Mill speaks about his personal struggles, including his brushes with the law and his probation issues, which make his future uncertain. Furthermore, Meek Mill talks about his past and how he got there, including his days of drug dealing and the violence that surrounds it. The chorus of the song likens life in poor urban neighborhoods to a ride at an amusement park, hence the title of the song.
However, the song is not just about the harsh realities of life in the ghetto. It is also about hope, resilience, and determination. Meek Mill acknowledges his past mistakes but lets his listeners know that he is striving to be better. He speaks on the success he's achieved through hard work and dedication, even when the system and society seem against him. Meek Mill asserts that he's pushing through the obstacles and succeeding despite the hate and obstacles put in his path.
Line by Line Meaning
See when I do joints like these
I do it for the young'n in the ghetto
That you ain't go'n never hear his story cause he ain't gonna make it to tell ya
Meek Mill creates music for the young people in the ghetto whose stories won't be told because they won't survive long enough to share their experiences with the world.
So you know what's crazy?
I went to court the other day, the D.A. say she hate me
How you gonna hate me when me and Lou just took 20 racks and put coats on them kids back?
It's 30 degrees outside
Meek Mill believes that it's absurd for the District Attorney to hate him given the fact that he and his friend Lou recently spent $20,000 on buying coats for children to keep them warm in the cold weather.
24, how could I ask for more?
I got my deals, gettin' real, I'm makin' cash fo' 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
Despite having made a lot of money through his deals, Meek Mill is still haunted by his past and believes that he's not deserving of the success he's achieved and is fearful of losing it all.
And I'm on them papers so them courts I'm goin' back and forth
Dealing with probation, man they all said I'd come back for sure
Minds is turned to zombies from that raw because it's crack galore
You wonder why them babies runnin' crazy 'steady clappin' off
Meek Mill is on probation and is constantly going back and forth to court. He fears that he'll end up back in prison as everyone expects him to fail. He has also noticed the impact that drugs like crack have had on young children who have no other options or role models to look up to.
Yea I remember, it was a hot December
Niggas die on top of winter, cause them kids need them toys
Well Santa Claus don't see them boys
Or see the girls around here, there's Jack boys down stairs
No man with the big bag just man with the big gat
Try and take your shit back cause he feel the world owe 'em
And his daughter want a Barbie bike for Christmas, he gon' show her
That the love is there, no mother there
Just her little brother there
Meek Mill recalls how many people have died during the holiday season because they couldn't provide gifts for their children. He also discusses the dangerous environment children in his community face where burglars are more likely to break in than Santa. He highlights the struggles of single-parent households and how fathers try to provide for their children in any way possible.
We wash our pain with Belvedere and use the drugs they brought us here
We get high to get by
Hot dogs more rib buys with tears drip from red eyes
When ends don't meet the dead lines
Meek Mill describes how people in his community numb their emotional pain with alcohol and drugs. People also resort to selling drugs to make ends meet because they don't have any other options. He also mentions how people are forced to eat cheap food or go hungry.
The D.A. said she hate me but I don't understand
When I just rock the show in front of 50,000 fans
I think that bitch racist, she probably in a clan
She take her pain out on me, but she probably need a man
Meek Mill thinks that the District Attorney is racist towards him and that her dislike for him could be motivated by her membership in a white supremacist group. He believes that she is unhappy with her life and is taking out her frustrations on him.
I took my mind from public housin', put it in the Styx
We came a long way from welfare and gettin' W.I.C
That shit just made me hungry
And now we gettin' rich, and all these niggas gettin' sick
I know they wanna get me hit cause I'm ballin'
Yea, cause I'm ballin'
Meek Mill has come a long way from living in poverty and is now wealthy. He believes that some people are envious of his success and want to harm him. Despite this, he is proud of his achievements.
It's like sometimes I always gotta let these type of joints go man,
Just speakin' to the streets
That bitch said she hate me
I felt some type of way about that
Last night we just came out giving two three hundred pair of shoes to the schools
To the girls and the boys basketball teams
How you hate me?
You hate me cause I'm doin' what I'm suppose to do
And I got that money and I'm making more money than you?
Well, bitch you can hate me for that
Let's get it
Meek Mill feels the need to speak out to the streets and connect to his community through his music. He talks about giving back to the community through charity work and is puzzled by the District Attorney's hatred towards him despite his good deeds. He believes that he's just fulfilling his responsibilities and that it's natural to be successful as a result. He urges people to embrace his success instead of trying to bring him down.
Contributed by Chloe P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
T. Brown
Yo this will always be that hood classic song that really makes you feel it in your soul, one of his best songs and one of my favorite songs facts 💯
migueljr501
💯💯💯💯💯💯
Hoodlife1800
Real shit bro
Yohannes Aklog
big facts meek the 🐐💯💯💯
Javon Williams
Big facts
David Delgado
Big facts mamita!
lowkeyIbes
JUST ADDED THIS BACK TO MY PLAYLIST. THIS SHIT HIT DIFFERENT WHEN YOU GET OLDER I SWEA 🔥💯
Johnny G
His newer work will never touch his older stuff man he was hungry
HERETOGET PAID
Man I ain't never take it off. All the older shit slap way harder than ALL that 2016+ shit
NWOxMrSix3R
@HERETOGET PAID factsss, I’m 15 and I wish people would just realize these artists were the shit bro, Wayne, meek, prime drake, Yeezy, it’s just sad to see man