What's Free
Meek Mill Lyrics


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You know what free is nigga?

What's free?
Free is when nobody else could tell us what to be
Free is when the TV ain't controllin' what we see
Told my niggas "I need you"
Through all the fame you know I stay true
Pray my niggas stay free
Made a few mistakes but this ain't where I wanna be
Before I'm judged by 12, put a 12 on my V
Told my niggas, "I need you"
Stay up I know these times ain't true
Real life, what's free

Since a lad, I was cunning
Just got a pad out in London
I keep stackin' my money, I need a ladder by summer
AK shots, niggas duckin' stray shots
Been a Top Dawg, that's before the K.Dots
Crackin' in '06, immaculate showmanship
Talkin' like you Mitch, disastrous on the strip
Holdin' on your bitch, coulda never sold you a brick
With them people you never been on a list
Mona Lisa to me ain't nothin' but a bitch
Hanging pictures like niggas swinging from his dick
We so different you thought these didn't exist
The Megalodon never seen on his wrist
I'm from the South where they never make it this rich
God is the greatest, but Satan been on his shit
Walkin' the pavement, I pray I'm illuminated
Over a decade and never nobody's favorite
Pot and kilo go hand in hand like we Gamble and Huff
My amigo, a million grams and we countin' 'em up
You was dead broke, I let you hold a pack
You paid for it, but I fucked around and stole the track
Screaming "gang gang" now you wanna rap
Racketeering charges caught him on a tap
Lookin' for a bond, lawyers wanna tax
Purple hair got them faggots on your back

What's free?
Free is when nobody else could tell us what to be
Free is when the TV ain't controlling what we see
Told my niggas "I need you"
Through all the fame you know I stay true
Pray my niggas stay free
Made a few mistakes but this ain't where I wanna be
Before I'm judged by 12, put a 12 on my V
Told my niggas "I need you"
Stay up I know these times ain't true
Real life, what's free?

Fed investigations, heard they plottin' like I trap
20 mil' in cash, they know I got that off a rap
Maybe it's the Michael Rubins or the Robert Krafts
Or the billionaire from Marcy, and the way they got my back, uh
Seein' how I prevailed and now they try to knock me back, uh
Lock me in the cell for all them nights and I won't snap, uh
Two-fifty a show and they still think I'm sellin' crack, uh
When you bring my name up to the judge just tell em' facts
Tell em how we fundin' all these kids to go to college
Tell him how we ceasin' all these wars, stoppin' violence
Tryna fix the system and the way that they designed it
I think they want me silenced (Shush)
Oh say you can see
I don't feel like I'm free
Locked down in my cell, shackled from ankle to feet
Judge bangin' that gavel turned me to slave from a king
Another day in the bing, I gotta hang from a string
Just for poppin' a wheelie, my people march in the city
From a cell to a chopper view from the top of the city
You can tell how we rockin' soon as I pop up we litty
Poppin' like Bad Boy in '94, Big Poppa and Diddy
And niggas counted me out like my accountant ain't busy
That's five milli' in twenties, sit up and count 'til I'm dizzy
Phantom, five hundred thousand, hundred round in a stizzy
Is we beefin' or rappin'? I might just pop up with Drizzy like

What's free?
Free is when nobody else could tell us what to be
Free is when the TV ain't controlling what we see
Told my niggas 'I need you'
Through all the fame you know I stay true
Pray my niggas stay free
Made a few mistakes but this ain't where I wanna be
Before I'm judged by 12, put a 12 on my V
Told my niggas 'I need you'
Stay up I know these times ain't true
Real life, what's free?

In the land of the free, where the blacks enslaved
Three-fifth's of a man I believe's the phrase
I'm 50% of D'USSÉ and it's debt free (Yeah)
100% of Ace of Spades, worth half a B (Uh)
Roc Nation, half of that, that's my piece
Hunnid percent of TIDAL to bust it up with my G's
Since most of my niggas won't ever work together
You run a check up but they never give you leverage
No red hat, don't Michael and Prince me and Ye
They separate you when you got Michael and Prince's DNA, uh
I ain't one of these house niggas you bought
My house like a resort, my house bigger than yours
My spou- (C'mon man)
My route better of course
We started without food in our mouth
They gave us pork and pig intestines
Shit you discarded that we ingested, we made the project a wave
You came back, reinvested and gentrified it
Took nigga's sense of pride
Now how that's free?
And the people stole their soul and hit niggas with 360's
I ain't got a billion streams, got a billion dollars
Inflating numbers like we 'posed to be happy about this
We was praisin' Billboard but we were young
Now I look at Billboard like 'Is you dumb?'
To this day, Grandma 'fraid of what I might say
They gon' have to kill me Grandmama, I'm not they slave (Ha-ha-ha)
Check out the bizarre rappin' style used by me the HOV
Look at my hair free, care free
Niggas ain't near free
Enjoy your chains, what's your employer name with the hair piece?
I survived the hood, can't no Shaytan rob me
My accountant's so good I'm practically livin' tax free
Factory, that's me
Sold drugs, got away scot-free
That's a CC, E-copy
Guilt free, still me
And they expect me to not feel a way to this day
You would say y'all killed me
Sucker free, no shuckin' me
I don't jive turkey
Say "Happy Thanksgiving"
Shit sound like a murder to me
Smoke free
All of y'all calling out toll free
Label rob you for millions, yet you wanna put a hole in me
Sugar free, seasoned but I'm salt free
You lay a hand on Hov, my shooters shoot for free
I promise World War three
Send a order through a hands free
Kill you in 24 hours or shorter you can't ignore the hand speed
On god, it's off the head this improv




But it's no comedy
Sign I fail, hell naw (Ha-ha-ha)

Overall Meaning

Meek Mill's "What's Free" is a powerful rap song that delves into the concept of freedom. The lyrics touch upon different aspects of freedom, such as being free from societal expectations and controlling media narratives. The song also talks about real-life issues faced by black people in the United States, such as being incarcerated and being judged unfairly by the justice system.


The song's hook, "What's Free," suggests that the idea of freedom is subjective and that nobody can define it for someone else. Meek Mill talks about how he values the freedom to be himself and stay true to his roots, even in the face of fame and success. He details the mistakes he's made along the way and how he's moved past them to pursue a better future.


The second verse of the song features Jay-Z, who delves deeper into the idea of freedom and its historical context in America. He talks about how black people were once enslaved and treated as less than human, and how that legacy still impacts modern society. Jay-Z also touches on issues of wealth and ownership, discussing his own business ventures and how they give him a sense of freedom and power.


Overall, "What's Free" is a thought-provoking rap song that speaks to issues of race, wealth, and power in America. It encourages listeners to think critically about what freedom means to them and how they can work to create a more just and equitable society.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Burt F. Bacharach, Carlos Daronde Broady, Christopher Wallace, Clemm Rishad, Hal David, Nashiem Sa-Allah Myrick, Nicholas M. Warwar, Robert Rihmeek Williams, Sean Puffy Combs, Shawn Corey Carter, Tarik Azzouz, William Leonard Roberts, Burt Bacharach, Carl

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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Muhammad Arsalan

[Intro: Meek Mill]
You know what free is, nigga?

[Chorus: Meek Mill]
What's free?
Free is when nobody else could tell us what to be
Free is when the TV ain't controllin' what we see
Told my niggas, "I need you"
Through all the fame, you know I stayed true
Pray my niggas stay free
Made a few mistakes but this ain't where I wanna be
Before I'm judged by 12, put a 12 on my V
Told my niggas, "I need you"
Stay up, I know these times ain't true
Real life, what's free?

[Verse 1: Rick Ross]
Since a lad, I was cunning, just got a pad out in London
I keep stackin' my money, I'll need a ladder by summer
AK shots, niggas duckin' stray shots
Been a top dog, that's before the K-Dots
Crackin' in '06, immaculate showmanship
Talkin' like you Mitch, disastrous on the strip
Holdin' on your bitch, coulda never sold you a brick
With them people, you never been on a list
Mona Lisa to me ain't nothin' but a bitch
Hangin' pictures like niggas swingin' from his dick
We so different, you thought these didn't exist (M-M)
The Megalodon never seen on his wrist
I'm from the South where they never make it this rich
God is the greatest, but Satan been on his shit
Walkin' the pavement, I pray I'm illuminated
Over a decade and never nobody's favorite
Pot and kilo go hand in hand like we Gamble and Huff
My amigo, a million grams and we countin' 'em up (M-M)
You was dead broke, I let you hold a pack
You paid for it, but I fucked around and stole the track
Screaming "gang gang," now you wanna rat
Racketeering charges caught him on a tap
Lookin' for a bond, lawyers wanna tax
Purple hair got them faggots on your back
(M-M-Maybach music)

[Chorus: Meek Mill]
What's free?
Free is when nobody else could tell us what to be
Free is when the TV ain't controllin' what we see
Told my niggas, "I need you"
Through all the fame, you know I stayed true
Pray my niggas stay free
Made a few mistakes but this ain't where I wanna be
Before I'm judged by 12, put a 12 on my V
Told my niggas, "I need you"
Stay up, I know these times ain't true
Real life, what's free? (Yeah)

[Verse 2: Meek Mill]
Fed investigations, heard they plottin' like I trap
20 mill' in cash, they know I got that off of rap
Maybe it's the Michael Rubins or the Robert Krafts
Or the billionaire from Marcy, and the way they got my back, uh
See how I prevailed now they try to knock me back, uh
Locked me in a cell for all them nights and I won't snap, uh
Two-fifty a show and they still think I'm sellin' crack, uh
When you bring my name up to the judge, just tell him facts
Tell him how we fundin' all these kids to go to college
Tell him how we ceasin' all these wars, stoppin' violence
Tryna fix the system and the way that they designed it
I think they want me silenced (Shush)
Oh, say you can see, I don't feel like I'm free
Locked down in my cell, shackled from ankle to feet
Judge bangin' that gavel, turned me to slave from a king
Another day in the bing, I gotta hang from a string
Just for poppin' a wheelie, my people march through the city
From a cell to a chopper, view from the top of the city
You can tell how we rockin', soon as I pop up we litty
Poppin' like Bad Boy in '94, Big Poppa and Diddy
And niggas counted me out like my accountant ain't busy
That's five milli' in twenties, sit up and count 'til I'm dizzy
Phantom 500 thousand, hundred round in a stizzy
Is we beefin' or rappin'? I might just pop up with Drizzy like

[Chorus: Meek Mill & JAY-Z]
What's free?
Free is when nobody else could tell us what to be
Free is when the TV ain't controllin' what we see
Told my niggas, "I need you"
Through all the fame, you know I stayed true
Pray my niggas stay free
Made a few mistakes but this ain't where I wanna be
Before I'm judged by 12, put a 12 on my V
Told my niggas, "I need you"
Stay up, I know these times ain't true (Run it down)
Real life, what's free?

[Verse 3: JAY-Z]
In the land of the free, where the blacks enslaved
Three-fifths of a man, I believe's the phrase
I'm 50% of D'USSÉ and it's debt free (Yeah)
100% of Ace of Spades, worth half a B (Uh)
Roc Nation, half of that, that's my piece
Hunnid percent of TIDAL to bust it up with my Gs, uh
'Cause most of my niggas won't ever work together
You run a check up but they never give you leverage
No red hat, don't Michael and Prince me and 'Ye
They separate you when you got Michael and Prince's DNA, uh
I ain't one of these house niggas you bought
My house like a resort, my house bigger than yours
My spou- (Come on, man)
My route better, of course
We started without food in our mouth
They gave us pork and pig intestines
Shit you discarded that we ingested, we made the project a wave
You came back, reinvested and gentrified it
Took niggas' sense of pride, now how that's free?
And them people stole the soul and hit niggas with 360s, huh
I ain't got a billion streams, got a billion dollars
Inflating numbers like we 'posed to be happy about this
We was praisin' Billboard, but we were young
Now I look at Billboard like, "Is you dumb?"
To this day, Grandma 'fraid what I might say
They gon' have to kill me, Grandmama, I'm not they slave
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, check out the bizarre (Ah)
Rappin' style used by me, the H-O-V
Look at my hair free, carefree, niggas ain't near free
Enjoy your chains, what's your employer name with the hairpiece?
I survived the hood, can't no Shaytan rob me
My accountant's so good, I'm practically livin' tax free
Factory, that's me
Sold drugs, got away scot-free
That's a CC, E-copy
Guilt free, still me
And expect me to not feel a way to this day
You would say y'all killed me
Sucker free, no shuckin' me, I don't jive turkey
Say "Happy Thanksgiving," shit sound like a murder to me
Smoke free, all of y'all callin' out toll free
Label rob you for millions yet you wanna put a hole in me
Sugar free, seasoned but I'm salt free
You lay a hand on Hov, my shooter shoot for free
I promise World War Three
Send a order through a hands free
Kill you in 24 hours or shorter, you can't ignore the hand speed
On god, it's off the head, this improv but it's no comedy
Sign I fail? Hell nah
(Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha) Hahahahahahahahaha



Nyanje Kelvin

You know what free is, nigga?

[Chorus: Meek Mill]
What's free?
Free is when nobody else could tell us what to be
Free is when the TV ain't controllin' what we see
Told my niggas, "I need you"
Through all the fame, you know I stayed true
Pray my niggas stay free
Made a few mistakes but this ain't where I wanna be
Before I'm judged by 12, put a 12 on my V
Told my niggas, "I need you"
Stay up, I know these times ain't true
Real life, what's free?

[Verse 1: Rick Ross]
Since a lad, I was cunning, just got a pad out in London
I keep stackin' my money, I'll need a ladder by summer
AK shots, niggas duckin' stray shots
Been a top dog, that's before the K-Dots
Crackin' in '06, immaculate showmanship
Talkin' like you Mitch, disastrous on the strip
Holdin' on your bitch, coulda never sold you a brick
With them people, you never been on a list
Mona Lisa to me ain't nothin' but a bitch
Hangin' pictures like niggas swingin' from his dick
We so different, you thought these didn't exist (M-M)
The Megalodon never seen on his wrist
I'm from the South where they never make it this rich
God is the greatest, but Satan been on his shit
Walkin' the pavement, I pray I'm illuminated
Over a decade and never nobody's favorite
Pot and kilo go hand in hand like we Gamble and Huff
My amigo, a million grams and we countin' 'em up (M-M)
You was dead broke, I let you hold a pack
You paid for it, but I fucked around and stole the track
Screaming "gang gang," now you wanna rat
Racketeering charges caught him on a tap
Lookin' for a bond, lawyers wanna tax
Purple hair got them faggots on your back
(M-M-Maybach music)

[Chorus: Meek Mill]
What's free?
Free is when nobody else could tell us what to be
Free is when the TV ain't controllin' what we see
Told my niggas, "I need you"
Through all the fame, you know I stayed true
Pray my niggas stay free
Made a few mistakes but this ain't where I wanna be
Before I'm judged by 12, put a 12 on my V
Told my niggas, "I need you"
Stay up, I know these times ain't true
Real life, what's free? (Yeah)

[Verse 2: Meek Mill]
Fed investigations, heard they plottin' like I trap
20 mill' in cash, they know I got that off of rap
Maybe it's the Michael Rubins or the Robert Krafts
Or the billionaire from Marcy, and the way they got my back, uh
See how I prevailed now they try to knock me back, uh
Locked me in a cell for all them nights and I won't snap, uh
Two-fifty a show and they still think I'm sellin' crack, uh
When you bring my name up to the judge, just tell him facts
Tell him how we fundin' all these kids to go to college
Tell him how we ceasin' all these wars, stoppin' violence
Tryna fix the system and the way that they designed it
I think they want me silenced (Shush)
Oh, say you can see, I don't feel like I'm free
Locked down in my cell, shackled from ankle to feet
Judge bangin' that gavel, turned me to slave from a king
Another day in the bing, I gotta hang from a string
Just for poppin' a wheelie, my people march through the city
From a cell to a chopper, view from the top of the city
You can tell how we rockin', soon as I pop up we litty
Poppin' like Bad Boy in '94, Big Poppa and Diddy
And niggas counted me out like my accountant ain't busy
That's five milli' in twenties, sit up and count 'til I'm dizzy
Phantom 500 thousand, hundred round in a stizzy
Is we beefin' or rappin'? I might just pop up with Drizzy like

[Chorus: Meek Mill & JAY-Z]
What's free?
Free is when nobody else could tell us what to be
Free is when the TV ain't controllin' what we see
Told my niggas, "I need you"
Through all the fame, you know I stayed true
Pray my niggas stay free
Made a few mistakes but this ain't where I wanna be
Before I'm judged by 12, put a 12 on my V
Told my niggas, "I need you"
Stay up, I know these times ain't true (Run it down)
Real life, what's free?

[Verse 3: JAY-Z]
In the land of the free, where the blacks enslaved
Three-fifths of a man, I believe's the phrase
I'm 50% of D'USSÉ and it's debt free (Yeah)
100% of Ace of Spades, worth half a B (Uh)
Roc Nation, half of that, that's my piece
Hunnid percent of TIDAL to bust it up with my Gs, uh
'Cause most of my niggas won't ever work together
You run a check up but they never give you leverage
No red hat, don't Michael and Prince me and 'Ye
They separate you when you got Michael and Prince's DNA, uh
I ain't one of these house niggas you bought
My house like a resort, my house bigger than yours
My spou- (Come on, man)
My route better, of course
We started without food in our mouth
They gave us pork and pig intestines
Shit you discarded that we ingested, we made the project a wave
You came back, reinvested and gentrified it
Took niggas' sense of pride, now how that's free?
And them people stole the soul and hit niggas with 360s, huh
I ain't got a billion streams, got a billion dollars
Inflating numbers like we 'posed to be happy about this
We was praisin' Billboard, but we were young
Now I look at Billboard like, "Is you dumb?"
To this day, Grandma 'fraid what I might say
They gon' have to kill me, Grandmama, I'm not they slave
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, check out the bizarre (Ah)
Rappin' style used by me, the H-O-V
Look at my hair free, carefree, niggas ain't near free
Enjoy your chains, what's your employer name with the hairpiece?
I survived the hood, can't no Shaytan rob me
My accountant's so good, I'm practically livin' tax free
Factory, that's me
Sold drugs, got away scot-free
That's a CC, E-copy
Guilt free, still me
And expect me to not feel a way to this day
You would say y'all killed me
Sucker free, no shuckin' me, I don't jive turkey
Say "Happy Thanksgiving," shit sound like a murder to me
Smoke free, all of y'all callin' out toll free
Label rob you for millions yet you wanna put a hole in me
Sugar free, seasoned but I'm salt free
You lay a hand on Hov, my shooter shoot for free
I promise World War Three
Send a order through a hands free
Kill you in 24 hours or shorter, you can't ignore the hand speed
On god, it's off the head, this improv but it's no comedy
Sign I fail? Hell nah
(Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha) Hahahahahahah



All comments from YouTube:

Hip-Hop Universe

JAY-Z killed the song, R.I.P. B.I.G.

Yey Yey

Hey bro RIP BIG

Jermaine McKenzie

Didn't he

KeithO SwaTtt

Straight up family it was meant to be no homo on this one

quinto vicky

Meek sampled what's beef #RIP BIGGIE.

Jeep 24

Jay like... "B.I.G. I did it, HA-HA-HA-HA..."

100 More Replies...

Nobody You Know

The way Meek refers to Jay as “the billionaire from Marcy”. Shit gives me goosebumps every time. Like bro any of us can make it.

caden

anyone can make it they just wanna make it look like a small chance of us can so they can have more

Ronell Taylor

2022 VISION...BIG FACTS...BIG PROPS TO ANY RAPPERS WHO HAVE GOT RICH RAISE UP FROM THE PROJECTS

Five star general

Yea stop buying Nike and buy Nike stocks

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