The track also reminds me of a Philly predecessor, Beanie Sigel, who used the same sample back in 2005. Riding on a strong sample of the legendary Phil Collins the song runs in Meek's patented crescendo with every bar helping to set the stage for what I'm officially calling his magnum opus. Meek starts the album with the aptly titled "Intro". Some aggregate statistics comparing Championships (and Meek's other songs released in 2018) to his past work.Īnother look at the number of references to prison, jail, police, incarceration and related terms by other artists across their careers. That's not to say that there are no mentions of trapping, guns, or tales of prolific intercourse, etc., but these reference are sometimes laced in an overarching commentary about assumed criminality, criminal justice, and the far reaching effects of mass incarceration and over policing.
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My full interview with re: prison reform and #MeekCHAMPIONSHIPS - Michael Smerconish December 1, 2018Ĭhampionships is a sprawling, 19 track, star studded affair, that bucks the trend of shorter LPs, clocking in at a healthy 70 minutes.ĭespite its length, Championships is focused in it we find a reflective, poised artist making a stark departure from his favorite topics of the past. Since his case caught fire in the court of public opinion Meek has made appearances on CNN, written op-eds for the New York Times, and been hoisted up as a symbol for all that's wrong with the criminal justice system in America. Simply put, this is Meek's first album since his most recent stint in prison. J, and the whole city of Philadelphia (except Judge Brinkley). A non exhaustive list includes, Jay-Z, Robert Kraft (New England Patriots Owner), Michael Rubin (Philly 76ers co-owner), Colin Kaepernick, Rick Ross, Nipsey Hussle, Dr.
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While the exact truth of what happened that day is difficult to pin down, the outcome was that Meek was sentenced to 11-23 months in jail by Judge Genece Brinkley and an additional 5 years of probation.Ī series of probation violations have Meek in and out of Philadelphia courts, some of the incidents include: Meek contends that he was just a skinny 130 pound kid who got punched, stopped, and beaten by two cops that used excessive force during the arrest, leaving his house bloodied and his face battered. The police version of the story claims that in the process of the arrest Meek chased the police with his gun and attempted to kill them. I'll do my best to provide a quick recap, but there are dozens of articles out that touch on his history with law enforcement in excruciating detail.Īn 18 year old Meek Mill (Robert Rihmeek Williams) is arrested on charges for illegal possession of a firearm and intent to sell/manufacture drugs. Meek's history with the criminal justice system is a critical backdrop for understanding the importance of this album. Like we didn't know he had it in him.īut wait! Meanwhile, since the beginning of the week, New York radio DJ Funkmaster Flex has been claiming to have Meek's response record.Before getting into the album, let us set the scene. For a mild-mannered guy like Drake, it was a surprising display of venom. In 8 Mile style, Drake took away Meek's possible angles by mentioning them first ("you gettin' bodied by a singing n***a") he spoke directly to Nicki like Meek wasn't even there ("Make sure you hit him with the prenup / Then tell that man to ease up") he even mentioned listening to Philly rappers (AR-Ab) and eating in Philly restaurants (Tootsie's), like he could move at will in a city Meek lives in.
This time, "Back to Back" took no prisoners. Meek still hasn't responded yet-but here comes Drake again with a spring in his step and a new track! One of them, " Charged Up," belied its laidback feel with some lyrics that many interpreted as being addressed to Meek Mill: "I seen it all coming, knew they would push a button / Easter egg hunting, they gotta look for something / Done doing favors for people / Cause it ain’t like I need the money I make off a feature / I see you n***as having trouble going gold / Turning into some so-and-so’s that no one knows." As diss tracks go, it was pretty gentle, but it also felt like Drake was implying that he was letting Meek off easy. At any rate, a few days after Meek Mill went off on Twitter, Drake premiered a couple of new songs on Apple Music.