This week Maybach Music’s Meek Mill released the third installment of his Dreamchasers mixtape series hosted by the ever popular DJ Drama and featuring such hailed producers Scott Storch and Cardo. Where many mixtapes released by artists are work to keep fans interested until a studio album release, Meek Mill turns his mixtape into a creative work of art. His mixtape has been downloaded more than 500,000 times within 48 hours, far surpassing the 50,000 units the collaborative Maybach Music Group project Self-Made Vol. 3 sold during their first week.
The first two tracks off Dreamchasers 3 debuted on hotnewhiphop.com’s Top 100 songs, taking two of the top 10 spots within 24 hours of its release. “I’m Leanin,” the intro track featuring Travis Scott, Birdman and Diddy contains the trash-talking braggadocio often seen in hip-hop. Each rapper focuses on topics of fast cars, countless women and millions upon millions of dollars. The takeaway message of the song is that each one of these artists is, in fact, a dream chaser and is rewarded for hustlin’ hard; they get to reap the benefit of riches (and women) because of their efforts. The hateful tone in the lyrics is geared toward haters who belittle their hustle or simply lack the motivation to strive for the dreams that these guys are currently living.
On “Make Me,” the second instantaneous hit from Dreamchasers 3, Meek Mill says that all of the negative things around him —whether it’s people trash talking him or women trying to use him for his money — don’t affect him in the slightest. This song contains a rhythmic repletion and catchy refrain, which allow Meek’s point of “I ain’t worried ’bout nothin’” to resonate with listeners.
Meek reflects on his upbringing in the rough streets of Philly on “Hip Hop,” talking about the frequent drug use and abuse he witnessed, murders that occurred on a regular basis, the necessity to sling drugs in order to survive and the roaches and mice that infested his home. Meek Mill has fast delivery all throughout this track, which forces the listener to rewind the song at times in order to catch some of his deeper messages within it. The song has a focus on content rather than beat and gives listeners a fresh perspective on Meek Mill and what his life was like leading up to his success in the rap game.
This mixtape marks the growth of Meek Mill as he simultaneously solidifies his image as a hard-hitting, no-words-minced type of rapper. He delves into deeper material than some listeners may be used to from him. It’s obvious the rapper put his heart and soul into the mixtape, and it feels like a studio album release on the same level as other renowned rap releases. This album is a great addition to anyone’s music library.
