Dreams and Nightmares
| Meek Mill
Dreams and Nightmares
Dreams and Nightmares is the debut studio album by American hip hop recording artist Meek Mill. It was released on October 30, 2012, by Maybach Music Group and Warner Bros. Records. The album features guest appearances from Nas, Rick Ross, Wale, Trey Songz, Drake, Big Sean, John Legend, Louie V, 2 Chainz, Kirko Bangz, Sam Sneak and Mary J. Blige. Mill said that it would be more cohesive than his mixtapes by having more connection in both vocal delivery and clearer beats.-Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
Show All-
Pitchfork
Dreams and Nightmares is something to celebrate, even though it's imperfect. After navigating that push-pull, Meek Mill has emerged with an album that is distinct in both voice and sound and also plays to his strengths. It is tense and dramatic, with variations of piano constituting the bedrock of the album and Meek rapping passionately even by his own standards.
-
Rolling Stone
On Dreams and Nightmares he mostly keeps things gritty, telling – that is, yelling – hardscrabble street stories, in a voice big and brassy enough to be heard 20 blocks away.
-
Consequence of Sound
Meek Mill’s Dreams and Nightmares follows the 25-year-old from the nightmarish hard-knocks of his native Philadelphia to the many luxuries of his current post as the most dependable member of Rick Ross’s Maybach Music clique. Ascensions like these are presented on seemingly every major-label rap debut, but while Meek isn’t strong enough lyrically to totally override such familiarity, he’s also got the talent to prevent himself from becoming too mired in any tropes.
-
Billboard
"Dreams and Nightmares" opens with the story of Meek's beginning before the boastful rhymes and threatening soundscapes kick in. It's what his signature vocal punches are coming with on "Dreams and Nightmares" that make the rapper's debut album worthwhile: brutally honest storytelling mixed with boastful glimpses of the good life, the latter as the most promising.
-
Metacritic
After a number of well-received mixtapes, the Philadelphia rapper releases his debut full-length studio album featuring guest appearances by Mary J. Blige, Drake, Kirko Bangz, John Legend, Louie V, Nas, Rick Ross, Trey Songz, and Wale.
-
DJ Booth
The road to hip-hop stardom is littered with the bodies of versatile rappers who lost their way when it came time to make that major label debut. Of course, Dreams and Nightmares is only a debut album for Meek in the technical sense.
-
Chicago Tribune
By all traditional metrics, Meek Mill is a pure genre artist with relatively little crossover appeal. Millions of free downloads notwithstanding, the bottom line is "Dreams and Nightmares" will reach fewer people and arguably deliver less hit material (its great lead single, "Amen," was already on "Dreamchasers 2"), making it potentially easy to overlook. Although it's unlikely that "Dreams and Nightmares" will end up as one of the most memorable parts of Meek Mill's career, plenty of what it has to say should leave an unforgettable imprint.
-
AV Club
Meek Mill’s Dreams And Nightmares may technically be the first album from Rick Ross’ most gifted signee, but it’s also the latest addition to an already distinguished discography that includes prominent appearances on two top-selling Maybach Music Group compilations and a pair of big-budget mixtapes loaded with major radio hits. It’s a pseudo-debut, then, tasked with introducing an artist that almost anybody listening is already familiar with, a tedious responsibility it carries out using all manner of default rap-debut conventions: sweeping themes, back-in-the-day reflections, big-picture takeaways, and an overarching sense of self-importance.
-
Slant Magazine
Dreams and Nightmares is dominated by demons and darkness. This aesthetic is backed up by a slew of minimal piano loops, which add a spooky cast to the proceedings and secure the album’s status as an ideal Halloween-eve release. Dropping the Lex Luger-style operatic aesthetic of his previous MMG collaborations for a borderline horrorcore backing makes sense considering Meek’s focus on the dream-nightmare continuum, where even his new wealth is tainted by the measures he had to take to reach it. It’s not the most sophisticated origin story, but the album’s sustained focus on how visions of riches molder into nightmares is impressive and surprisingly mournful for a modern mainstream release, with tales of youthful desire giving way to adult jadedness (“Polo and Shell Tops”), the names of murdered friends popping up again and again.
-
Allmusic
Having torn it up on the first two volumes of Maybach Music's Self Made compilations, Philadelphia rapper and former Grand Hustle artist Meek Mill finally busts out on his own on Dreams and Nightmares, an apt title for an album that haphazardly bounces between the two.
-
Prefix Magazine
Since Dreams and Nightmares is Meek Mill’s major label debut — his first opportunity to show who and what he is — it is worth it to first set out the story of Maybach Music as context for both this artist and his album.
-
Idolator
On his proper debut Dreams And Nightmares, Meek Mill delivers his most personal and promising material yet, only to have its impact diminished by moments that simply serve to fulfill some mainstream-rap-album quota. The best moments of Dreams And Nightmares — and there are plenty — are when Meek Mill counts his losses, not his riches.
-
Ratings Game Music
This might be one of the best intros in music history! On this song, Meek is hungry as hell, and the beat matches his toughness. It also has that whole ‘One mic’ feel to it, where it has two phases — a belligerent one and a very belligerent one. Meek attacks this beat like Russell Westbrook attacks the rim.
-
All Hip Hop
Dreams and Nightmares is here after after it's own variety of delays, and it’s a strong indicator that the formula Rick Ross and his team has tapped into is still effective. Meek Mill’s Dreams and Nightmares still includes a few gems that make it worth playing and supporting. Meek’s been one of the hardest working artists in the past year, and it’s well-deserved that he gets his time to shine on the mainstream level.
-
Hip Hop Dx
With Dreams & Nightmares it’s clear that Rick Ross’ protégé needs more time before he can rightfully call himself the lieutenant of the MMG army. What transpires on the rest of Dreams & Nightmares is an inconsistency of lyrical ingenuity and thematic execution that will haunt the Philadelphian rapper on his debut.
-
BBC
Dreams and Nightmares won’t break new ground for hip hop. The compositions are pretty formulaic and the lyrics aren’t overly technical. Still, it works for Mill as a respectable effort that exorcises personal demons and moves him beyond illicit history. He had to grind like that to shine like this.
-
Album Of The Year
Dreams and Nightmares is the debut studio album by rapper Meek Mill, released in 2012. With production from Rick Ross, the project is very good, it has deep lyrics, deep songs, he's being proud of his achievements, etc. It features guest appearances from Drake, Big Sean, Trey Songz, Nas, including Rick Ross himself, and others. Dreams and Nightmares sounds really good, especially the hooks. Meek's verses and the choruses mix very well.
-
I Hiphop
Meek’s formal debut album, Dreams & Nightmares does not stay in line with the hardcore hip-hop spirit of his Flamerz mixtape series, which launched him to stardom. As the title suggests, the theme of this album is the dream Meek Mill is currently living and the nightmares he had to face to get there. Although many songs revolve around deep subject matter, the stories he tells are generally overpowered by the mainstream sound of the album. Meek’s debut album features a plethora of producers and guest appearances from such well-known artists as Mary J. Blige, Rick Ross, John Legend, Nas and others.
-
Your Black World
On his full-length solo debut album ”Dreams & Nightmares” the young MC seems ready now that coach Rozay has called his number.
-
XXL
The LP is also responsible for supplying one of the best hip-hop intros the Internet age has ever heard. If you're a rap fan and you've never drunkenly bellowed the lyrics to "Dreams and Nightmares," you're not doing it right.
-
Genius
This Intro sets the tone for the theme of Meek’s entire album, so literally that the song itself is broken into two parts. The beginning – an upbeat braggadocio depicting Meek’s ascension to the top (i.e. Dreams) – is juxtaposed by an anger-fueled tirade (i.e. Nightmares) midway through the track.
-
Spectrum Culture
The album starts out promisingly enough. The title track, easily the strongest opener of any 2012 rap album, begins as a deceptively straight-forward drumless Maybach monologue before the beat changes up and we go entirely off the rails as only Mill can. It’s the type of unbridled energy that made him a mixtape star taken to the sleek extreme few artists with major label resources ever realize.
-
HNHH
Studio albums have a way of working as a litmus test for hip-hop's up and comers. Mixtapes and guest appearances are one thing, but for an artist to prove that he/she can create a strong cohesive album while delivering on lyrics, beats, and bravado is another. Meek Mill seems capable of preforming this balancing act with Dreams & Nightmares, a solid effort that shows glimmers of brilliance throughout.
-
Still Crew
After one listen, it’s clear that Meek has taken to heart everything that has happened over the past few years of his life. From those experiences, Meek has grown not only as an artist but also as a member of the community, a father, and most importantly a man.
-
Complex
Dreams and Nightmares' title track, which would outlast its namesake to become a cult classic, set a powerful tone; as Meek Mill rapped along with his music, writers took to Twitter to hail the record. Twelve days later, Kendrick Lamar released good kid, m.A.A.d. city, and today, Dreams and Nightmares is widely remembered as an unofficial single with 13 b-sides trailing behind.
-
Sam Loves Music
Really, this feels like an early Rick Ross album. It might be kind of fun to listen to, but it’s nothing really beyond that. The comparison really sticks out.
-
Pop Matters
Dreams and Nightmares tells a story more about MMG than Mill himself. It's another safe full-length from the group, the kind of thing that will sell copies but stifles the charm and creativity of the rapper in the spotlight. There are moments of greatness from Mill here, and as a whole it is a well-built record. But it also feels professional in all the coldest ways. It's a record that proves MMG a conglomerate, a very direct money-making machine, rather than making money through creativity.
-
Nairaland
Meek Mill's Dreams & Nightmares album review. Pretty good, especially after hearing Kendrick Lamar over and over again.
-
Mind Equals Blown
Through some usually vivid imagery, occasional bragging and a handful of guest spots, Dreams and Nightmares proves to be a solid first outing.
-
Google Play
Dreams and Nightmares is the debut studio album by American hip hop recording artist Meek Mill. It was released on October 30, 2012, by Maybach Music Group and Warner Bros. Records. The album features guest appearances from Nas, Rick Ross, Wale, Trey Songz, Drake, Big Sean, John Legend, Louie V, 2 Chainz, Kirko Bangz, Sam Sneak and Mary J. Blige. Mill said that it would be more cohesive than his mixtapes by having more connection in both vocal delivery and clearer beats.
-
Brent Music Reviews
Throughout Nightmares and Dreams, Meek Mill shows off his prowess for fast-paced rhymes and for the most part, the rhymes are well crafted. The criticisms for Meek Mill is that he lacks the innovativeness and emotional connection of the best of a ‘new breed’ of rappers including Drake, KiD cuDi, and maybe most notable as of late, Kendrick Lamar.
-
United Kpop
This is an easy listen, a respite from the rushing urgency at the beginning of the album – yet that sense of foreboding lingers in the background in the relaxed beat and the smooth vocals as if the nightmares as simply bidding their time.
-
Bellasbiz
This kicks off real smooth. He’s rhyming on some pianos that remind me of Diced Pineapples off GFID.
-
The Source
Meek released his debut album Dreams and Nightmares in the fall of 2012. Although featuring the hit song “Amen”, the most noteworthy song on the album was the album’s intro, “Dreams and Nightmares (Intro)”. At the time, the intro track quickly caught the ear of the masses. As a result, the song would etch its name among the great rap intros of all time, with fans falling in love with Meek’s battle-cry lyrics and the epic beat switch in the middle of the track.
-
Huff Post
Meek Mill’s debut album “Dreams and Nightmares” gained him a few thumbs up, though, most reviewers felt extremely underwhelmed by the rappers first musical offering.
-
Vibe
The “Dreams and Nightmares ” is an intense juxtaposition of extremes: being stuck at the bottom, then rising to the top against the odds. It unfolds in two acts: Meek chronicling his ascent over somber keys before reveling in the success no one expected from a kid from Berks Street, as the beat abruptly turns sinister. It’s extraordinary because of how Meek’s urgency mounts, his volume gradually increasing before he erupts into unbridled adrenaline.
-
Reveille
“Dreams And Nightmares” tells listeners about his struggle and then launching into an aggressive rap, filled with passion and angst. It’s refreshing to hear rap that isn’t completely focused on the party lifestyle and bitches and hoes.
-
Potholesin In My Blog
Dreams and Nightmares is an apt album title for a rapper who waxes poetic in such stark terms. Other than the intro, which switches between the two halfway through, each song can be easily placed in one of either of these two categories. The album is tense to say the least, taking the listener to some high-strung places. Meek’s flow adds immediacy to each side of the dreamworld. He maintains his characteristic keyed-up yelp from songs about money to songs about sex.
-
Vice
His debut record Dreams and Nightmares in 2012—one of the most honest, hard, and driven rap records in recent memory.
-
Big Ghost
Yall might be like damn…this nigga shriekin n whatever…but he be puttin his heart into em screechy ass bars… so I aint really mad at it.
-
Spin
He also happens to be a competent lyricist, and it’s that talent, not his loudmouth voice or would-be rap hits, that proves his saving grace on Dreams & Nightmares.
-
The Lantern
Overall, the album and the artist were in need of a thesaurus because it quickly got old listening to the same curse words on every track and beats that clashed with the flow of the rappers.
-
Song Facts
The title track of rapper Meek Mill's debut album finds him recounting the highs and lows of his journey.
Rate This Album and Leave Your Comments