Meek Mill x Curren$y

This week the talk around St. John’s, other than the week off classes due to Sandy, is none other than Dreams and Nightmares by Meek Mill.  The album dropped this past weekend and the reviews have been mixed.  From the moment I first heard Meek I was a fan, I felt like he was going to come and change up the game, give us something we could ride to, bounce to or just hang around and chill to, but this album was not my favorite.  From the start, it seemed like almost every other song Meek does and as it progressed, with the exception of some tracks, it sounded the same throughout.  Meek channels anger, pain and his struggles that hit with a force when you listen. Tracks like “Burn” and “Believe It” gave off similar flows and eventually one can tire out before the album has played in its entirety.  Though with a few exceptions like “Traumatized” where you could feel Meek’s story and flow with him, I wasn't the biggest fan of his premier album.  

Meek is in the family of plenty of rappers who came before his time, and got big from the underground rap scene and off mixtapes such as Dreamchasers one and two. Facing two big roads to choose from, continuing to produce the music that the fans they already love to bump to or choosing to go more “mainstream” and produce more pop songs.  Each definitely has their own disadvantages, choosing the fan route could mean closing yourself off from getting a bigger fan base and choosing “mainstream” could push away your already avid listeners.  Take Wale for example, for his first album Attention Deficit he decided to go pop and those album sales are history.  But you have to give Meek some credit for this album, he stayed true to his voice and played to his strengths.  I look forward to his future works and hope he changes it up a bit. 

One of my favorite rappers Curren$y dropped a new mixtape titled Priest Andretti.  Curren$y has a flow that’s so unique, very chill vibe and for his first mixtape after his summer album The Stoned Immaculate I thought it was very well done.  Tracks that I can’t stop listening to are without a doubt “Feelin’ Like”, “Amsterdam (Freestyle)” and “Motion” which features Corner Boy P. 

Keep a look out for The Weeknd’s Trilogy LP coming soon!

What’s on my Replay

Priest Andretti – Curren$y

The Jig Is Up – Kendrick Lamar ft J. Cole & Canei Finch

Chum – Earl Sweatshirt

- Alyssa Jones