Other Side of America - Meek Mill

Intro:

Meek Mill at this point has already cemented his legacy in Hip-Hop. Love him or hate him, the Philadelphia-born rapper has been a prominent and influential figure in rap over the past decade. Now being involved more in America’s political atmosphere, he’s dropped a new single that directly is inspired by what’s going on in the country currently. I’d consider myself a casual fan of Meek, but the title and cover art definitely raised my expectations up.

Strengths:

Off the bat, I wasn’t expecting a high energy banger but I’m 100% not disappointed about that. The production on this single features hard trap drums and an insane string sample, perfect for his style. I especially like how punchy & bouncy the kick drums are. I also love the samples at the beginning (Trump) and end of the record (TV interview of his) that adds on to the lyrical themes present.

Meek uses one his signature flows while rapping about his perspective growing up in the dangerous projects of Philly. He really uses the lyrics to paint imagery and his loud delivery adds to the overall energy of the beat. The chorus serves as his explanation on why things are the way they are on the oppressed side of America. Reasons for the dangerous lifestyle painted in the verses include: anxiety, ptsd, fighting hunger & being surrounded by violence/death of loved ones.

Weaknesses:

I genuinely really loved this song. My only thing is, I wish he went deeper on the reasonings behind why projects (and those trapped in them) are the way they are. Yes, he gives good explanations/reasonings, but the ones he presents have even more underlying issues that stem from the American system we live in.

I cite this as a weakness not against Meek Mill specifically (because I understand the message), but I can see how the message of the song could be misinterpreted as justifications for a crime in systematically oppressed neighborhoods. Many already look at the surface level and think minorities create these problems for themselves; which is not the case at all.

Other Thoughts:

I’m not sure where/when the picture for this cover art was taken but it’s FIRE (no pun intended) and perfectly fits how the song sounds. Additionally, if you’re not a Meek fan this probably won’t be for you as it’s definitely a song formula that Meek uses often. Although, the themes and message of the song might make this one an exception for his “haters”.

Overall:

I think this has potential to be one of the best songs in his discography. It has everything you could look for in a great Meek Mill song. Hopefully this is the sign of an amazing album on the way; maybe even an entirely politically themed album. I think he could pull it off with records like this because this one sonically has commercial appeal, outside of the subject matter. Thank you all for reading and be sure to listen to the single yourself with the link below.