“You niggas crazy if you thought I would quit,” Meek Mill raps on 4/4 Pt. 2 highlight “Slippin’.” That’s certainly what many rap fans encouraged the Philly native to do after Drake’s pair of haymaker disses against him last summer: stop tweeting, stop dropping Drake disses, and just hope that the public forgets about the beef. But Meek just wouldn’t let up. After more “Twitter fingers” exploits and licking his wounds in 2015, he started off the new year with the 4/4 EP, a short precursor to the fourth installment of his Dreamchasers mixtape series. Dissing Drake in a freestyle over “I’m the Plug” didn’t go over well, and he lost a social media war with 50 Cent, but the EP’s other songs were bangers. It was clear that Meek wasn’t going away, and fans are the beneficiaries.
Meek Mill’s best music has always had a strong sense of urgency, but it feels even more palpable on this pair of 4/4 EPs. It’s tough to tell whether that energy is a factor of the stakes being higher or if the past year has resulted in an underestimation of Meek’s talents, but the music delivers. “Fa Sho” starts the project on a brash celebratory note with Meek’s rhymes about money bands, watches and women, with a thumping whip-ready beat by MandoFresh and a catchy hook by T. Dot illDude. The celebration sounds genuine, not just an attempt to convince listeners that Drake isn’t throwing him off–straightforward boasting is part of what Meek does best. “Ricky” attacks enemies with guns blazing, excelling with Meek’s combo of unrepentant anger and veiled pain from losses of loved ones. With 4/4 Pt. 2, he looks to build on that momentum without the mistakes from before. “Slippin’” covers DMX’s hit of the same name with those recognizable grim horns, and succeeds with solid cameos by Future and Dave East.
But 4/4 Pt. 2 saves the best for last with “War Pain,” the type of Drake diss that could have made this beef interesting much earlier. While “Wanna Know” sounded rushed and pleaded with listeners to take the ghostwriting allegations as seriously as Meek did, “War Pain” has the MMG lieutenant sounding comfortable in his role as the underdog. Drake showed himself as the laid back punchline king with his two songs in the beef. Here, over ominous organs and operatic vocal samples by Ben Billions, Meek shows himself as a true foil for his opponent. He dismisses Drake’s boasts (“with your lil’ memes, I be with the real queen”), calls him out as a “culture vulture,” and questions his hate for bubbling Toronto youngster Tory Lanez. He brings up instances of Drake being robbed in his own beloved hometown, and of him gifting a Dreamchasers chain to him. He even had a pair of strong social media zingers. He posted photo that shows Drake holding up said Dreamchasers chain, and when asked how he referenced Drake lyrics from “Summer Sixteen” when the EP dropped the same day, he quipped “the ghostwriter told me!”
Meek’s shots against Drake don’t just land because of their legitimacy, but because of his brash confidence while delivering them: he’s speaking to the fans who share his mindset, not desperately trying to convert naysayers who won’t give him a shot anyway. If he keeps up that approach, Meek can come out of the other side of this dispute stronger than ever.
Had to lower the volume for this one
just because a guy who we expect to make a crappy album makes ok ep doesnt mean he deserves accolades. this was still meh. he should have been able to handle a child actor from Canada in two bars. Meek still pathetic
This.
One thing I will say!!! Hat off for Meek for not backing down and never giving up… You gotta pick yourself up after you fall. Thats LIFE…. Hate all you want, but I think he bouncing back strong with these last 8 tracks release. Everybody got their own opinion… don’t hate.
to me the standards are so low for this dude as long as he drops something average it’ll be looked at as a success……
Tdot ain’t from Toronto dumbasses
Here’s what I don’t get. When he says “catch you in Brooklyn and get your chain tooken, my Philly boys will catch you when you ain’t lookin,with your little memes , I Be with the real queen.”
That sounds directed towards 50 cent. 50 never put nothing on wax only through memes. So to me this was more shots at 50 not drake. Idk if anyone else caught that?
Interesting point, that’s definitely a possibility. I thought the “lil memes” was a reference to Drake at OVOFest, but you may have a point, especially since it seems like it was just recorded recently.
The song is a shot at 50 and drake
meek is just a yelling sad snake nothing more.
This is a pretty good review although I personally would rate it 4.0/4.5. However Andre, the guy who review Part1 of 4/4 is a complete hack. This guy’s riding Drake so hard he must have whiplash. Good music is good music…..Andre. Do your f’n job! Lame.
Fuck the haters. Meek released 4 more dope tracks. Good music is good music. War pain is dope. Keep it up meek. Drake is dope too.
TRUMP WIFE VOICE SOUNDS LIKE THE TERMINATOR . THE FIRST LADY WITH THE TERMINATOR VOICE . #### HELL NO
Thumbs up meek mill for not backing,a solja is always a solja….. Haters keep hatin and watch tha bars drop and money pile up. I love the lines coz its trendy put fifty and drake with all you guys commenting in confusion…… Lol
Meek smashed that waffle colored negro drake with this banger…he gone smash 50 ass next
I swear this website has a vested interest in this battle somehow. They put more effort into promoting this beef than anything, and they’ve always been unabashedly on Drake’s knob.
4 once.. a half ass compliment 4 meek…!! Drake need quinton miller back.. he has over saturated the market..
4 once.. a half ass compliment 4 meek…!! Drake need quinton miller back.. he has over saturated the market..
Yes write up but in war pain the part about the memes and Queens ( not queen ) is a side shoot at 50 . Also don’t get how people say meek lost a social media war to 50 when meek was coming at 50 with bars and 50 was posting memes . He didn’t loose he just didn’t partake in that part
Agreed
Meek got even more respect from me after putting Dave East on that Slippin record, where’s 50 Cent to big up another upcoming NY artist?
50 is selfish and has a premodonna complex he’s only going to big up himself to help with his struggling career
That Brooklyn line might be about Saafari
You might be on point with that, I forgot about that clown, and he did get run out of Brooklyn about a year ago
I knew if meek stayed doing him that he could make some good songs, when you think about it back to back wasn’t a good did record, meek just responded with a lack luster song, but now he seems to be focused and on his A game, it ain’t that hard to go at drake he’s a girl
Nobody cares about your opinion fan boy
Your mother texted me and told me she loves my opinion, and to disregard what here teenage homo son says cause all he does is sit down on his computer screen staring at drake while singing his songs clad only in his g string panties
Been Knocking “War Pain” All Day!
DMX didn’t deserve this..
Bunch of dummies here getting in all their feelings about two grown ass men rapping. Smdh
cornball shit. why butcher that classic dmx song like that
6 Fraud shoulda left that boy alone, if he was “official” he would have known you don’t go back by the block you sprayed with an uzi with a .22 and think you aint gone get bodied!!!! He should’ve took his W, now we looking at a 3 game series, meek just tied that muthafucka up!!! 6 Fraud smart enough to leave it alone now that meek has access to the studio and aint on the road with the baddest bitch in the game!!!!
Lmaooo you using him being on the road with Nicki as an excuse? FOH. Wayne used to record on the road and recorded hundreds of songs. Btw Drake still wins, even though I don’t really fuck with Drake
This was dope. He killed Drake and caught him out on his ghostwriter shit.
Meek mill is the shit ??