First impressions are everything, and the intro track is one of the most crucial parts of any project. Not only does it have to hook you into an artist’s world, it has to make you want to engage with the rest of the tape. And when it comes to making a memorable opening song, few do it better than Meek Mill.
The Philadelphia spitter makes a living off transmuting his pain into power, and he puts a piece of his tenacious spirit into the beginning of every project he’s released. Whether it’s the victory lap of Championships’ “Intro” or the Hall of Fame-level motivation from “Dreams and Nightmares,” all of Meek’s openers command attention.
With his fifth studio album, Expensive Pain, delivering a new page to his dense mythos of opening tracks, we ranked the intros from every Meek Mill project so far.
16. “Intro” (2006)
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Mixtape: The Real Me 2
On Meek Mill’s early projects, he makes a point of highlighting everyone who was a part of his rap journey. The intro for his sophomore mixtape, The Real Me 2, is no different. Instead of rapping, Meek gives his people the first 2 minutes and 48 seconds of the project to shout themselves out. “Intro” isn’t really a song, but for a then-18-year-old Meek, it’s a good benchmark that shows he’s uplifted his city from the very beginning.
15. “Intro” (2008)
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Mixtape: Flamers
The intro for Meek’s Flamers embodies an early-2000s mixtape opening track. Meek doesn’t rap, but briefly talks his shit before the tape kicks off. This would have worked fine being attached to the second song on the project, but in true mixtape fashion, Meek separated them because he felt like his message deserved a moment of its own. There isn’t really any inspirational takeaway here, but hunger can clearly be heard in Meek’s voice, which still powers his intros to this day.
14. “Intro” (2009)
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Mixtape: Flamers 2: Hottest In Tha City
In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a trend here. Most of Meek’s early intros lack any kind of narrative structure or even lyrical element, and the opening track for Flamers 2: Hottest In Tha City follows suit. However, instead of Meek talking from the comfort of a studio, he speaks to DJ Difference from the state penitentiary as he serves his first stint in prison for gun possession.
13. “The Preview / Intro” (2009)
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Mixtape: Flamers 2.5: The Preview
In 2009, Meek Mill was at an important intersection in his life and career. He had just been released from prison, and he had recently signed under T.I.’s Grand Hustle Records, delivering Flamers 2: Hottest In Tha City before he got locked up. “The Preview” off Flamers 2.5 is exactly what its name implies, a trailer to hype listeners up for the tape. But similar to the intros that came before it, Meek lets DJ Cosmic Kev introduce the project before screaming about how he’s arrived on “Intro” over the beat for “Forever.”
12. “Flamers 3 Intro” (2010)
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Mixtape: Flamers 3: The Wait Is Over
The only reason I like the intro for Flamers 3 more than the other two is because of the way it symbolizes Meek’s hustle. After getting out of prison, he could have relaxed for a bit, but instead, he immediately linked up with DJ Drama and got his first Gangsta Grillz tape. The conclusion of Meek’s Flamers trilogy marks the beginning of a great relationship between him and the legendary DJ, and “Flamers 3 Intro” feels like an appropriate homecoming note to usher in a new era.
11. “N****s Know” (2006)
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Mixtape: The Real Me
“Niggas Know” lays the foundation for all of Meek’s intros that follow it. It’s rough and doesn’t sound like the Meek we know today, but that’s because he was just 18 at the time. He was still trying to figure out how he wanted to rap back then, but even the unrefined marble of this track gleams of Meek’s future potential, like his fearless shots at competitors and cocky claims of owning the streets. The bravado that Meek shows on “Niggas Know” is something that fans can go back to and see how he’s always lived his raps.
10. “Love My Team” (2010)
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Mixtape: Mr. Philadelphia
Meek Mill’s seventh solo mixtape, Mr. Philadelphia, came out only two months after Drake’s debut studio album, Thank Me Later, and its influence on him is evident in the project’s intro. Ignoring the fact that this is essentially a cover of Drake’s “Up All Night,” “Love My Team” has many of the components of a great Meek Mill track. Using loyalty as an overarching theme, Meek infuses his Philly DNA with Boi-1da’s production while borrowing some of Drake’s phrasing to add his own flavor. It’s a strong intro, and if it wasn’t for the sheer irony of the two rapper’s very public beef years later, you get the feeling “Love My Team” would have aged much better.
9. “Intro” (2011)
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Mixtape: Dreamchasers
Meek Mill’s Dreamchasers mixtape series is the bedrock of his career, and much of its sturdy foundation is built upon intros like this. The intro for Meek’s inaugural Dreamchasers tape partially samples Carl Orff’s “O Fortuna” in the beginning, a song he would later use for “On The Regular” off DC4, but “Intro” relies more heavily on Meek’s animosity for the system and the fire in his belly to make it to the top. Meek has never cared about who he offends in his rhymes, but that sentiment feels even more palpable here, with the Philly rapper demanding the money and respect that he’s owed. The mud on his boots is still wet, and the blood in his eyes is still fresh as every bar feels heavy when it lands. “Intro” is as aggressive as it needs to be to get Meek’s central point across; he’s here to stay, and you better get used to him.
8. "Intro" (2012)
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Mixtape: Dreamchasers 2
There’s no better way to set the tone for an aggressively confident project than by opening it with a clip of Mike Tyson talking about wanting to eat his opponent’s children. Sampling Tyson’s post-match speech after he defeated Lou Savarese in 2000, Meek is just as vicious as the legendary boxer on the intro for his 2012 mixtape, Dreamchasers 2. Meek had become fully enveloped in the major label system at this point, and the project’s opening reflects how much his rapping had improved, while still maintaining his unfiltered ferocity. Instead of aiming at local enemies, Meek uses “Intro” to target the rap industry and put the game on notice as he enters a new stage in his career.
7. “I’m Leanin” f/ Travis Scott, Birdman, and Diddy (2013)
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Mixtape: Dreamchasers 3
Dreamchasers 3, as a project, acts like ominous rumbling storm clouds in the distance, warning of the impending hurricane that was Meek’s debut studio album, Dreams and Nightmares. And to that end, “I’m Leanin” is also a precursor to the main event. This intro sounds like Meek is on the verge of his creative breakthrough, with a little help from a young La Flame who had yet to apply AutoTune to his patented ad-libs. Meek’s hunger and drive are present on “I’m Leanin,” even though the bars haven’t fully materialized yet. He’s still drunk off the success of making it out the trenches, but you can tell his stupor is almost over and the razor-sharp vision that he illustrates on his debut album is coming into focus.
6. “Wins & Losses” (2017)
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Album: Wins & Losses
Wins & Losses is Meek Mill’s redemption album, and what better way to ring in the prodigal son’s return than with a motivational speech as a rallying cry? Even though sampling a monologue from preacher and motivational speaker Eric Thomas might sound like fodder for a cliché gym playlist on paper, “Wins & Losses” overall message speaks to the album’s premise perfectly. Some didn’t think Meek would be able to dig himself out of the mountain of memes that Drake had buried him under during their feud, but like the entirety of Wins & Losses, this intro is a reminder that you can never count the Dreamchaser out no matter how bad the odds are stacked against him. Meek pushes that concept in the opening bar of the song, spitting, “As I walk through the valley with my ladder in flex/I’m the realest nigga in it, I just happen to rap/When they all thought we was finished, they was laughing at that,” borrowing verbiage from Psalm 23:4 and making it battle rap-friendly. “Wins & Losses” only furthers the story Meek has written for himself—the tale of a scrappy Philly kid who turned his losses into lessons and his pain into plaques.
5. “On the Regular” (2016)
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Mixtape: DC4
War-ready Meek is one of my favorite versions of Meek, and he’s in full Gladiator mode on the intro track for DC4, “On the Regular.” Dropping in the heat of battle in 2016 when it felt like he was trading shots with Drake every other month, Meek used every newly-developed rap skill he had to prove that no meme formed against him shall prosper, bringing back his Dreamchasers series with a bang. Not only is Meek rapping like he’s trying to take someone’s head off, he’s also digging deep into his technical toolkit and utilizing some impressive rhyme mechanics. He switches flows twice in the second verse, pushing different cadences with ease, and never misses a beat. Even his sampling of “O Fortuna,” which is all about refuting the idea of an inescapable fate, plays on the idea of him cursing in the face of destiny. Although the lyrics themselves never get as dramatic as the beat, “One the Regular” is another example that Meek’s story can never be cut short, because he’s writing it himself, and he’s not regular.
4. “Intro” (2018)
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Album: Championships
A recurring theme in Meek’s music is how he’s never allowed his unfavorable circumstances to define his future. The foreword for Championships embodies that, blazing a runway for an artist who had just been released from prison in 2018 and was eager to get back to music. Using Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” as the skeleton, Meek creates a false sense of calmness before marrying the iconic drum breakdown with trap snares. There’s venom infused in every bar on “Intro” as Meek reflects on the challenges that come with wealth, like the paranoia of being exploited, while simultaneously sneering at his detractors, calling “your favorite rapper a mumble rapper.” There’s also a sense of foreboding to the track, signifying that the best has still yet to come. Thus, this intro is the warning flare that can be seen from a distance, indicating that Meek’s legion of Dreamchasers has finally returned and the siege to reclaim his empire is upon us.
3. “Intro (Hate On Me)” (2021)
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Album: Expensive Pain
Throughout his career, Meek has been entangled in a constant battle of self. He can escape the trenches, but not the trauma—or “expensive pain,” as he calls it on his fifth studio album—and with that comes balancing various lifestyles. Is he Meekaveli the art savant or Meek Milly the humble trapper? Meek the savage or Meek the reformer? On Expensive Pain, he slays his imposter syndrome with rhymes, and the album’s explosive opening track “Intro (Hate On Me)” is the buoyant victory lap for the street’s unsullied hero. Paying homage to Nas’ classic “Hate Me Now,” Meek taps into a pocket that’s reminiscent of his rapping on early mixtapes, as he effortlessly flows over the Cardo-produced beat. From the gutter to galas, there’s a sense of comfort as Meek raps about how “The hood behind me, I never could lose, I’m good, I’m solid.” Regardless of his social status, he’s still a mortal man who wants to look out for his family and community before anyone else. There’s so much explosiveness behind “Intro (Hate On Me),” because it shows how the streets are still supporting him even when he doubts himself, a message echoed across the album.
2. “Lord Knows” f/ Tory Lanez (2015)
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Album: Dreams Worth More Than Money
Coming off of a major label debut that featured possibly the greatest intro of the 2010s, the pressure to capture lightning twice could have folded Meek. But instead of trying to recreate the masterpiece of “Dreams and Nightmares” on the preamble of his sophomore album, Dreams Worth More Than Money, Meek decided to make an entirely new painting. The beginning of “Lord Knows” sounds suited for the beginning of a Bond movie, where a dapper Meek Milly struts his way into a museum filled with his competitors’ work and torches it for five minutes straight with a flurry of shots about how it’s all fraudulent. After fully immersing himself in the industry, Meek shows up on this album’s intro to call out the counterfeit gangsters, juxtaposing them with the dangerous life he really lived. While “Dreams and Nightmares” is Meek capitalizing on his shining moment, “Lord Knows” finds him zoning in on the gap between himself and his competition. The sample of Mozart’s iconic “Lacrimosa” movement from the composer’s “Requiem in D” adds a layer of luxury to every jeer, as he scoffs at the idea of being humble about success. It’s fitting that a song so arrogantly opulent is emblematic of an album that would ultimately raise hell and ignite wars in the rap game.
1. “Dreams and Nightmares” (2012)
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Album: Dreams and Nightmares
This should come as no surprise to anyone. What Meek Mill did on the title track of his debut studio album, Dreams and Nightmares, will go down in rap history as one of the most memorable intros of all time. “Dreams and Nightmares” is Philly grit distilled into pure adrenaline. It’s one of those songs that you have memorized, even if you don’t realize it, because you’ve heard it played outside so many times. It’s a double shot of espresso that can wake up any function. But it’s also much more than just a club anthem. It’s a call to worship that unites all colors, creeds, and other designations under the unwavering principle to “grind like that to shine like this.” You don’t have to be a rapper, or from the same trenches as Meek, to resonate with the idea that it’s possible to accomplish your goals against all odds. “Dreams and Nightmares” captures that never-quit mentality that lies dormant in all of us and amplifies it to the tenth degree. It’s Meek playing Prometheus, smiting the system that tried to trap him, and escaping the preordained damnation that the streets marked him with. It’s a story of pain, pride, and passion. It served as a paradigm shift for rap intros, raising the bar to the top of the Comcast Center building. Several albums and openings deep, it was clear that Meek was right. This was what we’d been waiting for.
