Raw, gritty and talented describe the lyrical talents of Rapper Meek Mill. His skills are so natural that he has a flow like no other. Born May 6, 1987 under the astrological sign of Taurus, Robert Rahmeek Williams adopted the rap name “Meek Mill” after family and friends from his neighborhood kept referencing him by his middle name. Meek is coined as the latest rap phenomenon to come out of the city of Philadelphia.
Raised in the North Philadelphia section of the city with his sister and inspired by his mother and father; who died when he was five, Meek Mill began taking the rap game seriously at the age of 12 after losing a street battle to neighboring rappers. He says his desire to rap grew after watching his uncle Philly hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Nell. While hanging out in his neighborhood, Meek met three guys and formed the group, “BloodHoundz,” which consisted of Mel Love, Dat Nigga Lil and Young Pooh. The group lasted for fives years and Meek ventured on his own.
With a solo career in tow, Meek became one of Philadelphia’s hottest underground rap artists on an independent label. In 2007, Meek debuted his Flamerz series, which stands for hottest songs and released his first mix tape, Flamerz 1, which featured the hit single, “In My Bag.”
In 2008, Meek debuted the highly anticipated Flamerz 2 –“Hottest In The City,” which showcased more of his lyrical abilities with the singles, “I’m So Fly,” “Prolli,” and “Hottest In The City.” Upon release of Flamerz 2, it caught the attention of founder and President of 215Aphillyated Records, Charlie Mack. Mack was immediately impressed with Meek that he signed him to his management company. During the same year, he met the founder and owner of Grand Hustle, TI. TI was impressed with his lyrical ability that he offered him an opportunity to travel to Los Angeles to meet with him along with the Warner Brothers Records, within one week both record companies offered him a deal. Meek was overwhelmed by the offers; however, he felt collaborating with TI was an opportunity of a lifetime and chose his label. An ecstatic Meek was on top of the world; a record deal and the chance to work with one of hip hop’s greatest rappers and then a set back occurred. He was arrested, charged with a crime and order to serve seven months in jail.
Meek pre-released three singles from his third mix tape Flamerz 2.5 – “The Preview” in August of 2009, which featured the chart topping hits, “Make ‘Em Say,” “Imma Da Ish,” featuring Ms. Jade and “Starting Something,” in honor Michael Jackson. Within the first two weeks of its release, Clear Channel added it to their play list, which is an anomaly in the music business. In June of 2009, Meek began immediately working on his freshman album – Flamerz 3, “Hottest In America – Gangster Grill Edition,” hosted by DJ Drama and featuring the songs: “Baby Girl,” “Hottest In America,” and “I’m Killin em.” The highly anticipated cd is set to be released on January 19, 2010. Despite his stint in jail, Meek’s fans remained loyal, he currently boasts of 13 million hits on MySpace and 20 million viewers on You Tube.
In the future, Meek plans to establish the Meek Mill Foundation, which will mentor young males between the ages of 12-24 on the importance of “Education over Incarceration.” He also plans to collaborate with United Community Action Network and the Lifers of Graterford Prison to address the violence plaguing our cities.
