Maybach Music's Meek Mill Speaks About Philadelphia Hip Hop, Influences

Exclusive: The Grand Hustle-turned-Maybach Music Group emcee talks about the importance of flow and a hot hook, and points to Freeway and Beanie Sigel and great Philly pioneers.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania emcee Meek Mill (f/k/a Meek Millz) is celebrating a career high in scoring a substantial position upon the Maybach Music Group’s budding roster, and a strong role in Self Made, Volume 1, due on May 23. The onetime Grand Hustle Records artist spoke to HipHopDX earlier this month about his roots in the City of Brotherly Love. “You know I’m from [Philadelphia], so we all have a special sound from there, be that Beanie [Sigel] or Freeway. I grew up under artists who practiced their flow so I came up understanding the importance of that. When you’re from Philly, you gotta have your lyrics and your flow [rehearsed perfectly], that’s the number one thing. You also gotta have a hot hook but you have to have a perfected flow as well, from my city. Philly just influenced him in general when it comes to my flow.” Meek subscribes to this, as heard in his hometown hit "Rosé Red," which the emcee made prior to his signing with Rick Ross.

Now aligned with a Miami rapper, as well as generation of regional artists on MMG, such as Washington DC's Wale and Atlanta, Georgia's Pill, Meek spoke about his responsibility to put on for his city. “Yeah there’s hasn’t been someone to represent Philly in a major way in a while, but I don’t feel that it puts any added pressure on me. I’m just ready to get things back popping out here for my city again. I knew I was going to be able to make it from the Philly underground scene to the major level eventually, I just knew it."

Confident in his ascent to stardom, Meek said that this is part of a bigger picture. "That’s how I live my life, you have to always be confident and just know what you are capable of doing. I believe that you have to strongly know what you’re going to do in life, you can’t assume you have to just know it for a fact in this game. Whatever you may want, you have to know you can get it. “

(hiphopdx)