Meek Mill recently responded to Jay-Z’s mention of him on DJ Khaled’s 13th studio album, “God Did.” In the title track, alongside Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, John Legend, and Fridayy, Jay-Z rapped, “Me and Meek could never beef/ I freed that n—a from a whole bid/ Hov did/ Next time we have a discussion who the G.O.A.T., you donkeys know this.”
Meek initially reacted to the verse by emphatically stating, “Never!!!!!!” in response to a tweet by Chino Braxton quoting the lyrics. In a recent interview with Speedy Morman on Complex 360, the Philly rapper shared that hearing Jay-Z acknowledge him was thrilling, but what truly amazed him was when Beyoncé advocated for his release.
“It was crazy when I heard Beyoncé say ‘Free Meek,’ I was in a jail cell, and she was like ‘free Meek.’ I’ve been around Hov a lot, but when I heard Beyoncé say it, of course was the Hov oop, that sh-t jumped me out the building. But of course, I always had dreams of catching up with Hov and ‘em from a young n-gga. I say it when I’m around him, ‘I had dreams of catching up with you , I’m here.’ So, you know, to be able to get spoke on by some of the greats that been in this game and make lane for me, of course.”
Meek Mill also acknowledged the significance of Jay-Z’s public support: “Them giving light to my name in a situation as such that sh-t brought attention to my situation. Of course, I love a shoutout from Hov, who wouldn’t? You can’t pay for that type of marketing.”
Meek Mill’s departure from Roc Nation Management in July 2022 sparked rumors of a potential rift between the two rappers after a decade of working together. Their time together yielded a joint venture deal with Meek’s Dreamchasers label as well as the creation of Reform Alliance, a nonprofit aggressively working to rewrite unjust probation and parole policies.
In a pair of tweets following the mid-July news, Meek voiced his frustration with Atlantic Records over the disappointing performance of his album Expensive Pain, claiming that the label “didn’t put nothing” into promoting the collection. “All I seen today was meek and roc part ways … I’m personally handling my own business so I can take risk and grow ..we came to that agreement together..I have a label deal with roc for my artist and I got reform super tied with them and many other investments wit jigga.”
He added, “And roc nation is my family don’t mix my post aimed at Atlantic mixed up with roc or MMG…they ain’t stop nothing I’m doing we made about a 100m together des mike and Hov saved my life b4 And put a lot of energy into it I’m not behind on my favors in life wit my people I’m good.”
As for Jay-Z’s claim that he “freed” Meek Mill, it refers to his vocal support and financial assistance during Meek Mill’s legal battles. Jay-Z spoke out numerous times after the Philly rapper was given a two-to-four-year prison sentence in November 2017, calling it “unjust and heavy handed” on social media and writing a powerful op-ed in the New York Times. “On the surface, this may look like the story of yet another criminal rapper who didn’t smarten up and is back where he started,” Hov wrote. “But consider this: Meek was around 19 when he was convicted on charges relating to drug and gun possession, and he served an eight-month sentence. Now he’s 30, so he has been on probation for basically his entire adult life.”
Meek also told the Breakfast Club, “Jay-Z is actually responsible for some of my legal fees. Which I thought was the dopest in the world because it was some millions of dollars. I don’t even think I could have afforded it.”
Watch the full interview with Speedy Morman below. Skip to the 12:40 mark to hear Meek Mill talk about his relationship with Jay-Z.
