Top 5 Meek Mill Freestyles

Ranking Meek Mill's top five freestyles-- a futile task, really. Most every one of his tracks is a freestyle. He never writes down his lyrics, and though most rappers make said claim these days, with Meek, we really believe it. His denial of the pen and pad isn't merely a show of pride-- freestyling, in the truest sense of the word, is when Meek is at his absolute best. It's really the only channel he knows. 

If you follow Meek on social media, you know he doesn't abide by the mantra "think before you speak" (or tweet). Inspiration comes and is released immediately, often in the form of an unflinching lyrical assault. Coming from the mean streets of North Philly, Meek stood his ground and made his name by battle rapping, and, to this day, he's always ready to go, always looking for a target. Because of the things he's seen, and the years he's spent learning how to channel that pain into raps, Meek's freestyles often pack deeper, rawer content than the most ruminative of social poets. 

Here are five of Meek's most impressive freestyles-- all non-album tracks and tracks that Meek has officially deemed a freestyle. We know there are countless others to choose from, so please share your favorites in the comments. 

(age 13) 

One of the reasons Meek puts out street vids to many of his freestyles is because seeing is believing: The life is real, as are the bars that come naturally from the burning talent within. When Meek tackles Fabolous' "Y'all Don't Hear Me Tho," he takes Fab's spirit and transplants it to North Philly, a place only he can describe with the proper gruesome detail.  

Meek is a little more playful on this one, with a shit-eating grin on his face the whole way through-- perhaps because he's being inspired by his biggest muse (for years now), Ms. Nicki Minaj. "Roman's Revenge" finds Meek ditching his street-oriented content for pure swaggery. He spits at Twista-like frequencies, while still cracking jokes and rattling off punchlines. He's gonna come at you whether you like or not. In the end, Nicki couldn't resist.  

Meek's latest freestyle takes on Drake's "Energy," and that's exactly what he gives us-- in its rawest form. When Meek is zoned in, he won't take a second to catch his breath. The best freestylers are able to channel an intuitive, near divine, energy that you can't capture with a premeditated verse. Drizzy beats, which often soundtrack the times, are a popular choice for freestyles, but Meek pays proper homage to the IYRTITL hit and gives the track an "Energy" we didn't hear on the original.  

Soon after Meek got out of prison, his "Ice Cream Freestyle" reminded us just how hungry the young Philly Dreamchaser was and still is. Meek is far from the first to try his chops at RZA's chilling instrumental from Raekwon's '95 Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, though, among competition that included J. Cole & Method Man, y'all voted his the best. 

Meek critics will say the man has no chill-- indeed, whether on social media or a one-off freestyle, the man's style is always punctuated with at least three exclamation points. But no one can can deny the rawness that drives that inexhaustible energy-- 'cuz it comes from a real place: "In my cell, hangin' from a rope / When you get the same time for dope than you do a murder / Innocent 'til guilty, guilty the verdict."  

"Lil Nigga Snupe" is the most powerful record on Dreamchasers 3 for obvious reasons. A tribute to Meek's 18-year-old friend and protegé Lil Snupe, who was killed three months prior to the tape's release. Both Meek and Snupe came up in two of the worst areas of the country, and earned their stripes battle rapping in their early teens. Meek called Snupe the best he's ever seen, and their shared gifts of endless life-inspired lyrical intuition can be seen in videos of the two going back and forth. 

Meek attests the whole track, and studio session with Boi-1da, was completed in less than 45 minutes, and that his verse was completely off-the-top-- the only proper way to honor young Snupe. Though the song is as tear-jerking as any tribute you'll hear, Meek isn't slowed down by his sadness; instead, his pain and his hunger to do right by Snupe and his other lost brothers pushes him to his most ferocious. 

Meek dropped off a similarly heartfelt tribute on the same day Chinx was murdered. Once the pain hits, he heads right to the booth, and the results are chilling.