He was flat broke, then he rose and became this international superstar. “But before that, he was a rapper, and he went broke. “You think about Will Smith and people think of Will Smith the actor,” Harris says. Other icons who have come from behind to emerge victorious from the city are stronger parallels. The clear difference is that Meek Mill is no fictional manifestation of Philly’s spirit, and his anthem has not only a dynamic edge, but speaks to an even less glamorous component of the city’s makeup. It was going to be a Philadelphia anthem.”Ĭomparing Meek Mill to Rocky Balboa, or “Dreams and Nightmares (Intro)” to “ Gonna Fly Now,” the theme from Rocky, is easy. “When I heard, ‘Hold up wait a minute…’ I knew, right then and there, that it was over. “I remember listening to the where the piano is playing, and he told me to just wait,” he says.

But at the time, he was pushing ‘Amen’ because of the feature, back when those guys were good.”Ĭosmic Kev was impressed by “Willy Wonka,” but also immediately recognized that “Dreams and Nightmares (Intro)” was sublime. Because, once again, the energy on that record. “When he sent me ‘Willy Wonka,’ I was snappin’ on that. “He sent me ‘Dreams & Nightmares,’ ‘ Amen,’ and ‘ Willy Wonka’ - which was off one of the mixtapes, because he had done those records early,” Cosmic Kev says. According to Cosmic Kev, the intro wasn’t the song from this initial batch that Meek was the most enthusiastic about. I didn’t think they was gon’ catch it the way they caught it.”ĭJ Cosmic Kev, a legend at Philadelphia’s Power 99 FM and one of the most respected voices in the local hip-hop community, says “Dreams and Nightmares (Intro)” was one of three records Meek sent him well before his debut was released. “But you know, that’s why I made that song in that manner.

“I didn’t think would respond to that song like that,” he admitted on Hot 97’s Juan Epstein podcast in 2013. Meek Mill said he’s long felt the record was special (“Me and my homies, we always thought that about the intro,” he told Complex in 2014, in response to Drake’s praise), but he’s acknowledged that he had no idea it would adopt this extended cultural afterlife. Therein lies the root of the song’s popularity: it’s become an anthem because it channels a relatable narrative into raw energy - something any listener can feel. But being written off or doubted is not exclusive to Philadelphia - that’s a narrative many can relate to or, at the very least, understand. They, like Meek, succeeded despite being written off. Hence why the Philadelphia Eagles have embraced it as their anthem during a rocky journey to Super Bowl Lll. It’s deeply rooted in Meek Mill’s North Philadelphia upbringing the grit and chip-on-your-shoulder ambition that characterize the city are evident throughout the song. Much of that impact comes from the feeling “Dreams and Nightmares (Intro)” evokes.

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