Mixtape Review: Meek Mill - 4/4 Part 2 - RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture

It didn’t take Meek Mill long to follow up his long-awaited 4/4 EP. Just two weeks after dropping the alleged Dreamchasers 4 warm up project he’s back with the second installment: 4/4 Part 2.

Not only did the first one leave people with more questions than answers but dropping a sequel to a prequel seems fairly redundant even though Meek comes correct this time around.

It’s actually a little surprising that Meek found the time to record more new music while currently engaging in an all-out social media war with 50 Cent. Using ruthless memes as ammo, the two have been at each other’s throats for the past few weeks. But as we know, beefing on social media is nothing new for Meek. It seems to be the only thing Meek is known for these days, seeing as the first 4/4 EP reminded us all that he’s still not over his skirmish with Drake. 4/4 Part 2 further proves his feelings haven’t changed but his execution has.

It follows the same four songs structure that the previous part one does but with a few more features and a little more finesse. The first installment not only took wild shots at Drake, 50 Cent and pretty much anyone who isn’t Nicki Minaj but it was a hot mess of aggressive rhymes that missed their target. On this EP, it may be minuscule, but he seems to have taken a deep breath and thought things through for once.

Lead track “Fa Sho” has a haunting beat produced by Mando Fresh and a tolerable chorus by T Dot. All of which set Meek up for a half decent performance but once again he serves up the typical “I’m better than you” raps that get old as early as two bars in. It’s hard to rally behind what appears to be a collection of generic subliminals, especially when all people care to hear is a specific name call out. Rap is filled with uber arrogant lyrics but Meek is beating the angle to death. We get it, you’re “the realest”.

“Ricky” is the only featureless track on the EP and isn’t necessarily awful but is the most skippable. It’s pretty much the same Meek Mill song you’ve been hearing since day one. Referencing the struggle, the street life, the guns, the money, the cars etc. etc. Sure, he’s good at it and it sounds cool enough but the punchlines are all pretty well the same.

Before you give up on this EP (and Meek) altogether, “Slippin’” with Future and Dave East saves the day. As a reward for making it this far into the EP, listeners are blessed with a solid Future chorus and a standout verse from Dave East. Although the production and the featured guests are the real MVPs, Meek has some refreshingly honest lines. “Gotta watch ’em closely, backstabbers they poke me/Shot me, brought me down on my knees, tried to Derrick Rose me/Won ’em a ring, still did me like I was Kobe” puts his current situation in a different perspective.

Things really get fascinating however, on the fourth and final track “War Pain”. This is exact type of Drake diss track that should have come out in lieu of the laughable “Wanna Know”. It is in this very song where Meek seems 100 times more poised and focused instead of emotional and trigger happy. The beat is menacing and Meek’s delivery is clear and sharp. As soon as he opens by saying “Location: Toronto”, you can tell he’s war ready.

What makes the track even more interesting are the all the references made to Drake’s newest track “Summer Sixteen”. Both this EP and Drake’s latest song were released within mere minutes of each other, so naturally a whole bunch of theories have arisen as to how Meek got his hands on Drake’s track early. According to Meek, alleged OVO ghostwriter Quentin Miller leaked it to him as a means to ready an adequate response. Whether this is true or not, Meek made the best of it.

“But soon as you body somethin’ they be singin’ like they Drake/Wait, niggas dancin’ like they fruitcakes/Hotline Bling, don’t get no bing up in this new Wraith” is definitely a head turner and even “When I met you, you was on my dick/Asked me to hold the DC chain, now you want some shit” is actually pretty cold based on how supportive Drake was of Meek a few years ago. Is it the perfect diss track though? No. There are still some pretty basic filler mixed into the quotables and giving Omelly a verse at the end is useless. I mean, you don’t see PartyNextDoor or OB O’Brien getting a quick 16 at the end of “Back To Back”.

All in all, 4/4 Part 2 turns out to be a bit better than Meek’s first go at it. The pros include the very listenable “Slippin” and “War Pain”, even though six months late, is a strong offensive move. The cons include the seemingly endless bars of filler on the top two tracks and the questionable placement of Omelly on “War Pain”. If Meek is smart, this should be the last he speaks on the Drake feud. If he wants people to stop bringing it up, he needs to leave it on a high note and start gearing up for the release of Dreamchasers 4.