Meek Mill doesn't believe that problems in hip-hop stem from the music him and his peers are making. Instead, it's the way their music is getting to listeners.
On Tuesday, the Philly native hopped on X to speak about the way fans are taking in music is "failing" the genre. According to Meek, the current state of music and digital streaming platforms has hurt the genre.
This is something he knows firsthand, he explained, as he's been around since physical formats were the main way people got their music.
"Rap game not failing the system of the way we intake music is failing ... I been around since hard copies ... dat piff... world star to dsp's I survived all those eras so I can see when it's a disservice!" tweeted Meek.
Meek's post highlights the challenges artists face navigating an industry that has shifted dramatically over the past few decades, from physical albums and mixtapes to viral clips and streaming platforms. Since his mid-aughts early mixtape days, and even more so since his commercial debut with Dreams & Nightmares in the early 2010s, Meek has been a mainstay in hip-hop, gaining traction with his vivid storytelling and high-energy delivery.
At the time of Meek's commercial ascendance, the rap world was beginning to transition from physical CDs — whether album or mixtape — to online platforms and digital streaming services. Meek's rise coincided with outlets like DatPiff, WorldStarHipHop, Nah Right, Ill Roots, and more becoming central to how fans consumed music — a story that is told expertly in the podcast The Blog Era. Now, the industry is dominated by DSPs like Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and YouTube.
In addition to reflecting on his longevity in the rap game, Meek recently shed light on what he says is a life-changing project. Last month, the Philly spitter got on X and claimed he's been working on an artificial intelligence tool that'll "change the world." That message came shortly after Meek told fans he can't wait for people to see how brilliant he is.