Happy Birthday, Meek Mill!

Meek Mill is the perfect example of the hip-hop come-up story. He went from being a braided battle rapping in the rough streets of Philadelphia to arguably Maybach Music Group's hottest rapper. He went from jail to Nicki Minaj. Plus, Meek has earned a legion of fans during his rise. He turns 28 today (May 6).

His very loud style of rapping has been the target of many memes and even a Twitter account, but there's an often visceral feel to it that moves his signature sound beyond just a gimmick. It's also great for hits. After earning the street's respect with his Flamers mixtape series, Meek proved with Dreamchasers that Rick Ross did right when he signed him to MMG. The first spawned the addicting singles "Tupac Back," "Ima Boss" and "House Party." On Dreamchasers 2, he brought out the best in Drake and Big Sean with "Amen" and "Burn," respectively.

Despite the hype, Dreams and Nightmares ended up being a slept on debut LP. For one, Kendrick Lamar released good kid, m.A.A.d city a week prior. Secondly, Meek's greatest song -- and one of the greatest of the decade -- was that intro. Within a hookless performance, Meek captured pain, elation and urgency with his stream of quotables and lucid delivery. Everybody remembers their reaction when they heard that tense beat drop at the middle combined with, "HOLD UP WAIT A MINUTE, YA'LL THOUGHT I WAS FINISHED?!"

The rapper has been keeping on since then, but his probation violation and subsequent jail sentence halted his plans for that sophomore album. But he bounced back and Dreams Worth More Than Money is on the way. "Monster" proved he was hungry, "B Boy" showcased his ability to deliver another banger and he ended up with Nicki Minaj in his arms.

Moral of the story: Meek Mill is a star.

Watch Meek Mill's "B Boy" Video Feat. Big Sean & A$AP Ferg

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