Dreams and Nightmares is the debut studio album by American rapper Meek Mill, released on October 30, 2012, by Maybach Music Group and Warner Bros. Records. Mill intended for it to be authentic and more cohesive than his mixtapes, having a stronger connection through both vocals and beats. The album features guest appearances from Kirko Bangz, Rick Ross, Nas, John Legend, Drake, Wale, and Mary J. Blige, among others. Production was primarily handled by Jahlil Beats and Boi-1da, alongside the likes of Tone the Beat Bully and Key Wane. The recording took place from January to September 2012, including sessions in a studio bus on the Club Paradise Tour. Sessions were also held in Los Angeles and Miami, and multiple recordings were included on Mill's ninth mixtape, Dreamchasers 2 (2012). The dreams represent Mill making money as a performer, while the nightmares are based on coming up from his neighbourhood.
"Amen" was released as the lead single in June 2012, followed by "Burn" and "Young & Gettin' It" later that year, before "Believe It" in early 2013. Music videos were produced for all of the releases, while the lead single and "Young & Gettin' It" both charted on the US Billboard Hot 100. Mill embarked on the Dreamchasers Tour for further promotion in August 2012, performing at 16 cities in the United States. Dreams and Nightmares received generally positive reviews from music critics, who mostly commended Mill's development into mainstream rap. Some praised his rapping, while a few critics highlighted the dreams theme. The album was named to 2012 year-end lists by multiple publications, including Rap Radar and The Source.
Dreams and Nightmares debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 165,000 copies in the first week in the US. It has since been certified gold in the country by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album reached numbers six and five on the Canadian Albums and UK R&B Albums charts, respectively. In November 2022, Mill held a 10th anniversary concert at the Wells Fargo Center, beginning with footage throughout his career and featuring appearances from the likes of Fabulous, Fivio Foreign, and Rick Ross.
Background and recording
In late January 2012, Mill announced his debut album to Hot 97 host Angie Martinez, with a release planned for the summer of 2012. The following month, Mill revealed the album's title to be Dreams and Nightmares in a vlog. Mill released his ninth mixtape Dreamchasers 2 on May 7, 2012, in the lead-up to Dreams and Nightmares. That same month, Mill declared backstage to MTV News to expect from the album "quality music and you're gonna get the real me", explaining it would not "be all over the place" like his mixtapes. He elaborated that he was going to establish a connection, trying to "perfect my craft a little more", assuring his flows blend better with the beats and these have more clarity. Mill was hopeful to include guest appearances from fellow rappers French Montana and Rick Ross, yet still insisted some features would be a surprise. In a May 2012 interview for The Juice, he added that the rappers featured would depend on how the unfinished tracks felt: "If I have a song that sounds like it fits Nicki Minaj the best or it fits T.I. the best, that's the people I would sort of lean towards getting on them songs. But it depends on how the songs fit the person."
Dreams and Nightmares features production on numerous tracks from record producer Jahlil Beats, who was first introduced to Mill via Myspace. He had previously contributed to Mill's Flamers 2: Hottest In Tha City (2009) and Dreamchasers 2, becoming a frequent collaborator of the rapper. Jahlil Beats said of collaborating that their chemistry "was destined to happen", emphasizing how well his drums and Mill's flow blend together. Jamaician-Canadian record producer Boi-1da produced the tracks "Traumatized" and "Tony Story Pt. 2", while production was also contributed by the likes of Tone the Beat Bully, Young Shun, Infamous, The-Agency, and Key Wane. In early August 2012, Hip-Hop Wired reported that the album's release date was postponed from August 28 to late October 2012. That same month, Mill implored to Wild 94.9 that he desired to stay true to hip hop and have a "classic album" comparable to the likes of Nas' Illmatic (1994), Jay-Z's Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life (1998), and 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003). Nas voiced his approval of Mill, "I got my eyes on him. He's the next one to take this shit over."