He started battle rapping around town and then formed a short-lived rap group called The Bloodhoundz. In the mid-to-late 2000s, the group released a few mixtapes, but by this time Meek was focusing more on his solo career. In 2008, Atlanta rapper T.I. signed Meek to his first record deal. Despite his success, much like Chris Brown, Meek Mill’s personal issues took the spotlight and his career suffered some. He was arrested and convicted of drug dealing and gun possession, and sentenced to 11 to 23 months in prison. He was released in early 2009 under a five-year parole agreement. He released more mixtapes for T.I.’s label, but he never made a studio album for the label. Instead, he signed with Rick Ross’ Warner-distributed Maybach Music Group. In 2012, he released his debut studio album Dreams and Nightmares. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and went certified gold with over 500,000 copies sold. In June of 2015, his second studio album debuted in the number one spot and went on to win the award for Top Rap Album at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards. Just as his career was starting hit its stride, Meek was sentenced to a multiple-year prison term for a parole violation in 2017. The harsh sentencing sparked a lot of backlashes because people believed the judge working the case made it personal. After all, she was the judge who first sentenced Meek all the way back in 2008. This led to the “#FreeMeekMill” hashtag. After the public outcry and reports of misconduct related to a previous arrest, Meek was released from prison in April 2018. Three months later, he released the EP Legends of Summer, and then in November 2018, he released his fourth studio album, Championships. The album received positive reviews from critics and debuted atop the US Billboard 200. Last checked in 2019, Meek’s net worth was $14 million, which is pretty great for someone who has spent most of the past year or two behind bars. Even though he is in jail, he is a millionaire like Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Jay Z.
