Meek Mill and Justin Timberlake’s collaboration is officially here! The guys have been teasing an upcoming project for months, and they released their song, “Believe,” on Feb. 7. The track is inspirational, with lyrics, like, “You know I still believe, still believe in you and me,” and “Say I believe in myself when everybody stop believin’, never leave on yourself, they had my back against the wall, I had to lean on myself.” The story of the song is about fighting to come out on top, no matter how many circumstances may hold you back.
Meek seems to be drawing inspiration from his own life, including his controversial time behind bars from Nov. 2017 until April 2018 due to a parole violation. “Made me some commas, judge still gave me a sentence,” Meek raps at one point in “Believe.” In another lyric, he says, “Follow your dreams, not your addictions, how we gon’ follow our dreams locked in a prison? They tried to swallow me whole, God be my witness, Deprive me outta my dreams, but I’m relentless.” Meek’s legal issues sparked major debate about the prison reform system, and his case — which stemmed from a 2007 arrest — was officially dropped in Aug. 2019.
Meanwhile, Justin sings the soothing chorus. This is the first song he’s put out since being caught holding hands with Alisha Wainwright on a night out in New Orleans, with his wife, Jessica Biel, nowhere in sight (Jessica and Justin have proven they are on good terms despite the drama, though, and even attended the season three premiere of The Sinner together earlier this month).
In addition to the song, Meek and Justin also released a video for “Believe.” They both appear in the footage, with their scenes in black and white. The video also features a storyline about a man who gets taken away from his family in handcuffs, with his young daughter then fueling her pain into an intense boxing career. By the end, the two reunite. Meek also honors the late Nipsey Hussle in the footage by holding up a massive chain with a photo of the rapper. Check it out above.
Interestingly, this new song and video came out on the same day that Meek’s ex, Nicki Minaj, returned to the music game with her own new song, “Yikes.” The two were embroiled in a bitter social media war earlier this week, and now have songs competing against each other.
