Meek Mill tha gawd. Photos by Rocco Avallone.There was a point last night, in the midst of Meek Mill’s homecoming concert at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia—a venue that, by the way, holds just shy of 20,000 people—when Allen Iverson walked out on stage. He didn’t do anything. And either did Meek. They both just stood there, stoically, looking out over the crowd. Or maybe a better word to use there is kingdom. Two gods. One city. And that city is Philadelphia. Advertisem*nt Advertisem*nt
Allen Iverson and Meek MillBut Meek is moving forward. He’s taking this mentality of Philadelphia, an approach to life driven by working class struggle to make ends meet, and putting it at the forefront of rap music, demanding your attention. And this is what makes him so special. Last night’s homecoming show—a celebration for his return to real life after a stint in prison that lasted almost a year—was all about showing how you can represent your culture and at the same time make other people care about it. On top of Iverson coming out and standing like a reincarnation of Jesus Christ, here are a bunch of other people who walked out on stage in support: Rick Ross, Yo Gotti, French Montana, Fabolous, Young Jeezy, DJ Drama, DJ Khaled, Lil Durk (!!!), and probably other important folks I forgot to take note of. In one night over a two-hour period, Meek Mill pounded on his chest in front of twenty thousand people—and whoever decided to watch the live stream on Revolt TV—and essentially told us why his culture matters, why we should pay attention, and brought out co-signers from across the country to reinforce his message. “We used to sell crack,” he told the crowd at one point. “But now we sell sneakers.”The pinnacle moment of the night came near the end of the show, when he performed “Dreams and Nightmares.” Shortly before, he told the crowd to hold up lights if they’d lost someone. People put their phones to the sky, lighting up the entire arena, feeling united with Meek. It was touching, because there we were, thousands of us brought together under the flag of Meek Mill, paying tribute to everyone we cared about who was no longer in our lives. But Meek Mill was in our lives. For every resident of this city, of Philadelphia—the “sixth borough,” the home of the most hated team in football, the “armpit of the east coast” (even though that's obviously New Jersey), America’s favorite punch line—the residents and their god could take two fingers and throw them up at the world, letting them know that they don’t give a sh*t about you, your jokes, or what you think you know about their city. Yesterday, the Philadelphia police department seized dozens of ATVs and dirt bikes from the streets. In the process, they arrested four people. It’s because the city, on its own, in celebration of the return of Meek, decided to have a “ride out.” As far as I know, Meek didn’t call for this to happen. It just happened. That’s what happens when you’re a god of your city. Last night, all that mattered was Meek. All that mattered was the moment. All that mattered was Philadelphia. “How you date Nicki Minaj?” he asked the crowd at one point. “Well, you a Philly nigg*.” Advertisem*nt
Meek Mill and Lil Durk
French Montana rockin' Yeezy Boosts.
Yo Gotti
Fabolous
Young Chris from Young Gunz
Allen Iverson
Young Jeezy
Rick Ross, who has lost weight!
DJ Khaled, who is awesome because he is DJ Khaled.
Dreamchasers.
ONE EMAIL. ONE STORY. EVERY WEEK. SIGN UP FOR THE VICE NEWSLETTER.
By signing up to the VICE newsletter you agree to receive electronic communications from VICE that may sometimes include advertisem*nts or sponsored content.