Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Free Meek’ on Amazon Prime, a Documentary Chronicle of Rapper Meek Mill’s Many Legal Troubles

Amazon Prime docuseries Free Meek chronicles a seemingly unending criminal/legal epic. The story of rap star Meek Mill’s wranglings with the criminal justice system clocks in at three hours over five episodes, and it’s still not over — only days prior to this series’ debut, Mill was granted a retrial for the 2008 gun- and drug-related conviction that derailed his life, and prompted calls for justice reform. Free Meek will catch you up on the case, but ultimately is to be continued.

FREE MEEK: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Meek takes his seat for an interview, conducted while he was on bail.

The Gist: Before he was Meek Mill, he was Robert Williams, a poor kid from inner-city Philadelphia. His father put food on the table robbing drug dealers, and was gunned down on the streets; his mother subsequently stole clothes and other necessities for him and his sister. He spent significant time with his cousins, who were gun-toting drug dealers. Eventually, he renamed himself Rihmeek, because it was more “street.”

To hear Rihmeek and his family tell it, he didn’t participate in dangerous gangbanger activities, though. He focused his energy on writing and performing rhymes, and participating in rap battles; for his first battle, he was taken down so hard he cried, but it only fueled his desire to work harder, and batter future opponents with ruthless verbiage. His cousins testify: they protected him from the business of the streets, and helped him focus on the music. Soon, Meek Mill’s beats and rhymes were bumping from stereos all over Philadelphia.

After watching a fan of his raps get killed steps from his front stoop, Meek acquired a gun for protection. He was 19 years old when cops raided his home. He ditched the pistol, he says, and the cops beat him unconscious and arrested him. Authorities levied 19 charges against him. Since then, Meek has spent many months in prison, sold millions of records and spent millions of dollars defending himself against what many — including luminary artist Jay Z, CNN pundit Van Jones and investigative journalist Paul Solotaroff — deem to be unreasonable treatment by judges, lawyers and police.

Our Take: Free Meek has the potential to be a riveting guilty-of-being-black politically charged op-ed doc about a man whose life vacillates wildly between huge concert stages and tiny prison cells. But the first episode is a disorganized collection of sketchy details and smudged timelines, and struggles to keep the story focused. A handful of overdramatic reenactments don’t help.

Still, the documentary’s heart beats strong and heavy. Like any true-crime saga fueled by injustice, curiosity will lure in viewers unfamiliar with Meek Mill’s story, and likely experience the outrage felt by his many fans and supporters. The first episode features many talking heads supporting Meek’s claims of unfair treatment, and functions as a brief biography, teasing the convoluted ins-and-outs of his numerous legal troubles, to be outlined in the next four episodes.

Sex and Skin: None.

Parting Shot: A grainy still photo of young Meek, before his life became a living hell.

Sleeper Star: Free Meek‘s requisite player-to-the-camera is Solotaroff, whose interview commentary sounds as if it was written ahead of time for maximum dramatic input. Perhaps it’s no surprise to learn he’s also an executive producer of this miniseries.

Most Pilot-y Line: “This is FILTHadelphia,” Solotaroff says, describing Meek’s travails as catchphrasey as possible.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Set aside any structural issues with this first episode, and you’ll realize Meek’s story deserves to be told to a wide audience. It’s certainly sympathetic toward its subject thus far; will it present the story cut-and-dried, or, like many other true-crime docs, examine its ambiguities? It’s likely to be fascinating either way.

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com or follow him on Twitter: @johnserba.

Stream Free Meek on Amazon Prime