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.

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.

[4][5] 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.

[10] 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.

[13] Around the same time, Mill revealed that major musical acts like Nas, Rick Ross, John Legend, and Mary J. Blige were set to be featured.

[8] In May 2012, Mill stated that he was recording between two and three songs a day in a studio he had recently installed on his bus for Canadian musician Drake's Club Paradise Tour.

[26][27][29][30] Jordan Sargent of Pitchfork described Dreams and Nightmares as "distinct in both voice and sound", observing it is "tense and dramatic" through the variations of piano and Mill's rapping.

[26] Some reviews considered the music to be formulaic; PopMatters' Matthew Fiander said Mill aims for commercial success over creativity and is accompanied by "the machinations of Maybach [like] overdone beats".

[1][27][29] David Jeffries from AllMusic depicted the album as disorganized with less care than a mixtape, yet thought that "sliced off into little bits, this is the glittery gangster feeling" to be expected for Maybach.

[25][1][32] The track has a beat switch in the middle to transition from the dreams to the nightmares portion; Mill changes from celebrating victory to rapping angrily about issues in his past.

[36] "Young & Gettin' It" contains elements of club and usage of Auto-Tune,[37][38] with lyrics about the strength to sell drugs from Mill and a hook from fellow rapper Kirko Bangz.

[29][32] Soul elements, hallow chimes, and filtered moans back Mill hypothesizing a conversation warning his father's murderer he will kill him on "Traumatized", expressing loss and regret.

[1] On "Young Kings", Mill recalls the pressure of drug dealing, as well as lamenting his father's death and expressing "fuck fame" to focus on his money.

2" serves as a sequel to the track from Mill's 2011 mixtape Dreamchasers and utilizes windshield wipers as percussion, with the rapper telling the story of gunplay leading into the tragedy of death.

[26][38] "Freak Show" is a club number set in a similar tempo, featuring rapper 2 Chainz and DJ Sam Sneaker, with a refrain referencing fellatio.

[43] In mid-October 2012, Mill and Rick Ross previewed it at Electric Lady Studios in NYC for rappers such as Jay-Z, Will Smith, and Wale, as well as singers Estelle and The-Dream.

[44][45] Mill declared that he was staying true to his early days with "In God We Trust", delivering "that hard street shit" unlike much of mainstream rap.

[53] "Amen" was released for digital download and streaming as the lead single from Dreams and Nightmares on June 19, 2012, by Maybach and Warner Bros.[54][55] A month earlier, the song had been included on Dreamchasers 2.

[55] The song's music video was released on June 15, 2012, interspersing footage of Mill and Drake partying late at night with clips of the Club Paradise Tour.

[66][67] On February 19, 2013, "Believe It" was sent to US urban contemporary radio stations as the album's fourth and final single by Maybach and Warner Bros.[68] An accompanying music video premiered on March 24, beginning with Mill and Rick Ross making a business transaction in the desert and then partying in Las Vegas.

Mill subsequently shared its poster alongside footage of him engaging in activities like performing and driving fast vehicles, accompanied by a list of accolades and the opening caption "Dream chasing is an occupation".

Mill also revealed a promotional poster and that it was set to take place at the Wells Fargo Center in his hometown of Philadelphia on November 26, coinciding with Thanksgiving in the US.

[79] Prior to Mill appearing at the Wells Fargo Center, footage played from the early days of his career with the "nappy braids that locked", then his Flamers mixtapes, the release of Dreams and Nightmares, and finally the icon he had widely become.

[80] "Friends" in the concert's title was represented by the rappers that joined Mill, including Fabulous, Fivio Foreign, Jim Jones, and A Boogie wit da Hoodie.

[31] Similarly, Sargent from Pitchfork celebrated the record's transition to the mainstream after Mill's mixtapes for being "distinct in both voice and sound" as it shows his strengths, highlighting his emotion and themes.

[26] The staff of XXL declared that "Dreams and Nightmares doesn't break new grounds in hip-hop", serving as a release for Mill to gain respect "on the verge of universal acceptance" like Rick Ross and Wale similarly did.

[25] Marcus J. Moore of BBC Music thought Mill's character of "a decent wordsmith with a gruff disposition" seemed obvious and the album "won't break new ground" in hip hop, feeling somewhat underwhelmed by the compositions and lyrics, yet observing "a respectable effort that ... moves him beyond illicit history".

[1] Edwin Ortiz from HipHopDX said the album proves that "Mill needs more time before he can rightfully call himself the lieutenant of the MMG army", concluding it is "a dream that could be forgotten by mid-day".

[30] He grudgingly acknowledged the responsibility of following standards for debuts through the likes of "sweeping themes" and reflective lyricism, concluding Mill's execution is competent and the conventional focus only takes him backwards.

Rap Radar listed the album as the seventh best of the year; Paul "Big Homie" Duong believed that Mill continued the success of his Dreamchasers mixtapes and tells "the prison walls to the hall of fame storyline" to a top level, concluding "this is what dreams are truly made of".