Meek Mill: I’m scared to be political

Meek Mill is scared to get political with his music.

The 28-year-old rapper has been through a lot in his life having grown up in Philadelphia where gun crime and poverty were rife. His dad was shot and killed when he was five years old and with a four-year-old son of his own, Meek thinks it's best to keep his mouth shut when it comes to certain topics.

"I'm scared to be political," he told Billboard. "You get too powerful and more people try to take you out. My son ain't trying to hear that his dad got put away because he was fighting for the country."

Meek spent time in prison in 2008 after being convicted of gun and drug charges. He was released the following year, but returned to jail last year after violating his five-year probation by performing shows out of state without permission. He spent five months behind bars with the majority of it spent in solitary confinement.

"Imagine being locked in your bathroom 23 hours a day," he said. "That's the closest I ever came to losing my mind. You're talking to yourself, playing games with the birds in the window. It's hell."

Things are looking up for Meek now, however, with his latest album Dreams Worth More Than Money topping the Billboard 200 chart and his relationship with fellow musician Nicki Minaj going from strength to strength.

The couple teamed up on single All Eyes on You and while they had a few teething problems in the early stages of production, Meek is pleased with the end result.

"She wanted it to be my single, and I didn't. It turned into an ego argument," he admitted, before insisting her success is no threat to him. "She killed me on that song but I don't really care. When my girl do better than me, I still win. When I do better than her, she still wins."