Hip Hop 2012

Dreams and Nightmares as a Walkup Song

by Meek Mill

Preview

Is "Dreams and Nightmares" a good walkup song?

The 1:30 beat drop is one of the most cathartic moments in hip hop — Meek goes from soft piano to full chest-beating intensity in one cut. As a walkup it's pure ignition. The crowd reaction every time the drop hits is automatic. Just don't waste the trim window on the slow opening.

Notable players who've used it

Dreams and Nightmares became famous as the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl LII victory anthem and has crossed over to baseball walkups since. The 1:30 beat drop is one of the most-played walkup moments in modern sports — used by NBA teams, NFL teams, and increasingly MLB hitters.

How to trim "Dreams and Nightmares" for a walkup

Start at 1:30, run for 20 seconds. Skip the slow piano intro entirely. Trim into the beat drop at 1:30 — that's the famous moment.

The trim point is the difference between a great walkup song and a great walkup. A song's first 15-20 seconds rarely happen to be the best 15-20 seconds — most popular tracks have a build, an intro, or a bridge before the hook lands. Pick the slice that hits hardest. The last second of your trim window should land on a peak, right as the player steps into the box.

Best for

• Any hitter
• Power hitters
• Team intro

Clean / explicit version notes

"Dreams and Nightmares" has both an explicit version and a clean radio edit. For Little League, travel ball, school programs, or any field where parents are within earshot, use the clean version. Apple Music and Spotify both let you toggle to "Clean" in your account settings.

Songs that pair well with "Dreams and Nightmares"

If "Dreams and Nightmares" is on your shortlist, these are the walkup songs players most often consider alongside it. Same vibe, same energy, same kind of moment at the plate.

• X Gon' Give It to Ya — DMX
• Lose Yourself — Eminem
• The Largest — BigXthaPlug

How to set up "Dreams and Nightmares" for your team

Setting up a walkup song requires three things: an app that handles per-player audio, custom trim points, and one-tap playback on game day.

1. Build your roster in Walkup Pro — assign "Dreams and Nightmares" to the player who picked it
2. Scrub to 1:30 and set the trim duration to 20 seconds
3. Connect a Bluetooth speaker at the field (a JBL Charge or similar will cover any youth field — see our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers for a baseball field)
4. On game day, tap to play as the player walks to the box

For a complete game-day setup walkthrough, see how to play walkup songs at baseball games. For more on what makes a great walkup work, see the anatomy of the perfect walkup song.