MoneyBagg Yo keeps his foot on the gas with “A Gangsta’s Pain” (This review includes the deluxe edition of the album).

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TOP 5

 

5. GO!

“GO!” might be the toughest track on this album.

“GO!” sounds like one of those songs that hitters are going to want to listen to while they do something evil in the streets. Not only does it feature an instrumental that makes me want to go ham on a punching bag, but it also features gritty deliveries and braggadocios/trill/savage lyrics by both MoneyBagg Yo and BIG30. While the former sounds pretty sly on the track, the latter sounds like he does dirt as a full-time job.

 

 

4. Shottas (Lala)

“Shottas (Lala)” is one of those songs that I begged my brain not to like (It just sounds so stupid).

How much do you wanna bet that MoneyBagg Yo recorded “Shottas (Lala)” while looking at his opps with his tongue out and his thumbs to his ears? Seriously, the song sounds so petty and childish, to me. I will say this, though: I f**k with the song’s beat, the catchy hook, and the cockiness that MoneyBagg raps with.

I’m embarrassed to say that I like this song (SMH).

 

 

3. Time Today

“Time Today” sounds like an eviler “Said Sum.”

“Time Today” is yet another mean-ass club banger by MoneyBagg Yo. The song features a beat that will rattle club venues, impeccable flows, and lyrics that should intimidate the Memphis rapper’s naysayers, ops, and competition.

MoneyBagg Yo is one of the best s**t-talkers in the game right now.

 

 

2. Free Promo

MoneyBagg Yo, Polo G, and Lil Durk hit us with dramatic bars in “Free Promo.”

If you don’t feel “Free Promo” in your soul, you’re probably suffering from the after-effects of COVID. The track features one of the most powerful beats that I have ever heard and lyrics that will make you cry ghetto tears. While Moneybagg switches between a whiner and a gritty rapper in the song, Polo G comes across as noble, and Lil Durk comes across as strangely laidback (Well, he does turn up the heat towards the end of his verse).

The guitar solo at the end is what takes this song to another level.

 

 

1. Wockesha

Who would’ve thunk that “Wockesha” would end up being one of the biggest tracks of the year?

Technically, “Wockesha” is about codeine abuse. Like, MoneyBagg literally talks about being addicted to lean throughout the song (Y’all don’t care, right?). What I think makes the song uber appealing is that it features a flipped version of the classic “Foolish” beat and a borderline sappy rap performance by MoneyBagg. Do I think this is the greatest song ever? No. Do I think it’s a classic club banger? Yes.

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SONG BY SONG BREAKDOWN

*1. Switches & Dracs (4/5)

*2. Wat Be Wrong?? (3/5)

*3. Gave It (3/5)

*4. This Feeling (3/5)

*5. Scorpio (3/5)

*6. Another One (3/5)

*7. Wockesha (Remix) (2/5)

8. Memphghanistan (N/A)

9. Just Say Det (4/5)

10. GO! (4/5)

11. Wockesha (4/5)

12. Shottas (Lala) (4/5)

13. Hard For The Next (3/5)

14. If Pain Was A Person (4/5)

15. I Believe U (4/5)

16. Time Today (4/5)

17. Interlude (N/A)

18. Free Promo (4/5)

19. Hate It Here (4/5)

20. Love It Here (4/5)

21. Clear Da Air (4/5)

22. Projects (3/5)

23. One Of Dem Nights (4/5)

24. FR (3/5)

25. Certified Neptunes (3/5)

26. Change Da Subject (4/5)

27. LEAST IAN LIE (4/5)

28. BIPOLAR VIRGO (3/5)

29. A GANGSTA’S PAIN (4/5)

*Indicates deluxe

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RGM RATING

(C-)

 

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Moneybagg Yo is underrated. In my humble opinion, he has the ‘it’ factor. While I don’t quite love A Gangsta’s Pain, I do think that Moneybagg absolutely glows on the album.

Is there a rapper on this planet that knows how to balance braggadocios bars with hood-certified bars better than MoneyBagg Yo? Throughout A Gangsta’s Pain, he does a fantastic job of letting us know how much money he makes and how many chicks he’s slaying just as much as he lets us know about his rough come-up and his love for the streets. To me, the balance will make you put mad respect on Yo’s name.

Is there a rapper on this planet that knows how to make real-ass relationship songs better than Moneybagg? When it comes to his ladies, he does a phenomenal job of letting them know that he’s down for them just as much as they annoy him in the songs that he dedicated to them in “A Gangsta’s Pain.” As far as his friends, he does a phenomenal job of praising the ones that have been loyal to him and dissing the ones that act snakish around him.

The beats on A Gangsta’s Pain are extremely trappish. A good chunk of them are filled with tons of bass, 808s, and club vibes. Since 85% of Moneybagg’s songs are already abused in clubs, expect DJs to play out tons of tracks from this album.

I was pretty surprised by the guests that showed up on A Gangsta’s Pain. While Future made sense, I thought that Polo G, Lil Durk, Jhene Aiko, and Pharrell were a few names that I didn’t expect Moneybagg to work with, mainly because his style is completely different from their styles. Nonetheless, everyone I mentioned challenged Moneybagg to switch up his style a little; something I think he should do more of.

My beef with this album is that it is too long (22 37 tracks) and not unique enough (Too many songs sound like MoneyBagg’s old work). Don’t get me wrong, I love it when MoneyBagg gets in his bag over hard-hitting club beats, but I would’ve liked him to step outside of the box more like he did on “Certified Neptunes” and “One Of Them Nights.” Nonetheless, this album is entertaining enough to enjoy.

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