Memphis rapper Moneybagg Yo is back with his fourth studio album, A Gangsta’s Pain, just a year following 2020’s Time Served. The album’s title might lead listeners to observe it in a similar light to that of Benny The Butcher’s Burden of Proof—presenting itself as a concept album examining the impact of the street life.

While the album does touch upon the themes of trauma, money, violence, power and substance abuse; it stagnates due to the repetitive, self-aggrandizing Moneybagg resorts, all while rapping over stylistically similar piano-trap arrangements that become stale much too early.

The beats are often over-reliant on simple piano scale progressions, often backed by heavy warbling bass lines tailored for the suped-up speakers installed in the back of your friend’s hatchback. These aren’t unpleasant to listen to, but they become dry after the seventh or eighth song on the 22-song track list. While songs seldom break two and a half minutes, the album comes across as feeling longer than it actually is.

Moneybagg Yo spends an exorbitant amount of time focusing on stunting and flaunting his wealth and success, which is nothing new—or bad—in hip-hop. But the rappers best known for this kind of approach tend to offer some sort of angle on how they flex their wealth. Take Jay-Z’s rags to riches story, contrasted with honest self-reflection on how he got there. What we come to learn on A Gansta’s Pain is how Moneybagg distrusts people around him and suspects them of wanting to get at his money—only for him to turn around and immediately spend it on romantic partners and luxuries. Such is the case on “Just Say Det,” “Shotas (Lala),” “Hard For The Next,” “Time Today” and “Clear Da Air.”

To his credit, Moneybagg Yo does try and branch out at points with the intent of exploring deeper issues relevant to the themes of the album. Such is the case on “Wockesha,” where he opens up about using the party drug lean, landing somewhere between acknowledging he may have an issue with it, while still expressing his fondness of the concoction. “I Believe U” sees the rapper detail his experience working in the illegal drug trade. Back-to-back songs “Hate It Here” and “Love It Here” follow the emotional highs and lows of a tumultuous relationship.

A Gangsta’s Pain struggles to justify its length and unfortunately offers little for even casual listeners to connect with. The repetitive arrangements and themes are insufficient in providing for both those who want to vibe with music and those looking for lyrical depth. There’s a lot to work with throughout the album, but unfortunately, Moneybagg Yo barely scratches the surface as he winds up delivering what comes to feel like several versions of the same song.

Follow editor Tim Hoffman at Twitter.com/hipsterp0tamus.