MONEYBAGG YO ‘HARD TO LOVE’ ADDRESSES HIS PUBLIC LIFE WITHOUT HURTING THE MUSIC

Over the past five years, Memphis rapper Moneybagg Yo established himself as one of the genre’s most active emcees. A Gangsta’s Pain, the culmination of a series of LPs released from 2018 to 2021, saw him perfecting his formula of trap and drill bangers based around his distinct flow, somber introspection, and irreverent array of ad libs.

Due to the terrible murder of his ex-girlfriend, a cheating scandal involving his present spouse, and a lean relapse, he was made a single father during last year’s layoff. Even still, none of that could stop his creative energy. Without forsaking the street anthems that made him famous, Moneybagg Yo addresses his real life pain in some of the most sensitive songs of his career on Hard To Love.

Future’s “Keep It Low” drips with poison and seems meant for club bumping. “F My BM” is a fan favorite due to the irreverent interaction between the chorus and ad libs. Additionally, “On Wat U On” by Memphis resident Glorilla and myself is a genuinely enjoyable duet between two performers. He blatantly admits his relapse in the song “Still,” saying, “Still sippin’ on that drank even though I said I quit/ Still loving on this ho even though she ain’t my bitch/ still’ll pull up in the hood anytime I get ready.” Moneybagg Yo is clearly saying that no matter how far up the charts he goes, he won’t forget where he came from or how he got there.

However, the new prominence came at a cost, and in some of his most openly sincere performances, Moneybagg Yo wrestles with that reality. I must admit that I despise fame, yet I am fortunate. On “Hurt Man,” he admits, “This shit is so bittersweet, it makes me think of my ex.” He expresses in a powerful way how he feels estranged by his popularity and worries that he is too broken to love. In “More Sick,” he describes in exquisite detail how he comforted his kids after their mother passed away while also lamenting the loss of numerous pals.

Moneybagg’s commitment to producing only the typical trap fare is the album’s lone flaw. Given his shift to a more broad audience, it’s a little surprise that the album doesn’t make any innovative strides in that area.

Moneybagg Yo delivers a well-balanced trap essay about the challenges of living a true life in the spotlight on Hard To Love. Moneybagg Yo appears to be an outlier, being able to combine those intensely intimate components with the raunchy trap songs that keep clubs hopping.