Since his early mixtape days back in the mid 2000’s, Meek Mill has been a striking force with his flow, charisma and wordplay. Having a deep history with his success in battle rap, Meek was destined to be as great as he is today. From his determination to win from the start, the Philly rapper was able to beat the odds and take his career to greater heights when he signed to Maybach Music Group in 2011. Having been faced with some trying times even as a major recording artist, Meek Mill has always shown his lion heart through it all. Today (Oct. 1), he returns with the release of his fifth studio album Expensive Pain.

It’s been 3 years since the release of Meek’s critically acclaimed, platinum album Championships and fans have been eager to see what would be coming next from the MMG spitter. His debut album Dreams and Nightmares set the tone for a number of high quality albums to come after and Expensive Pain has set another bar for years to come. Making a valiant effort to outdo himself with each release, Meek Mill is on track to cementing himself as one of the best to ever do it when the smoke clears. The album’s title ties into the cover art very well, with all of his vices on display — from women, to his love for bike life, to his love for money — which is all surface level things but you get the picture.

In his latest Instagram post, the MMG rapper (rightfully so) paid himself homage for this project: “I grabbed my own flowers this album.” Without a doubt, Expensive Pain is one of Meek Mill’s best bodies of work to date and while he has his hands in different pots, he will certainly continue to give the fans what they want on the music side.

Check it out now.