Meek Mill Enjoys the Glamor, Examines the Gloom, Wields a Big Sword in ‘Expensive Pain’ Video

Meek Mill offers an inside look at his life of luxury, as well as his inner turmoil, in the new music video for “Expensive Pain,” the title-track from his most recent LP. 

The video has an almost documentary feel to it, with the camera following Mill throughout his days and nights, whether he’s playing chess in the studio, examining new watches, performing on stage, hobnobbing with icons (there is a very brief Jay-Z cameo) and even, towards the end, wielding a giant sword. To complement the song’s lyrical themes, there are some heavier scenes as well, including footage of Meek’s mother and an old interview clip where the rapper puts it bluntly, “It’s easy to pull the trigger, but it ain’t easy to move your mom out the hood. That’s a real man’s job.”

Meek Mill announced Expensive Pain in September and released it a few weeks later on October 1st. The record marks the rapper’s first since 2018’s Championships, though in the intervening three years, he stayed busy with a string of EPs and standalone singles, including last November’s Quarantine Pack, his 2020 tracks, “Letter to Nipsey” (with Roddy Ricch), “Otherside of America,” and the Justin Timberlake-featuring “Believe.”