21 Savage is one of the most beloved artists of the last decade, known for making other people’s music better. The London born, Atlanta raised rapper first blew up in 2016 when he collaborated with Atlanta based producer, Metro Boomin, to release Savage Mode. The EP went on to peak at number 23 on the billboard top 200 and the two artists have gone on to lead successful careers while collaborating later down the line. I remember going on my musical journey and having been listening to artists widely regarded as the best of the best I didn’t expect to be impressed by 21’s abilities and yet, I was pleasantly surprised by 21’s unique style and especially enjoy the ongoing joke that if a song says “Feat. 21 Savage”, it is immediately a banger.
21 has not had a solo release since 2018 with “i am > i was” which contained the song “A Lot” which peaked at number 12 on the billboard top 100, and since then we have been blessed with 2 collaboration albums including the long-awaited SAVAGE MODE II made with producer Metro Boomin, as well as Her Loss with Drake. With every 21 Savage drop, he gets better, and I am hoping this won’t be an exception and will start 2024 off great, music wise.
american dream– Is a simple yet effective intro to the album which I will not give a score but will instead use to influence the scoring of the first song as it beautifully transitions and sets the tone.
all of me– 7/10 – Starts off with a seamless transition into a beautiful sample of “Wishing on a Star” by Rose Royce, before 21 takes over with a flow that only stops during the chorus in which he switches up and I notice usage of a different sample from the same song, but this time I feel 21 could’ve gone without a sample. The chorus slows down all of 21s’ momentum and sets up a beat drop but I feel it falls short and doesn’t benefit the song at all. Overall, the song is a nice track that I think feels long as the chorus plays often and interrupts any momentum 21 had built up.
redrum– 8/10 – Once again starts off with a sample, this time it is in another language which I think puts more emphasis on the sound instead of words, before 21 puts an absolute stranglehold on the gritty and rough beat that he doesn’t let go of. The chorus on this song is very memorable especially with 21 repeating redrum with background vocals adding some depth to the sound. Overall, a very good song that I have on repeat.
n.h.i.e. Feat. Doja Cat- 7/10 – Doja Cats’ vocals are put to good use on the chorus where she voices adlibs while 21 raps. This is more of a calm beat that I could see being turned into a banger. When Doja Cats’ verse begins there is a bit of a funny moment where when she finishes a bar, the ad-lib on the end is just the word, ad-lib. This song is very good but the thing holding it back is how short it is.
sneaky– 4/10 – 21 uses a flow in which he raps a bar then pauses with an adlib which is a very slow flow that I am not a fan of especially when it is over utilized. This track is honestly nothing special and is for some reason longer than the Doja Cat track.
pop ur s*** Feat. Young Thug and Metro Boomin- 6/10 – 21 has an honestly amazing performance on this song but it is ruined by the feature. Young Thugs verse is obnoxious to listen to as he uses a similar flow, I criticized 21 for but does it even worse as he says a maximum of 5 words in a way that is hard to even understand. This track has some very memorable and funny lines, one of which had 21 speak out on, “it smell like gas, I think somebody pooped,”. Other than the unfortunate waste of a good beat that is the Young Thug verse, this song is pretty good.
letter to my brudda– 6/10- This track has a beat that is different from the rest so far as it is more upbeat and relies on a sample from and 21 put on what I think is his most underwhelming performance thus far while speaking about something that could make for a great track. This song is good but very forgettable.
dangerous Feat. Lil Durk and Metro Boomin- 6/10- 21 has a good opening verse which is followed by Lil Durk who seems out of place as his voice and flow is very out of place in this song. As I’m thinking about bumping this song down, I get to 21s’ verse after the chorus plays following Durks’ verse and got hooked back in. This songs’ saving grace is 21 turning up for 25 seconds but overall is very forgettable as the beat is boring and Lil Durk is out of place.
née-nah Feat. Travis Scott and Metro Boomin- 7.5/10 – Travis Scott honestly carries 21 on this song and I am here for it. At the start of the song, it seems like it would belong on Utopia with the questionable sample while Travis is spitting some random bars but then the beat drops and Travis absolutely snaps while Metro kills it with the beat. 21s’ performance unfortunately does not prove to make the song that much better or live up to the verse that preceded it but is still good. Even Travis taking the lead this song is very good, and I will surely seek out this song.
see the real– 4/10- Very similar to “letter to my brudda” but worse cause I ended up not paying attention and having to listen again. The effects on 21s’ more upbeat voice are very distracting over the boringly slow and basic beat. I’m not a fan of this but I respect the attempt to do something different.
prove it Feat. Summer Walker- 7/10- This song has a very nice mix of the beat and sample of Faith Evans’s “You Are My Joy (Interlude)” which is very slow and smooth which adds of calm aspect to the song, but I think it feels too slow which makes the three-and-a-half-minute long song feel like five minutes. Summer Walker has a great voice and 21 is in his usual unmatched flow. This song is good, but it feels too long.
should’ve wore a bonnet Feat Brent Faiyaz- 6/10- Very similar in tone to prove it but unfortunately Brent does not flow as nicely as Summer Walker, he is very much fighting against the beat as he usually does in his music, but I don’t feel it works here. 21 is absolutely spitting for most of the song and the beat is very good but I don’t feel this song is anything special.
just like me Feat. Burna Boy and Metro Boomin- 5.5/10- 21 is spitting as usual but this beat doesn’t feel right for 21 even though slower and more basic beats have worked fine in the past. The track is very melodic before the hi-hats come in rapid fire which was completely unneeded. The silver lining of this song is Burna Boy singing on the chorus when the hi-hats let up. This song is not bad but very forgettable.
red sky Feat. Tommy Newport and Mikky Ekko- 7.5/10- Very underrated song seeing as it has relatively low streams compared to the rest of the album, my personal favorite on the album. Song starts off with Tommy’s unique vocals on a Marvels Spiderman soundtrack type of melody but then the beat drops and 21 completely takes command. This song is very good, but I feel the chorus slows 21 down too much and even so the song zooms on by.
dark days Feat. Mariah the Scientist- 7.5/10- I wasn’t feeling this song at first until Mariah came on the chorus and hooked me back in with a stellar vocal performance, from that point on the song was great. My only complaint is that the song is nearly five minutes long.
ALBUM RATING- 7.5/10 – This album has some of 21’s best work yet and shows his growth as an artist. 21’s tone in this album is that of someone who is having fun or feels free to make the music he wants to make, rather than making the same music as everyone else. The album has its lows where he over-uses a flow I’m not very fond of, but it is also filled with songs where 21 takes full control of the beat and flows smoothly, rather than forcing it. The features rarely held a song back and there were times when the features did in some aspect carry the song such as Travis Scott and Mariah the Scientist. Overall, this album is very good and has me looking forward to his next project. 21’s “american dream” is a very good start musically to 2024 and has me doubtful but hopeful that even better music will drop later in the year.
