21 Savage and Metro Boomin' - SAVAGE MODE II ALBUM REVIEW

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When I first heard of 21 Savage, I didn’t think much about him. I just felt like he was one of the copycats in the crowd of Soundcloud rappers. Boy, I’m glad I was wrong. The first installment in the SAVAGE MODE series was a morbid, dark, and horror-inspired mixtape which has become beloved by the trap scene. While I personally prefer Without Warning with Offset, I can’t deny the impact of SAVAGE MODE. These two projects have in common Metro Boomin’, one of the best producers to come out of the game this past decade, and when he and 21 collaborate, it’s fireworks. There’s no reason why fans shouldn’t be hyped for this, and with the inclusion of Morgan Freeman’s narrations, it’s pretty crazy to not be hyped about this. Well, I’ve talked for long enough. Let’s just get right into SAVAGE MODE II.

SAVAGE MODE II is a hip-hop album with trap influences. Now, while this still has that dark and morbid vibe, it’s not as prominent as the first installment. Instead, what we have is a more streamlined sound of top-notch trap beats with versatile performances from 21. Legendary actor Morgan Freeman’s part comes into play with little vignettes as interludes and/or outros to songs about how anyone can meet up and change the world, along with motivational mantras like “There will always be doubters and haters, but they only have the power you give them.” The big highlight from him is the entirety of his “Snitches and Rats (Interlude)” verse, which will go down in notoriety as time passes by for a very good reason. The actual songs, though, are quite consistent. While I could keep some tracks like “Glock in My Lap” and “Rich N*gga Shit” out of my playlist, they aren’t inherently bad songs. They just aren’t my thing. I’m in the majority on this, but “Many Men” is probably one of my favorite tracks here and “R.I.P. Luv” is a track that I haven’t seen anyone talk about, but it’s a great song and guess what? I’m talking about it now, bitch. Either way, I’m satisfied with this project.

Holy shit, 21’s been on a roll lately. His last solo effort i am > i was is an awesome album that I can't recommend enough, his feature on Childish Gambino’s 3.15.20 is still a track I go back to, and now we have SAVAGE MODE II adding to that pile. While none of the songs are truly stellar, none of them ever become stale. This is one of the most enjoyable rap projects this year so far, and honestly, Morgan Freeman’s part on the record makes SAVAGE MODE II a must-listen.


8/10


Stream SAVAGE MODE II here

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