On the night of January 11th, 21 Savage released his new album ‘American Dream’. This was 21’s first solo album since his album ‘i am>i was’ which he released all the way back in December of 2018.
21 has been very active since then though, releasing his collab album with producer Metro Boomin in 2020, “Savage Mode II” and his collab album with Drake in 2022, ‘Her Loss’. He is also featured on lots of projects, but it was great to see what he could do on his first solo album in a while.
21 made this album to talk about his struggles in the US after immigrating from the United Kingdom and the struggles with losing friends and finally getting citizenship in 2023. In this article I will be reviewing my top 5 songs from his new release.
#5 sneaky: The chimes and the production reminds me a lot of a newer version of NC-17 by Travis Scott which does feature 21 Savage. It’s got a super devious beat and reminds me of a song they would play at a basketball game. This song is also funny because it’s pretty much just 21 talking about a sneaky link and it’s funny how he made it this good.
#4 pop ur shit (with Young Thug): Metro Boomin’s production was great on this song even though he did a lot with it. Young Thug had 2 great verses and I would say his second verse is his best even though it is short but it’s a great end to the song. 21’s performance was great. The only bad part of this song is the bar where 21 Savage says “It smells like gas I think somebody pooped.” This bar is a little funny the first few listens but I don’t wanna hear about poop in a song.
#3 redrum: The intro to this song is absolutely incredible. When the beat dropped I got actual goosebumps. The sample and production by London On Da Track is crazy and I didn’t know he was capable of making such a menacing beat. 21 was heavily inspired by the movie The Shining for this song and even samples the famous line “Here’s Johnny” to end the song out which was a super cool choice.
#2 dark days (with Mariah the Scientist): This song was beautiful. In this song 21 sends a message to the kids about the dangers of guns, gangs and drugs. He also states the truth that even gangsters cry. Mariah’s singing on this song is amazing and her chemistry with 21 is amazing too.
#1 née-nah (with Travis Scott): The sample on this song is amazing. Travis’s feature is one of his best in a while, it sounds like a feature he recorded back in 2014. It’s such an enjoyable and fun song to listen to. Travis honestly carries the song with his amazing verses and delivery, although 21 still is great on it. Metro Boomin’s production on this song was some of his best in a while as well.
This album is great and definitely a strong start to the year. The production was a whole new thing for 21 and the R&B type songs were better than I expected them to be. I would say this is probably one of his best albums, although I love Savage Mode II, Her Loss and Without Warning as well. This album is a great listen and I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves trap and great samples.
