“Hard-headed, you won’t end up on a stretcher, huh? / Oh, you Usher now, you givin’ out confessions, huh?”
Clever lyrics like this are what make 21 Savage’s “american dream” an incredible third entry to his solo catalog. “american dream,” released Friday, is his first solo studio album in over five years, as his last two projects, “Her Loss” and “Savage Mode II” were collaborative efforts with Drake and Metro Boomin, respectively.
Drake, Metro Boomin, J. Cole, Travis Scott, and Offset are some of Savage’s most frequent collaborators. Savage’s work with these chart-topping artists, contributing to a successful discography of solo and collaborative albums, there’s no debating that he is one of the most popular artists of his generation in mainstream rap and trap.
Savage’s level of influence comes with high expectations, and luckily for his die-hard fanbase, he delivered with soulful beats, hard-hitting bars and impactful messages about family, love and betrayal on “american dream.”
The record opens up with Savage’s mother, Heather Carmillia Joseph, talking about her son’s aspirations and his “american dream” in a spoken word performance.
This emotional poem is a fitting way to start the album, as it centers on Savage’s journey to becoming a successful rapper as well as his struggles throughout his life — including losing close friends to violence and incarceration, his 2019 deportation (which the album cover references through passport text) and failed relationships.
The second song, “all of me,” uses an iconic sample used by Jay-Z over 25 years ago: “Wishing on a Star” by Rose Royce. Savage spits clever lyrics with his signature, nonchalant flow over the majestic beat.
Things switch up in the next track, “redrum,” which contains multiple references to “The Shining.” The title represents a scene where a character eerily repeats “redrum” (which is ‘murder’ spelled backwards) before the infamous “Here’s Johnny!” axe-through-the-door scene is sampled at the end of the song.
“american dream” has a myriad of great featured artists, including Travis Scott, Summer Walker and Doja Cat. Lil Durk takes the cake for the album’s best feature on “dangerous.”
Compelling lyrics like, “And they almost got inside his head, what they sayin’ to him? (Free Steve) / And all them killers that you look up to, I’m the man to them” make Durk’s feature a must play on this album.
The best song on the LP is “prove it,” which features Summer Walker. She sings a gorgeous chorus over a stunning soul instrumental. Savage performs heartfelt lyrics like: “When I’m with you, it’s a safe space / Baby, you bringin’ me peace / You know how it get in the streets / Ain’t none of it shallow, it’s deep.”
The last track, “dark days” has Savage providing wisdom to misguided youth with lyrics like “I know it might sound lame, but just stay in school / They got a place that they put people who don’t follow rules,” where he tells listeners to avoid incarceration. Another short spoken word piece by his mother closes out the song beautifully, speaking about success and accomplishments.
I wasn’t sure if 21 Savage would be able to top his last solo album, “i am > i was,” but he completely surpassed my expectations and gave fans an amazing listening and thought-provoking experience with “american dream.” It’s an eight out of 10.
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X: @FrancescoThorik
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