21 Savage seems to go from strength to strength. Gold releases Savage Mode and Issa Album, hit singles such as X and No Heart and collaborations with the likes of Drake, Cardi B, Post Malone, Future and Offset (with whom he released Without Warning) have all contributed to the Atlanta rapper’s quick rise to the top of the rap game.
This latest release, i am > i was, is 21 Savage’s second solo album and includes collaborations with J Cole (a lot), Offset (1.5), Post Malone (all my friends) and Childish Gambino (monster) amongst various others. Not too shabby a lineup. The production team for the album includes Southside, Metro Boomin and Wheezy to name a few. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard top 200 and stayed at the top spot for two consecutive weeks, and deservedly so. 21 Savage fills this album with honest and hard-hitting lyrics over unrelenting beats, focusing on often troubling experiences from his past. Despite the nature of the lyrics, 21 never forces the issue and delivers these tracks with a laid-back tone and a well-polished flow that he switches up from track to track. The highlights of the album include a lot, on which he reflects on the effects of some past experiences (including the death of his brother), all my friends, where 21 provides a platform for Post Malone to strut his stuff, can’t leave without it and asmr. But in all honesty, weak points on this album are few and far between. On the penultimate track, letter 2 my momma, the rapper pays a heartwarming tribute to his mother, a very nice touch. It goes without saying that rap fans will be eagerly awaiting whatever 21 has in store for us next. © Euan Decourt/Qobuz