It’s October of 2020. You’re putting on your hype up playlist before the big game. Suddenly you hear Morgan Freeman whisper in your ears:
Whether they are two or two billion,
the greatest their numbers could ever become,
is to truly become one.
Don’t you feel chills. I sure do. 21 Savage and Metro Boomin took the world by storm with the US-chart topper, Savage Mode II. This served as the sequel to their 2016 collab album, Savage Mode, which gave us classics like “No Heart” and “X.” I think the factor that took this album to the next level were Freeman’s monologues. From spitting about “the friction of constant conflict” to the fleetingness of “lust, infatuation, and unrevealed attraction,” he hits all of the marks. Freeman jumped at the opportunity to narrate this album to get outside of his mold and make sure people can only ever expect the unexpected from him. He even revealed that the recordings were done on his phone at home. How does one not respect him?
Back to the album itself… I just took a glance at the album to see what I should highlight first, and I genuinely don’t even know where to start. Beginning an album with songs like “Runnin” and “Glock in My Lap” is such an aggressive and remarkable take to make. He literally yells “P****” at me for 3 minutes and 13 seconds. Why is he so awesome?
Then he remains consistent all the way through probably one of the best triages of songs: “Brand New Draco,” “No Opp Left Behind,” and “RIP Luv.” Not only do they flow so perfectly from one to the next, but they are each individually masterpieces. When 21 says
Can somebody please unthaw my ears because they frozen
All I want to do is put some earmuffs on this man and unthaw those ears. He’s too cold. It’s insanity. Each song has its own unique way of exciting the soul. “Snitches & Rats” is probably the wildest thing you’ll find on this album. I feel offended listening to the interlude, and I ain’t even no snitch or no rat. Freeman rips you to shreds left and right, and 21, this goofy little man, knows how to spit for hours.
As Rashad Grove from Consequence remarks, “‘21 Savage, accompanied by the golden touch of Metro Boomin, have given the hip-hop world their most well-rounded project to date…’” Being in 21 Savage’s top 0.05% of listeners of this year (2023), I feel that I have a trusted and cultured opinion of 21. Yes, some of his other songs, like “Broke Boys” and “Can’t Leave Without It,” are some of his finest works, this is probably one of his greatest projects. Metro Boomin has proved time and time again that he has that “golden touch” that electrifies music. Similar to “NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES” and “HEROES AND VILLAINS,” he knows how to make a collection of songs sound like a well-cultivated composition. After 28,000 fans signed a petition for this duo to release their album, they casually dropped the realest album of 2020.
Iz FM 
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