Shéyaa Bin Abraham Joseph, better known as British-American rap star 21 Savage, returns to number one with his third solo studio album “‘American Dream”, January 12, 2024.The album released to Slaughter Gang, LLC under license to Epic Records, precedes and foreshadows the documentary set to release on Independence Day featuring Donald Glover: ‘The 21 Savage Story’, which seeks to explore three stages of Savage’s life.
Kicking off 2024, Savage’s album features 15 tracks, 14 of which earning their place in the Billboard Hot 100, putting the album at number one in the Billboard 200. Two of the Hot 100 making top 10: “Redrum” and “Née-Nah” featuring American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer Travis Scott.
The intro track, “American Dream” is a monologue by Savage’s mother, Heather Carmillia Joseph, which sets the scene for the album to come by describing her decision to emigrate from The United Kingdom to the United States of America with her son’s best interests in mind. Other notable collaborations appear throughout the album featuring tracks with long-time collaborator, Metro Boomin’, and appearances by Young Thug, Brent Faiyaz, Brent Faiyaz, Doja Cat and more.
Building upon the vibe from his sophomore album, Savage seems to embrace a more mature stylistic approach to his professional career, tapping into a more thoughtful side to the rough and gang-associated persona that we have come to know. Throughout the LP we see a range of styles and purpose further explored by Savage, while maintaining his perspectives as a younger man growing up surrounded by a lifestyle of violence and crime. The tracks deliver generally catchy beats topped with classic Savage bars and ad-libs, yet not all hit like they should.
Despite dynamic duo, Metro Boomin’ and Savage, “Pop ur Shit” is mostly underwhelming. The line, “Uncle Snoop, it smell like gas I think somebody pooped” comes across as an immature copout for a bar by Savage, while Young Thug’s feature seems lazy and without much purpose or relevance.
Other songs are more successful, such as “Redrum” (murder backwards), fifth on Hot 100, which gives us the classic 21 Savage experience deeply leaning into a violent perspective of his life, similar with the Lil Durk and Metro Boomin’ collab on “Dangerous”.
Perhaps the centerpiece of the album, “Née-Nah” delivers strong raspy bars right away from Travis Scott, supported by extremely bouncy beats by Metro Boomin’.
“Letter to my Brudda” takes a more insightful and reflective approach to his past lifestyle while painting Savage as a relatable figure for others stuck in the gang-life that are struggling to survive and make it out.
“Dark Days” may be the most humility we have seen from Savage yet, reflecting on his past and what he has come up from while advising young listeners to stay out of the street life and pursue greater endeavors. Verses like “I know it might sound lame, but just stay in school” and “you gon’ lose a lot of friends and that’s what hurts the most” show us a more introspective and mentor-like Savage which is a breath of fresh air. Featuring a smooth chorus by Mariah the Scientist and prayer-like outro from his mother, Heather Carmillia Joseph, this track proves a perfect conclusion to the life of Savage presented to us from his ‘American Dream’.
Tanner Allen can be reached at [email protected]