British rapper, Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, known professionally as 21 Savage, just released an album that already has fans vibing and clubs bumping. The trap artist has been dropping money-making bangers for the past ten years and hasn’t skipped a beat since.
“The American Dream,” his first solo album in five whole years, is a soundtrack to his film “American Dream: The 21 Savage Story,” which will star Donald Glover and Caleb McLaughlin and is set to be released on Independence Day.
This album is 15 songs long, lasting a total of 50 minutes. Some fans will say that every song he has ever released has been the same, which is partially correct. He raps in some of the same ways on this project, but the movement is so outstanding that it fits well on every song. The production of this album is immaculate, using samples by artists such as Faith Evans, Loony, and Rose Royce to boost the energy. During the song “Redrum,” he quotes and samples from the famous 1980 horror movie, “The Shining.”
Savage has been known as one of the best feature artists in the past couple of years, so of course, there will never be a 21 album without key features, and this one is filled with them. This album features appearances range from Travis Scott, Young Thug, Doja Cat, Brent Faiyaz, Lil Durk, Summer Walker, Mariah the Scientist, Burna Boy, and Metro Boomin. 21 revealed each feature’s baby pictures on Instagram to hype his fans for the project.
I have always been a hater of Lil Durk, but after listening to “Dangerous,” with 21 my view on his music changed. His fast lyrical flows were well placed and the song was perfect for him. Lil Durk’s feature gives me a similar vibe to when Rob49 was on Travis Scott’s, “Utopia.” Some of these features I haven’t listened to at all, but after hearing each one of their parts on the album, it gives me a reason to expand my horizons and do some research, to possibly become a fan. Of course, Travis Scott never misses, so his very hard and gnarly verse on “Nee-nah” wasn’t much of a surprise. The most surprising feature that I enjoyed was Burna Boy. I had no clue who he was before 21 Savage, but his verse is just so chef’s kiss, and it helps add another element to the vibe of the album.
The feeling a listener can get from this album is pretty complex. It starts fast, and hard with songs like “All of Me,” and “Redrum,” to then, slower songs, but the thing with 21 he keeps fast, hard vibes throughout the entirety of his albums. If you want to rage during the album, songs like “Redrum,” “Nee-nah,” “Pop Ur S***,” “Dangerous,” and “Red Sky,” will be more your speed if you are coming into the album with intentions to vibe out and chill, songs like “n.h.i.e.,” “Letter to My Brudda,” “See the Real,” “Prove It,” “Dark Days,” and “Should’ve Wore a Bonnet,” will be right up your alley.
Just two weeks into 2024, “The American Dream” is already a candidate for one of my top albums of the year. 21 sounds like his original self, rapping insanely fast, and matching a complex beat. Being a sucker for older samples and awesome features, this is easily my number-one album by 21 Savage. Who knew I would like a song with Doja Cat on it until now? Combined with the beats in the back and his ad-libs that boost the sound, it adds another layer to the flawlessness of the album.
I think this is an album everyone should listen to in the next couple of weeks because non-trap fans, older hip-hop fans, and everyone in between can appreciate this work of art.
Kate Bartlett • Feb 2, 2024 at 9:25 am
I admit, when you first shared this album, I was a bit skeptical. However, I enjoyed the Redrum song a lot and added it to my playlist. Great article.