Review: 21 Savage- i am > i was

With feature credits on almost every major hip-hop release in 2018, 21 Savage is ending his busy year by putting out his highly anticipated sophomore album.

I used to be a pretty big 21 Savage hater. I felt his monotone and lackluster flow simply did not translate to compelling or entertaining music. Throughout his features in 2018 and after listening to this release, I am starting to gain a greater artistic understanding of what 21 Savage is trying to achieve. Anytime you hear a 21 Savage verse, you instantly know who is rapping. This signature style has been attained by pulling from all realms of current trap trends as well as his own personal experiences to create a dark and sinister presence.

Metro Boomin has and continues to be the backbone of 21 Savage’s career and the same holds true across this project. He has consistently taken a (in my opinion limited) rapper like 21 Savage and turned his sound into something that feels expensive and grand. Metro Boomin’s omnipresence was integral in my enjoyment of this album. The production succeeds in sounding fresh in a rap market that is saturated with mediocre and uninventive trap artists and producers. For example, the first half of the track “break da law” has this sharp and jarring leading melody and I was impressed 21 Savage could rap over a beat like this. It was a highlight of this album as 21 is seen here displaying his trademark presence onto a track that was a little more adventurous. “a lot” “gun smoke” and “out for the night” are other shining moments on this project with production choices that compliment 21’s style. Also, due to the success of Post Malone’s “rockstar”, it was only appropriate this project contains a song that could have easily been a B-Side off Beerbongs and Bentleys. “all my friends” is a pretty solid cut and will more than likely be a chart-topper in the near future.

In terms of lyrical ability, the bars on this album are all over the place. They go from hilarious to just simply cringe-worthy. For example on the song “asmr” I went from laughing out loud over the line “.30 on the glizzy, got my pants dizzy (Pants dizzy)/ Playin' 'round with Savage, you get shot in the kidney (Shot in the kidney)," to just shaking my head over the lines, “I done did a lot in the streets and them facts (21)/PTSD like I came from Iraq (On God).“ The inconsistency in the lyrical department is evident throughout the whole album and hinders much of my enjoyment from this project.

My main issue with not only this project, but 21 Savage as a whole, is his signature flow being incredibly repetitive and formulaic. He shows a lack of variety and continues to be a one trick pony throughout the whole album. On top of similar flows across all these tracks, 21 Savage sounds off-putting when his voice is not within the context of an instrumental that matches his disturbing and menacing style. Cuts such as “pad lock,” “monster” and “ball w/o you” are examples of this.

i am > i was is exactly what is advertised. This is 21 Savage’s best release and I was pleasantly surprised that this album was not a total disaster. On the contrary, is the fact that this album surpassed my low expectations just to give it praise? What I can confidently say though is i am > i was contains a sense of genuine authenticity as 21 Savage is trying nothing less than to be the complex gangster he is. I hope for the sake of his longevity and the state of compelling mainstream hip-hop, we see 21 Savage evolve his sound as his career continues.

Rating: 4/10

Essential Tracks: break da law, out for the night, gun smoke, a lot, all my friends