Album Review: 21 Savage & Metro Boomin - Savage Mode 2

After a lot of hype and anticipation 21 Savage and Metro Boomin have gifted the Rap Game “ “Savage Mode 2” since their first Savage Mode release in 2016 which propelled both artists careers massively.

If you're a fan of rap you are already hyped before anything has even started on this album, but to open the track with the God of narration Morgan Freeman, okay you now have my full attention. Savage opens the project with “Running” which is a typical song from 21 but this is not a bad thing, 21 starts the album in his vintage fashion and even with a somewhat bland hook but this song still doesn’t miss a beat. 

One song that stands out on this project is “Mr Right Now” with Drake featured. The production of this song is definitely a change for Metro Boomin from his usual work, but who can forget to mention that you have one of the kings of “Rap Hooks” in Drake on the song, yet 21 carries the hook in such a bland and perfect fashion. Savage’s Instagram Live’s during the Quarantine of his singing must have somewhat paid off. This song hits perfectly in all the right places except for SZA but that is a story for another day.

One thing that is quite often missed in some trap projects these days is variety. It is very easy to watch one song flow into the other and losing the listener onto a different train of thought while the project is on, but I am surprised that this didn’t seem to be an issue that we have with “Savage Mode 2”. One track that caught me off guard was “Steppin on N****s”, the moment the track begins Savage starts telling a story as if the song has come out of the coast, and Metro’s production leaves you sitting there waiting for an Eazy E feature. This song was a highlight of this project.

We have been given a few projects by a few artists this year that we have had to wait a long time for and sometimes that anticipation can lead to disappointment for us, but Savage Mode did not miss. The album really was a “Movie” like they said it would be from the interludes that described the stories to the narration from Morgan Freeman. Savage Mode 2 makes me want to rob my own house, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Reviewed by: Aidan Treston