Savage Mode II is an exercise in misdirection. From the first moments with an unexpected narrator, it lends an air of authority, legitimacy, and knowing the previous teamwork of Metro Boomin and 21 Savage, intimidation.
21 Savage’s lyrics prey on the insecure, with violent yet unusual imagery and delivery. Using misdirection to describe people he knows, having people relate, and lyrically breaking them down in the same breath. He uses couplet bars with multiple means the deeper your understanding of slang, and the classic running ad-libs make room for a newer ad-lib throughout the album that reads as a threat, with a comedic thread. When they’re not violent threats, they’re stinging quotes talking about your relationships with clear eyes, with the features on the album rapping in their pocket but always playing second fiddle to 21 Savage.
Featuring with 21 Savage and his unusual, attention getting flows tends to be hard to mesh with but Metro Boomin producing the entire album hand picks beats made for fusing the sounds of the various features with 21 Savage’s world. The features on the album feel comfortable and that has everything to do with Metro Boomin’s ear for song structures that allow both artists to shine.
It doesn’t mean that without a feature anything drops off, and actually highlights the surprising range 21 Savage has. “Glock in my Lap”’s violin and boomin bass, precedes a rewinding violin sample immediately after on “Mr. Right Now”, while the former being a dark street rap, to the latter being the nearest thing 21 Savage has done to a love song. “RIP LUV” is the most emotionally bare he’s ever been so much so it almost feels uncomfortable after all the ganging happening on the album.
The first track describes the album flawlessly. This is 2 artists that have a vision and they multiply each other’s positive characteristics. Savage Mode II is not for the faint.
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