American Dream

About

21 Savage doesn’t do small thing. His 2022 full-length Drake team-up <i>Her Loss</i> certainly made that clear, and the long-anticipated follow-up to 2018’s <i>i am > i was</i> gives off similar blockbuster energy. Presented in the form of a trailer for a feature film, the Donald Glover-starring “all of me” music video, for example, seems to address head-on the long-standing queries about the UK-born rapper’s origin story and the immigration troubles that ensued in the intervening year. That song serves to set the stage for <i>american dream</i>, his third proper solo album and the apparent soundtrack to said cinematic entry. As alway, 21 Savage imbues his oft trap-indebted tracks here with menace and luxury, sharing a murderous mindset on “redrum” and offering a glimpse into a complicated lifestyle on “see the real.” His pleasures tend to encounter his pain and rage, evident among the lustful intentions of “sneaky,” but that just comes with the territory of telling his uncensored story. About as honest as his bars could get, “letter to my brudda” shares something decidedly more personal with messages that resonate beyond just its intended recipient. .

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

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