Dan Flavin Roberto Escamilla Nate Donohoe
Music Reviewers
21 Savage’s third studio album “i am > i was” dropped on Dec. 21, 2018 and ended the year on a high note.
The album’s intro, “a lot”, starts with a vocal sample over a well done basic trap drumline and 21 rapping about his thuggish past as well as how important loyalty is to him. Loyalty is a theme throughout the whole album and has been consistent in 21’s interviews. 21 lays down a well put together first verse, but the highlight of the track is when J. Cole takes over for the second verse. 21 didn’t label any features on his whole album so when a feature like J. Cole, who is considered one of the best in the game, comes out of left field, it’s a great experience. Cole raps an incredible verse with intricate flows and meaningful lyrics that fans have come to love from the artist. He raps about his album sales with no promotions and how he still gets hate. Overall, the track is an incredible way to start the album and is one of our favorite in the project.
Another highlight was “can’t leave without it” featuring Lil Baby and Gunna who were the stars of 2018. The track is produced by Wheezy who had a incredible year after the release of “Yes Indeed” with Lil Baby and Drake. His rolling hi-hats and simple melodies that combine with the heavy hitting 808s have become staples of his music throughout his career. Gunna laid down a catchy melodic chorus and 21 strays away from his usual choppy flow and had a smooth approach. Lil Baby had the final verse split with Gunna and showed why he blew up this year. His ability to rap with melody, but not sing, is a staple of his and Gunna’s music and it definitely showed on this track.
The production on the track was solid. Not much stood out, but not much was wrong. A stand out track was “break da law” produced by Metro Boomin and Southside. The distorted lead is paired perfectly with a chaotic drum pattern that counters 21 simple flow, but the best part is when mid song the beat changes from the distorted lead to a simple piano over the same chaotic drum pattern.
Like any album there are flaws. “i am > i was” was a great album, but 21’s flow got boring around the middle. A few songs just sounded the same and didn’t have much to make them stand apart. Another issue was some features didn’t work well together. They felt forced and rushed into the album.
The positives on 21 Savage’s “i am > i was” undoubtedly outweigh the negatives. For the creative bars, solid production, lack of many flaws, and mostly well done features “i am > i was” comes out to a 8.5/10.
