American Dream - 21 Savage (2024)

By Ben Kessel

The long-awaited, highly-anticipated third studio album from legendary Atlanta hip-hop artist 21 Savage, American Dream, did not disappoint. Because it had been more than five years since 21’s last solo project (I Am > I Was), I was curious as to what direction he was going in with this LP. American Dream was a big moment for 21 Savage because he has not been given much credit as a solo act over the last few years. Instead, he’s been known for his features and collaborative albums with Metro Boomin and Drake. However, this album was finally 21’s time to shine.

One thing that immediately stood out to me on this album was the samples. These include a soulful sample on “all of me” and an eerie sample flip on the track “redrum.” Aside from the excellent production on this LP, 21’s lyricism generally worked with his iconic deadpan delivery and clever bars. Songs like “letter to my brudda” and “dark days” highlighted 21’s more introspective side, while tracks such as “dangerous” and “red sky” were straight bangers. This mix of introspection and more energetic songs was impressive to see from 21. Also, it’s important to note the many R&B features that made the tracklist, such as Summer Walker and Brent Faiyaz. 21 worked seamlessly with these artists, which was honestly quite surprising. He definitely displayed his versatility on this album by featuring rappers and R&B singers.

While there were a couple of tracks that were just okay such as “pop ur shit” and “sneaky,” American Dream is overall a versatile yet succinct hip-hop project. Undoubtedly, this LP cements 21 Savage as one of the best hip-hop artists of this generation and leaves me very excited to hear what he has in store for us next.