I Am Greater than I Was explained

I Am > I Was
Type:studio
Cover:21 Savage – I Am Greater Than I Was.png
Artist:21 Savage
Genre:Hip hop
Length:54:54
Label:
  • Slaughter Gang
  • Epic
Producer:
Prev Title:Without Warning
Prev Year:2017
Next Title:Savage Mode II
Next Year:2020

I Am > I Was (pronounced "I am greater than I was" and stylized in lowercase) is the second solo studio album by British-American rapper 21 Savage, released on December 21, 2018. I Am > I Was features vocals by J. Cole, City Girls, Offset, Post Malone, Gunna, Lil Baby, Schoolboy Q, Project Pat, Childish Gambino, and Savage's cousin Young Nudy. The deluxe edition was released three days later, featuring one more song, which features an additional guest appearance from Travis Scott.

I Am > I Was was supported by two singles, "A Lot" and "Monster". The album received widespread acclaim from critics and performed well commercially, debuting atop the US Billboard 200 with 131,000 album-equivalent units, of which 18,000 were pure sales. It was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2020 Grammy Awards.

Background

21 Savage tweeted "12-7-18" in November, which led to speculation that the album would be released on that date.[1] The tracklist was leaked by record producer Louis Bell via his Instagram story on December 13, 2018.[2] 21 Savage later stated in his Instagram story that he was "sorry" because he "forgot" to release the album, but a later video stated it would be released on December 21.[3]

Cover art

21 Savage posted the cover art on Instagram on December 6, which features a blurred out image of himself, captioning the image with a number of goat emojis.[1] Billboard called the cover art "cryptic".[4]

Singles

The album's lead single, "A Lot", was released to rhythmic and urban contemporary radio on January 8, 2019.[5] [6] The album's second single, "Monster", was sent to rhythmic contemporary radio on May 7, 2019.[7]

Critical reception

I Am > I Was was met with widespread critical acclaim.[8] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 81, based on six reviews. Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.2 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.

Reviewing the album for Variety, A. D. Amorosi stated: "Despite all the high-profile guests, it's actually on the soulfully inventive "Ball w/o You", "Gun Smoke" and the sensual "Out for the Night"—which all feature 21 Savage on his own—that "i am > i was" is at its best and most dynamic."[9] Eric Diep of HipHopDX said, "At 15 songs and 51 minutes long, it's an enjoyable listen with good pacing, filled with the right amount of vulnerability, heartache, menace, and savagery". Ben Beaumont-Thomas of The Guardian saying "There is a slight uptick in vocal musicality compared with his previous work. ... He has plenty of average lines—almost as offensive as the rightly controversial "Jewish money" lyric in ASMR is the weakness of "you get burned like toast" as a simile—but his catchy flows always make him magnetic, especially when paired with universally brilliant production from Metro Boomin, Kid Hazel and others".

Paul A. Thompson from Pitchfork stated, "i am > i was shatters the notion of 21 Savage as a specialist with a narrow purview and audience, and recasts him as a star in waiting, all without forcing him into unflattering contortions. It also cements him as a far more original stylist than other hopefuls from Atlanta". Consequence critic Michael Pementel said, "21 Savage's ability to express a variety of feelings allows the music to stand out at times and become more than a generic gangsta rap presentation. It's unfortunate, then, that the record finds itself held back by unfeeling and monotonous takes on issues like gun violence. Overall, i am > i was is a mixed bag of experience that offers enough solid tracks to keep fans latched on".

Year-end lists

Publication! scope="col" class="unsortable"
ListRank
HipHopDXThe Best Rap Albums of 2018
UproxxThe Best Albums of 2019
The Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2019

Industry awards

Year! scope="col"
CeremonyCategoryResult
2020Grammy AwardsBest Rap Album

Commercial performance

I Am > I Was debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 in the first chart issue of 2019, earning 131,000 album-equivalent units (including 18,000 pure album sales) in its first week, becoming 21 Savage's first US number-one album.[10] In its second week, the album remained at number one, earning 65,000 units, down 51 percent from its debut week.[11] In its third week, the album fell down to number two with 56,000 units (down 14 percent). A Boogie wit da Hoodie's Hoodie SZN surpassed him with 58,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending January 10, 2019.[12] On January 8, 2020, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over a million units in the United States.

Following the release of I Am > I Was, nine songs debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was led by "A Lot", which peaked at number 12 in its seventh week.[13]

Track listing

Notes

Sample credits

Personnel

Credits were adapted from Tidal.[18]

Instrumentation

Technical

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2018–2019)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Latvian Albums (LAIPA)[19] 3
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[20] 23

Year-end charts

Chart (2019)! scope="col"
Position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[21] 39
Icelandic Albums (Plötutíóindi)[22] 96
US Billboard 200[23] 18
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[24] 10
Chart (2023)! scope="col"
Position
US Billboard 200[25] 196

Decade-end charts

Chart (2010–2019)! scope="col"
Position
US Billboard 200[26] 134

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateLabel(s)Format(s)EditionRef.
VariousDecember 21, 2018Standard[27]
December 24, 2018Deluxe[28]
March 1, 2019VinylStandard[29]
March 8, 2019Deluxe[30]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 21 Savage Unveils Title and Cover Art for New Album. XXL. Haffenden. Dayna. December 6, 2018. December 9, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181209071008/http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2018/12/21-savage-album-cover-art-title-i-am-i-was/. December 9, 2018. live.
  2. Web site: 21 Savage Taps J. Cole, Childish Gambino, ScHoolboy Q, More for 'I AM > I WAS' Tracklist. OnSMASH. Walker. Joe. December 13, 2018. December 19, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181219182619/http://onsmash.com/music/21-savage-i-am-i-was-tracklist/. December 19, 2018. live.
  3. Web site: 21 Savage says new album I Am > I Was will drop December 21. The Fader. Maicki. Salvatore. December 7, 2018. December 9, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181208132103/https://www.thefader.com/2018/12/07/21-savage-i-am-i-was-album-release-date-december-21. December 8, 2018. live.
  4. 21 Savage Shares Artwork & Title to New Album 'I Am > I Was'. Billboard. Saponara. Michael. December 6, 2018. December 9, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181207071241/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8489052/21-savage-i-am-i-was-album-cover. December 7, 2018. live.
  5. Web site: Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases. All Access. January 6, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190106205007/https://www.allaccess.com/top40-rhythmic/future-releases. January 6, 2019.
  6. Web site: Urban/UAC Future Releases. All Access. January 6, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190106123520/https://www.allaccess.com/urban/future-releases. January 6, 2019.
  7. Web site: Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases. All Access. April 20, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190420193045/https://www.allaccess.com/top40-rhythmic/future-releases. April 20, 2019.
  8. Web site: 21 Savage is arrested by US immigration agents. Hot Press. O'Toole. Lucy. February 4, 2019. February 5, 2019. September 17, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200917221100/https://www.hotpress.com/music/21-savage-arrested-us-immigration-22766176. live.
  9. Web site: Album Review: 21 Savage's 'i am > i was'. Variety. Amorosi. A. D.. December 21, 2018. January 2, 2019. September 17, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200917221059/https://variety.com/2018/music/reviews/album-review-21-savages-i-am-i-was-1203095087/. live.
  10. 21 Savage's 'I Am > I Was' Album Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart. Billboard. Caulfield. Keith. December 30, 2018. December 31, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20200128080930/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8491748/21-savages-i-am-i-was-album-debuts-at-no-1-on-billboard-200. January 28, 2020. live.
  11. 21 Savage Spends Second Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart With 'I Am > I Was'. Billboard. Caulfield. Keith. January 6, 2019. January 7, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190831081510/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8492319/21-savage-no-1-on-billboard-200-i-am-i-was. August 31, 2019. live.
  12. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie Scores First No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart With 'Hoodie SZN'. Billboard. January 17, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20200127094311/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8493282/a-boogie-wit-da-hoodie-first-number-1-album-billboard-200-chart. January 27, 2020. live.
  13. 21 Savage Chart History: Hot 100. Billboard. January 7, 2019. September 17, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200917221101/https://www.billboard.com/music/21-Savage/chart-history/hot-100. live.
  14. Web site: 21 Savage Adds Travis Scott to "Out for the Night". Complex. Cowen. Trace William. December 24, 2018. December 31, 2018. September 17, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200917221103/https://www.complex.com/music/2018/12/21-savage-adds-travis-scott-to-out-for-the-night. live.
  15. Web site: 21 Savage and J Cole's "a lot" is the cross-generational exchange rap needs. The Fader. Burney. Lawrence. December 21, 2018. December 22, 2018. September 17, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200917221103/https://www.thefader.com/2018/12/21/21-savage-and-j-coles-a-lot-is-the-cross-generational-exchange-rap-needs. live.
  16. Web site: 21 Savage Flips Three 6 Mafia Classics On "A&T" & "Good Day". Genius. Mench. Chris. December 21, 2018. February 9, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190209182058/https://genius.com/a/21-savage-flips-three-6-mafia-classics-on-a-t-good-day. February 9, 2019. live.
  17. Web site: How Viral Ukulele Guy Einer Bankz Ended Up on 21 Savage's Album With Travis Scott. Complex. Rindner. Grant. December 31, 2018. December 31, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181231223348/https://www.complex.com/music/2018/12/viral-ukulele-einer-bankz-21-savage-album-interview. December 31, 2018. live.
  18. Web site: Credits / i am > i was (Deluxe) / 21 Savage. Tidal. October 2, 2020. October 6, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201006231451/https://listen.tidal.com/album/101507312/credits. live.
  19. Web site: Mūzikas patēriņa tops gadu mijā. lv. LAIPA. November 28, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191010095638/https://www.parmuziku.lv/zinas/latvija/muzikas-paterina-tops-gadu-mija-7661. October 10, 2019.
  20. Web site: NZ Top 40 Albums Chart. Recorded Music NZ. January 7, 2019. January 4, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190104124750/https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/albums?chart=4579. January 4, 2019. live.
  21. Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2019. Billboard. December 6, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20200305133317/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2019/top-canadian-albums. March 5, 2020. live.
  22. Web site: Tónlistinn – Plötur – 2019. Plötutíóindi. is. April 1, 2022.
  23. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2019. Billboard. December 6, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20200223153312/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2019/top-billboard-200-albums. February 23, 2020. live.
  24. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2019. Billboard. June 17, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20191205173349/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2019/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums. December 5, 2019. live.
  25. Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2023. Billboard. November 23, 2023.
  26. Decade-End Charts: Billboard 200. Billboard. December 16, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20200320084752/https://www.billboard.com/charts/decade-end/billboard-200. March 20, 2020. live.
  27. Web site: 21 Savage releases new album 'i am> i was' featuring Childish Gambino, Offset, Post Malone, and more. NME. Maine. Samantha. December 21, 2018. October 20, 2020. October 23, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201023182431/https://www.nme.com/news/music/21-savage-new-album-childish-gambino-post-malone-offset-2423814. live.
  28. Web site: 21 Savage – "Out for the Night Pt. 2" (ft. Travis Scott). Spin. Arcand. Rob. December 24, 2018. October 20, 2020. October 22, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201022044918/https://www.spin.com/2018/12/21-savage-out-for-the-night-pt-2-ft-travis-scott/. live.
  29. Web site: 21 Savage – I Am > I Was – LP. Rough Trade. October 20, 2020. October 20, 2020. https://archive.today/20201020055511/https://www.roughtrade.com/us/21-savage/i-am-i-was. live.
  30. Web site: 21 SAVAGE I Am I Was vinyl at Juno Records. Juno Records. October 20, 2020. October 21, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201021053300/https://www.juno.co.uk/products/21-savage-i-am-i-was/715683-01/. live.

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