Savage Mode Explained

Savage Mode
Type:EP
Artist:21 Savage and Metro Boomin
Cover:21 Savage and Metro Boomin - Savage Mode.png
Released:July 15, 2016
Recorded:2015–2016
Length:32:22

Savage Mode is a collaborative extended play by British-American rapper 21 Savage and American record producer Metro Boomin. It was released on July 15, 2016. It features a sole guest appearance by American rapper Future. The EP was self-released.[1] The EP received acclaim from critics,[2] [3] with Rolling Stone including it in its list of the 40 Best Rap Albums of 2016.[4] A sequel album, Savage Mode II, was released on October 2, 2020 to further acclaim.

Critical reception

Pitchfork called the project 21 Savage's "strongest and bleakest work" and praised the "brooding, eerie production" by Metro Boomin. Complex called it "a minor masterpiece in sound design", noting that "for as merciless as 21 Savage's writing can be, the album borders on ambient."[5] HotNewHipHop stated that "its style unequivocally trumps its substance, which is par for the course in this school of arty street rap, but its form a compact, impeccably-curated product is sorely missing from the genre." Exclaim! called the album "a grim, pearl clutching narrative straight from the South." In a positive review, Craig Jenkins of Vulture called it "gleefully ultraviolent and pridefully indulgent", stating that "this music is built from the same casual hopelessness that shocks us cold whenever we awake to fresh news of mass murder or police brutality."[6]

Track listing

Notes

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (2016)Position
US Billboard 200[7] 185
Chart (2017)Position
US Billboard 200[8] 58
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[9] 59

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Savage Mode by 21 Savage & Metro Boomin. iTunes. 15 July 2016.
  2. Web site: 21 Savage Says 'Savage Mode 2' With Metro Boomin Is in the Works. Billboard. Saponara. Michael. July 22, 2019. October 1, 2020.
  3. Web site: Metro Boomin & 21 Savage Unveil "Savage Mode 2" Cover. HotNewHipHop. Findlay. Mitch. September 29, 2020. October 1, 2020.
  4. Web site: 40 Best Rap Albums of 2016. Rolling Stone. December 22, 2016. December 5, 2017.
  5. Web site: The 25 Best Metro Boomin Beats. Complex. October 7, 2016. December 5, 2017. Thompson. Paul.
  6. Web site: 21 Savage's Savage Mode Is Violent Music, But It's Oddly Comforting in Violent Times. Vulture. July 20, 2016. December 5, 2017. Jenkins. Craig.
  7. Web site: Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2016. Billboard. December 9, 2016.
  8. Web site: Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2017. Billboard. December 12, 2017.
  9. Web site: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2017. Billboard. June 29, 2020.