Album Review: 21 Savage's album i am > i was

I am > i was is 21 Savage's second solo studio album. This album, as the title suggests, is intended to show 21 Savage's progression in life and how he has matured since day 1. The first track "a lot" starts the album off on a very high note. It is arguably the best song on the album. It features rapper J. Cole and samples the 1971 song "I love you" by East Underground. It has a very funk based vibe. The song talks about the trials and tribulations of 21 Savage's life. The chorus illustrates by the lyrics "How much money you got? (A lot) How many problems you got? (A lot) How many people done doubted you? (A lot) Left you out to rot? (A lot). It follows up with the issues 21 savage may have created himself. He raps

How many times did you cheat? (A lot), How many times did you lie? (A lot), How many times did she leave? (A lot), How many times did she cry? (A lot), How many chances she done gave you f****n around with these t***s? (A lot). This may be just a clever rap chorus however it seems like 21 Savage is speaking from within. Throughout the song 21 Savage talks about loyalty and his experiences in illegal activities. He touches on a very personal topic when he states, "My brother lost his life and it turned me to a beast. My brother got life and it turned me to the streets". This talks about how his brother getting killed on his birthday and is also the reason why he has his dagger face tattoo. J. Cole's feature is a 10/10. He calls out all of the music industry's fakeness and materialism by siting that rappers are "faking their streams. Getting they plays from machines". He also touches on Tekashi 69's tragedy and Markelle Fultz's lack (or loss) of a jump shot.

The second song is titled "Break Da Law". While the first song had a smooth flow this song is more chopped up and resembles a classic trap beat. Break Da Law is inherently more violent and highlights a more aggressive behaviour that 21 Savage's fans look for. This song is just the tip of the ice berg of what is to come throughout the album. The song has a me vs. the world feeling. He contrasts himself from everyone else by saying that he wears tennis chains while the other broke rappers wear gold ropes in order to show a persona that isn't reality. This piggyback's off of J.Cole's verse from the previous song.

The next song a&t is all about sex and money. Yung Miami features in this song and she brings a stripper's perspective. She only wants rich men to throw money for her own monetary gain. She doesn't want anything to do with them if they don't help her pay her bills. It is has a very strip club vibe to it and is laced with lyrics about materialism.

Out for the Night is more of an interlude than anything. It is a very hype song but at the end of the day it is more of a transitional track than anything.

Gun Smoke is personally my favourite song. This song has a fire alarm type beat in the back ground coupled with aggressive instrumentation. He has some type of humour to go with his this ultra aggressive track. The line like "Yeah, AK make yo' brotha do the limbo (On God). Make this Glock "Shiggy Challenge" out the window (On God)". It is not necessarily the lyrics but also how he says it.

The next highlight of this album is the track titled asmr. This is the most interesting track on this album. It is not necessarily due to the word play or subject matter. It is due to the fact that 21 Savage spends most of the track whispering. This is the exact reason why it is called asmr which means, according to the dictionary, "a feeling of well-being combined with a tingling sensation in the scalp and down the back of the neck, as experienced by some people in response to a specific gentle stimulus, often a particular sound." This is also ironic because even though asmr is meant to be soothing the lyrics are anything but. The lyrics definitely follow the theme of the album. Lines like, "I done did a lot in the streets and them facts (21) PTSD like I came from Iraq (On God)" just go with the overall street based theme.

"Ball w/o you" is the first track on this album that 21 leaves the ultra masculine bravado and shows a bit of a more sensitive side. Even though he shows a bit of vulnerability, it is in his own unique way. Lines like, "You healed my pain (My pain). Then you caused it (Then you caused it)" and "Heart cold, yeah, so cold had to buy the Moncler sweater" illustrate how he felt before and after his relationship. He is more than likely talking about his public relationship with Amber Rose.

"Good Day" seems to be a nod to the 1992 song "Today was a Good Day" by Ice Cube. It does however have a darker feel to Ice Cube's single. The two features on this track really accentuate the feeling of "Good Day". ScHoolboy Q and Project Pat both bring an extra grit with lines like, "I don't do love, I don't do hate, I don't do gullible (Gullible, yeah) Dope in the pantry, serving up candy" and "Memphis Tennessee we got real hitters Drug dealers, cop killer, gang spitters, sauce drippers". Both of their flows are very choppy and definitely added to the effect of the track.

The final highlight of this album is the track "letter 2 my momma". It is a heart felt letter to his mother. It details his love for his mother and how sometimes he disappointed her. He talks about how he used to see his mother struggle and how he also added to her sadness. He also has a confessional moment with the lines, "I'm the one that stole the cookies out the jar (Out the jar). I'm the one that went and stole the neighbors car (Neighbor's car). Times got hard, started sellin’ hard (Sellin' hard)".

Overall, this album is a very good one and in fact has a very trap music vibe. It is a very stereotypical trap album however this one differentiates from the rest. 21 Savage's lyrics and selection of topics on some songs make this album a tad different. If I would rate this album, it would be a solid 7 out of 10.

#21Savage #iamiwas