Today In Rap
Posts
Ranking the 10 Best Songs From 21 Savage's 'American Dream'

Ranking the 10 Best Songs From 21 Savage's 'American Dream'

Plus, Travis Scott teases new album.

Sponsored by

BabyTron’s giving away one of his animated MegaTron 2 vinyls. Details on how to enter are below. In other news today:

10 best songs from 21 Savage’s American Dream 🇺🇸
Travis Scott teases new tour-inspired album 🔥
Discover new music with The Rap Index 🎵
Industry Insights 🔎

Win BabyTron’s Crazy ‘MegaTron 2’ Animated Vinyl

BabyTron dropped the hardest vinyl for his MegaTron 2 album, and he’s giving one away to a Today In Rap subscriber. The ShittyBoyz rapper illustrated his album with a custom graphic that pays homage to his Detroit rap group. The 2-disc LP plays the animation repeatedly while it runs through 28 songs, including the hit “#CERTIFIED,” and features from Luh Tyler, Soulja Boy, StanWill, Tree, and more. Click the link below to enter for a chance to win.

Full terms and conditions here.

10 Best Songs From 21 Savage’s American Dream Ranked

What was your favorite 'American Dream' song?

Click an option below to weigh in

It’s been six years since 21 Savage’s last solo project, i am > i was, and in that time, he’s been racking up accolades like the “pussy” adlibs on “redrum.” Heading into 2024 with five Grammy nominations and a green card, fresh off the It’s All A Blur tour, his next album was either going to build on his credibility as a solo artist or fuel the “better as a feature” allegations.

The Expected

“Née-nah” is an obvious favorite for the Slaughter Gang fans. Travis Scott goes back to his Days Before Rodeo flow but doesn’t outshine 21. Metro Boomin lays the beat and together, the three of them are like triplets, necessary parts of a trio to deliver the entirety of a song that’s one of the album’s hardest.

The “all of me” to “née-nah” run is for the rap fans. It’s 21 doing what he does best over cold beats without settling for what’s comfortable. If you’re a longtime 21 fan, “all of me,” “redrum,” “sneaky,” and “dangerous,” provide the backbone of familiarity to appreciate the other facets of him displayed elsewhere on the album.

🗣️ 21 SAVAGE, TRAVIS SCOTT & METRO BOOMIN HAVE NEVER MISSED ON A SONG TOGETHER
— Hip Hop All Day (@HipHopAllDayy)
Jan 15, 2024

The introspection

21 gets in his introspective bag on cuts like “letter to my brudda,” a heartfelt exploration of loyalty and betrayal with a slower beat and flow reminiscent of the likes of Griselda, J. Cole, and Drake.

The lyrics, “I watched everybody turn on my brother like he ain’t have ‘em out here flyin’ jets and fuckin’ bitches / This shit ridiculous,” seem to speak on Young Thug’s incarceration and betrayal by his YSL codefendants.

It goes hand-in-hand with the callout for the criminalization of rap lyrics on the pensive song “dark days,” featuring Mariah the Scientist. “Heard they lockin’ n*ggas up for what they put in rhymes,” 21 raps.

The cross-genre features

The non-rap features from Burna Boy, Brent Faiyaz, Summer Walker, and Mariah the Scientist are the unexpected songs that reveal 21’s growth as an artist since i am > i was. He found his cross-genre footing, creating songs that can’t be categorized without a hyphen.

“Prove it” and “should’ve wore a bonnet” elevate the R&B-inspired love theme 21 has explored in songs like “Spin Bout U” and “ball w/o you.” Neither song sounds like it would be better suited for a Summer Walker or Brent Faiyaz album, which shows the strength of 21’s curation skills.

Metro Boomin deserves all the flowers for his production on “just like me.” Alongside producers BoogzDaBeast and FNZ, Metro finds synchronicity between Burna Boy’s afrobeat style and trap music, lacing the R&B/soul LOONY sample with hi-hats and 808s to provide a perfect backdrop for 21 and Burna Boy to shine.

Burna Boy, 21 Savage and Metro Boomin on Just Like Me.
— benny. (@benny7gg)
Jan 12, 2024

21 Savage ate on American Dream and left no breadcrumbs. Setting the bar high for rap releases this year, he showed more versatility in himself and his feature artists than in previous albums, and the immaculate production throughout speaks to his refined taste.

Travis Scott Teases New Album With Tracks Recorded on Tour

It may not be years before we get another Travis Scott album. In response to a fan on X, he hinted at working on new music while completing his Circus Maximus tour. During the tour’s after-parties at clubs, Travis has been previewing new music during his DJ sets and posted a photo of a makeshift studio on X.

Travis Scott teases a new album 🚨
He’s hinted the names of the tracks will be inspired by cities from the Circus Maximus Tour 👀
— NFR Podcast (@nfr_podcast)
Jan 14, 2024

If the concept of a song per city the tour stops in came to life, the follow-up project would have over 20 tracks. The features might relate to the special guests Travis has brought out, like NY drill group 41, Don Toliver, Detroit’s Veeze and Skilla Baby, and the tour opener, Teezo Touchdown.

It’s worth mentioning the previous projects Travis has dropped in close proximity to each other. Birds In The Trap came out a year after Rodeo and the collab project JACKBOYS dropped a year after Astroworld, as pointed out by X user/tervisscoot.

In other Travis tour news, his stop in Montreal at the Bell Centre, home to the NHL’s Montreal Canadians, had such high vibrations from the bass that it caused three of the team’s 24 Stanley Cups to fall, damaging one of them.

When do you think Travis will release his next project?