21 Savage “WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STREETS?” Review

If there’s any rapper who has made such strides of their profession that they appear unrecognizable from their start line, it’s 21 Savage. Since 2015’s The Slaughter Tape, he’s turned his model of unflinchingly macabre entice music into one thing that feels penitent and guided by conscience. The survival instincts that knowledgeable initiatives like Savage Mode have been examined and tried all through his leap from entice to tabloids, and the expansion he’s skilled has created a spot in maturity and sustainability within the finicky panorama of hip-hop. Deliberate creative selections have made his catalog stand out in methods nobody would’ve anticipated when Issa landed on streaming companies. In reality, for an artist who may’ve been written off as a one-hit surprise after the success of “Bank Account,” he grew to become one of many few road rappers involved with the worth of a full physique of labor.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STREETS?, his fourth studio album, continues that custom of consistency and function. Closing out a chapter of immigration troubles and questioned heritage on american dream, the album follows the journey he launched into as a youngin in Atlanta. From the second it begins, it feels territorial. Wheezy and Southside’s mixed efforts flip the sinister “WHERE YOU FROM” right into a prideful declaration of 21’s roots in Zone 6, and he attracts a transparent line within the sand: an us-vs-them mentality the place violence comes with out regret, survival instincts are inherited, and web gossip doesn’t translate. Savage comes out swinging with coolness, making it abundantly clear that he’s a) tired of discussing the Drake vs. Kendrick/Metro debate and b) has little respect for content material creators.

These boundaries lengthen to the sonic thesis of WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STREETS? in a means that aligns with the album’s title—are the streets alive and effectively? Have the sweeping RICO circumstances towards Young Thug and Gunna shifted the perspective on the streets? And in an period dominated by content material creators and TikTok influencers, how does this influence the sound he’s championed? There’s a lot that 21 absorbed from Metro Boomin’s revivalist mission on A Futuristic Summa (he contributes to “GANG OVER EVERYTHING”), although it’s far much less apparent in its try to drag at nostalgia. Whether it’s Zaytoven’s icy manufacturing on “HA,” which echoes Gucci Mane’s “Hit Another Lick,” the triumphant horns and percussive chants of the Memphis-leaning “DOG $HIT” ft. GloRilla, the blistering reunion with Young Nudy on “Step Brothers” or the shimmering keys that propel Latto’s verse on “POP IT” into one in all her strongest visitor appearances of the 12 months, the primary half of the album is underscored by Savage’s direct influences. That even extends to the Drake-assisted “MR. RECOUP,” one in all his most memorable and infectious options of the 12 months. The muddy synths and spacey piano riffs completely seize an period the place Drake meshed seamlessly into Atlanta’s soundscape. Even when Kendrick claimed Drake “runs to Atlanta” when he wants successful, his camaraderie with artists like 21 Savage proves it stays mutually helpful.

Their relationship has been one of the crucial attention-grabbing features of each careers just lately. Albums like HER LOSS gave Drake a second wind over trap-focused beats, whereas the synchronicity in 21 Savage’s pen and introspection, as seen on “3 AM In Glenwood,” pushed again towards doubts about his talents as an MC. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STREETS? leans extra into introspection than rapping prowess. That isn’t to downplay his technical enhancements, but it surely’s clear he’s been considerably stagnant lyrically. In that sense, G Herbo and Lil Baby’s respective appearances on “CODE OF HONOR” and “ATLANTA TEARS” enable for extra emotive performances. On “ATLANTA TEARS,” Lil Baby delivers a formidable verse, and along with Savage, they underscore the significance of authenticity, typically misplaced as narratives journey throughout the web. Here, the soulful manufacturing turns into a canvas for 21 to dissect the cruel duality of the streets—not simply the dedication it requires however the inevitable outcomes many ignore once they step into it.

This theme is probably most related to the album’s title on “I WISH” ft. Jawan Harris, which tragically samples R. Kelly’s tune of the identical title. It displays on each the chums 21 misplaced to the streets and the rappers elevated past them, solely to have their lives claimed by violence. There’s a uncooked earnestness as Savage ruminates on Young Dolph’s deadly go to to Makeda’s Homemade Cookies, Takeoff’s premature dying in Houston, and Nipsey Hussle’s capturing on the identical block he had spent years attempting to uplift—by a supposed rat, no much less.

In the top, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STREETS? is a becoming installment in 21 Savage’s catalog, each a reckoning with the world he got here from and the one he’s carving out for himself. Survival is balanced with inevitable loss, and the streets emerge as a crucible shaping character, decisions, and legacy. With manufacturing that honors the previous whereas feeling forward-facing, and options that serve the songs moderately than shock, Savage expands his consolation zone with out retreating into it. His introspection and measured reflection give the album enduring resonance, capping off a powerful 12 months for hip-hop. What’s extra spectacular is that WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STREETS? doesn’t search to defend road politics or justify them in an period dominated by on-line commentators. Instead, Savage renders the streets a residing, respiration backdrop, at the same time as he rises past them.

HotNewHipHop customers rated 21 Savage’s WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STREETS? 3.34 out of 5 stars, primarily based on 16 evaluations. In a good assessment of the challenge, one person wrote, “Solid challenge cherished the manufacturing . Wish it was longer with some higher options is all.” In a extra important remark, one other person added, “its good however 21 cant actually make dangerous mainstream music atp with all of the options and his flows/mic presence finest tune is stepbrothers w nudy or the herb tune and worst could be the intro.”