Savage Mode II is a collaborative studio album by British-American rapper 21 Savage and American record producer Metro Boomin. It was released on October 2, 2020, and was previewed through a trailer with narration by Morgan Freeman. The album serves as a sequel to the duo's extended play Savage Mode (2016). It features guest appearances by Drake, Young Thug, and Savage's cousin Young Nudy. On October 19, 2020, a chopped and screwed version of the album was released by OG Ron C and Slim K.
Savage Mode II received widespread acclaim and debuted atop the US Billboard 200, becoming 21 Savage and Metro Boomin's second US number-one album. It was supported by two singles: "Runnin" and "Mr. Right Now".
Background
Metro Boomin first announced the project in July 2019, after 21 Savage brought him out on stage during a concert. Speaking to the crowd, Metro simply stated that Savage Mode II was on the way.[2] On February 18, 2020, the producer tweeted a photo of himself and Savage in the studio. The caption for the picture read "MODE".[3] On March 3, 21 Savage reposted a fan's Instagram story that the project would be released on March 13.[4] In May, Savage stated that they were making sure the album is "perfect" before being released.[5] The project's release was officially announced on September 28, with the duo confirmed the release date and previewing the album with a horror-themed,[6] "macabre" trailer directed by Gibson Hazard, narrated by actor Morgan Freeman; he recorded his contributions onto his iPhone at his home.[7] The visual contains in-studio scenes of the pair, as Freeman informs viewers of the meaning of "savage mode": "'Savage' is defined as 'fierce, beastly and untamed'. 'Mode' is defined as 'a way of operating or using the system'. So to be in 'savage mode' is to go hard, not allowing anything to stop or deter you from your mission. Basically, this means when someone is in 'savage mode', they're not to be fucked with". The announcement came a week after fans launched a petition urging Savage and Metro to release the album.[8] It garnered over 28,000 signatures.[9]
Cover art
Metro Boomin unveiled the album cover on September 29 on his social media, with the caption: "Boominati Slaughter Gang taking over for the 2020 and the 21," recalling Juvenile's line "Cash Money Records taking over the 99 and the 2000" from his single "Back That Azz Up". The cover was created by Pen & Pixel, who came out of retirement for the design.[10] It is a "nostalgic" and vintage artwork, "heavily" inspired by those of Cash Money and No Limit Records and is a nod to the "bling rap" album covers of the 1990s.[6][10][11]
Promotion
A promotional website for the album was created, featuring a live countdown to the project's release and a phone number that listeners could call to hear snippets of the tracks.[12]
The music video for the song, "Runnin", was released on October 2, 2020.[13] It was sent to rhythmic contemporary radio on October 13, 2020, as the album's dual lead single,[14] along with "Mr. Right Now", featuring Canadian rapper Drake, which was serviced to urban contemporary radio.[15] The music video for "My Dawg", was released on October 7, 2020.[16]
Savage Mode II was met with widespread critical acclaim. 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 10 reviews.[18] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.4 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[17]
In a positive review, Dhruva Balram of NME wrote that "As a whole, the album is confirmation of two young artists at the top of their game, watching the landscape unfold from the throne they earned themselves four years ago".[23] Robin Murray of Clash praised the "crisp and future-facing" production from Metro Boomin, as well as the rap performances by 21 Savage. He concluded: "Savage Mode 2 matches ruthless entertainment to phenomenal artistry, a collaboration that works on a number of levels."[19] Charles Lyons-Burt of Slant Magazine said, "It's Metro, though, who elevates 21's stories to something approaching greatness. ... This sequel is a ratification of the "bigger and better", an example of steady improvement through impeccable craft".[27] Rashad Grove from Consequence enjoyed the album, saying, "21 Savage, accompanied by the golden touch of Metro Boomin, have given the hip-hop world their most well-rounded project to date, and they set the bar high for others to measure up to".[20]Paste critic Trey Alston said, "Savage Mode II is a worthy successor to the original, building on that initial moment that made 21 Savage a household name. Adventurous, introspective, and thoughtful, it's just what the world needs from the rapper at this moment, even if we didn't know it".[24] Mark Elibert of HipHopDX said, "The Grammy Award winner shows he continues to be ambitious as an artist while keeping up the Slaughter King mantra he ran with early in his career. For Young Metro, Savage Mode II asserts there's no rust on his boards and proves he's still one of the best architects in the game".[22]
Reviewing the album for Pitchfork, Alphonse Pierre stated: "The first Savage Mode didn't become an ATL classic because of celebrity cameos or Billboard numbers; it was because Metro and 21 were at the peak of their powers, and only the producer is close here. 21 Savage is just along for the ride."[25] Steve "Flash" Juon of RapReviews said, "The 44 minutes of this album could exist without Mr. Freeman, but they couldn't exist without Metro Boomin. ... [21 Savage's] a solid RAPPER through and through and in an era of singers I'm always going to appreciate that, but if I said I could ignore the banality of Savage Mode II lyrically I'd be lying".[29] In a lukewarm review, Exclaim!'s Jacob Carey wrote, "Whether they hit the mark with their sequel is debatable. While Savage Mode II is by no means a lacklustre album, it may not be the exact product their fans hoped for".[21]
Savage Mode II debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 171,000 album-equivalent units (including 22,000 pure album sales).[37] This became 21 Savage and Metro Boomin's second US number-one debut.[37] The album also accumulated a total of 200.1 million on-demand streams of the album's songs during that week.[37] In its second week, the album remained in the top ten and fell to number two.[38] On February 8, 2021, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over a half-million units in the United States.[39]
^[b] "Intro" contains elements from "Magnus", written and performed by Richard Hill and Douglas Mackay.
^[c] "Runnin" contains elements from "I Thought It Took a Little Time (But Today I Fell in Love)", written by Michael Masser and Pamela Sawyer, as performed by Diana Ross.
^[h] "Said N Done" contains elements from "Touch Me Now", written by Terry Alexander, Wayne Braithwaite, Barry Eastmond, and Stephanie Mills, as performed by Stephanie Mills.
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes and Tidal.[40][41]
