21 Savage/Metro Boomin: Savage Mode 10th Anniversary Vinyl

Why you'll love it

This 10th anniversary edition puts the EP that made 21 Savage a star back on vinyl. It reached No. 23 on the Billboard 200, went gold in the US and gave him two Hot 100 hits.

This edition

10th anniversary edition
Pressed in the EU
Stereo mix

About the album

Some partnerships click from the first beat. Atlanta rapper 21 Savage and producer Metro Boomin put Savage Mode out themselves in July 2016, nine tracks in barely 32 minutes, and it turned a local name into one of the most talked-about voices in rap. The lead single with Future arrived a day before the EP itself, and "No Heart" followed as the second single that October.

Metro executive produced and built the sound with Southside, Zaytoven, Sonny Digital and Cubeatz, all cold synths, sparse drums and eerie space, while 21 delivers his verses in a flat, unbothered monotone that makes every line land harder. "No Heart" became the signature track, Future joins him on the lead single, and "Savage Mode," "Bad Guy" and "Ocean Drive" keep the mood dark and focused. Pitchfork singled out Metro's production, and Complex praised the record's sound design.

Rolling Stone put it on its list of the 40 best rap albums of 2016. The sequel, Savage Mode II, arrived four years later with Morgan Freeman narrating, which is what's known in the trade as a budget increase.

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