Savage Mode

Unflinching yet offhanded rapper 21 Savage left street life behind to establish a career that has rapidly progressed with a string of hit singles as a headliner and featured artist, the RIAA-certified gold full-lengths Savage Mode (2016), Issa Album (2017), and I Am > I Was (2018), and a clutch of Grammy Awards. Savage Mode II, his 2020 collaborative LP with Metro Boomin, topped the Billboard 200 and was a hit around the globe. He followed it in late 2022 with Her Loss, another chart-topping collaboration, this time with Drake. 21 and Metro Boomin teamed up with the Weeknd in 2023 for the hit "Creepin'," and in 2024 he debuted at the top of the chart with his third solo studio album American Dream.

The Atlanta-based artist, born Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, turned to rap following a pivotal incident on his 21st birthday that resulted in several gunshot wounds and the death of his best friend. He made his debut the following year, in 2014, with the DJ Plugg-produced "Picky." A pair of mixtapes and Free Guwop, an EP executive-produced by Sonny Digital, were released in 2015, priming 21 for mainstream infiltration. During the latter half of 2016, 21 was a constant presence on the upper reaches of the Billboard charts with a wave of collaborative and headlining singles, including "X" (featuring Future), "No Heart," and Drake's "Sneakin'." The first two of those tracks highlighted Savage Mode, a set on which 21 and producer Metro Boomin were co-billed. In 2017, shortly after Savage Mode was certified gold by the RIAA, 21 released his proper debut full-length for major-label Epic, Issa Album, the source of the number 12 Hot 100 hit "Bank Account." Only a few months later, he and Offset issued Without Warning, his second consecutive release to hit the Top Five of the Billboard 200.

Between headlining releases, additional success for 21 came as a featured artist on Post Malone's "Rockstar" -- Grammy-nominated for Record of the Year and Best Rap/Sung Performance -- and Cardi B's "Bartier Cardi." A handful of other guest verses, along with contributions to the soundtracks of Uncle Drew and Superfly, followed in 2018. Near the end of the year, he released I Am > I Was, which entered the Billboard 200 at number one, supported by "A Lot," another single that peaked at number 12. Grammy nominations for Rap Album of the Year and Best Rap Song followed shortly thereafter, with "A Lot" winning Best Rap Song.

21 and Metro Boomin's sequel to Savage Mode arrived in 2020. Narrated in its entirety by actor Morgan Freeman, Savage Mode II retained the gothic mood of its predecessor and added new twists along the way. The set entered the Billboard 200 at number one. 2021 brought the EP Spiral: From the Book of Saw, a short soundtrack accompaniment to the ninth film in the Saw horror series that featured appearances by Young Nudy, Young Thug, and Gunna. Among the scattering of singles he released in 2022 was the hit "Don't Play That" with King Von. In November, 21 teamed up with Drake for a full collaborative album titled Her Loss. The record topped charts in the U.S., Canada, and U.K. and yielded the hit single "Rich Flex." A few months later in early 2023, he joined the Weeknd and Metro Boomin on the latter's single, "Creepin'," then followed it with another hit collaboration, "Good Good" with Usher and Summer Walker. 21 returned to soundtrack work, contributing "Call Me Revenge" featuring D4vd to the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III video game. His third solo studio album, American Dream, was released in January of 2024 and debuted in the number one spot on the Billboard charts, making it the rapper's fourth consecutive chart-topper. American Dream included production from Metro Boomin' and guest features from Doja Cat, Burna Boy, Lil Durk, and many others. ~ Andy Kellman

St. Louis-raised, Atlanta-based producer Metro Boomin is the master of a street-oriented sound that is jet-black and low-gloss, sufficiently reflected in his alias. Within five years of his first output with Future, he amassed well over a dozen Top 20 R&B/hip-hop hits and a similar quantity of gold and platinum RIAA certifications. Since his early half-decade roll of success working with the likes of Future, iLoveMakonnen, Drake, Migos, and Post Malone -- with "Honest," "Tuesday," "Jumpman," "Bad and Boujee," and "Congratulations" among his biggest hits -- Metro has remained a marquee name. He crowned the Billboard 200 with Not All Heroes Wear Capes (2018), his first solo album, and made return trips to the top spot with Savage Mode II (a 2020 duo LP with 21 Savage) and his Grammy-nominated sophomore set, Heroes & Villains (2022). He branched out to film in 2023, helming the soundtrack to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. WE DON'T TRUST YOU and WE STILL DON'T TRUST YOU, his first two full albums co-billed with Future, topped the charts in 2024.

Metro Boomin got into production during his early teens and also rapped, though he eventually opted to devote all his energy to beatmaking. He connected with artists through social media, and prior to graduating high school, he'd logged thousands of miles on round trips to Atlanta, where he worked with the likes of OJ da Juiceman and, eventually, Gucci Mane and Future. Metro fulfilled his mother's dream with his acceptance to the conveniently located Morehouse College, but he dropped out and invested more in making music than in studying business management.

In 2013, Metro's name was on Billboard charts for the first time as the producer of Future's "Karate Chop" and "Honest." Just after the latter single was officially released, he self-released 19 & Boomin. Once iLoveMakonnen's "Tuesday," another early triumph, hit the R&B/hip-hop Top Ten the following year, Metro was a constant presence near the top of that chart. Drake and Future's "Jumpman" and Future's "Low Life" were among the early 2016 hits, followed later in the year by "X" -- taken from Savage Mode, his self-released EP made with 21 Savage -- and Migos' "Bad and Boujee," which eventually topped the R&B/hip-hop and pop charts.

Among Metro Boomin's subsequent hits throughout a notable 2017 were Big Sean's "Bounce Back," Post Malone's "Congratulations," Kodak Black's "Tunnel Vision," and Future's "Mask Off." The year remained a busy one, as Metro later released a trio of collaborative mixtapes: Perfect Timing (with NAV), Without Warning (with Offset and 21 Savage), and Double or Nothing (Big Sean). The following year brought even more success for Metro, not only for his input on notable albums by Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne but also for his own project, Not All Heroes Wear Capes. The album topped the Billboard 200 upon release in November 2018 and yielded a pair of platinum singles with "No Complaints," featuring Offset and Drake, and "Space Cadet," on which Metro was joined by Gunna.

In 2020, Metro Boomin resumed his partnership with 21 Savage and delivered another Billboard 200 topper, Savage Mode II. Four of its tracks, including "Glock in My Lap," hit the Top 40. Metro scored a third Billboard 200 album in 2022 with his sophomore album, Heroes & Villains. The set contained another quartet of Top 40 entries, most notably the chart-topping platinum hit "Creepin'," a collaboration with the Weeknd and 21 Savage that interpolated Mario Winans' "I Don't Wanna Know." He kept the train of number ones rolling in 2023 with the soundtrack to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which arrived that June alongside the animated blockbuster. In addition to featuring the likes of Lil Wayne, Offset, Future, James Blake, and many more, the compilation also included the hit single "Calling" with Swae Lee, Nav, and A Boogie wit da Hoodie. Heroes & Villains received a nomination for Best Rap Album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, while Metro Boomin himself was nominated for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. After contributing heavily to 21 Savage's chart-topping 2024 album, American Dream, Metro Boomin teamed up with longtime collaborator Future for the full-length WE DON'T TRUST YOU. The album topped the Billboard 200 in its opening week, while the single "Like That" was also a number one hit. Three weeks after the album was released, it was followed by WE STILL DON'T TRUST YOU, a distinct album and not a deluxe edition of the first collaboration. Once again, it reached number one. ~ Andy Kellman