American Dream (21 Savage album)

American Dream
Studio album / soundtrack by 21 Savage
Released	January 12, 2024
Genre	Hip hop R&B
Length	49:49
Label	Epic Slaughter Gang
Producer	Allen Ritter BoogzDaBeast Cardo Coupe Dpat g06beatz Honorable C.N.O.T.E. ibmixing Isaiah Brown Johnny Juliano Jonah Jonas Lee Kid Hazel Kurtis McKenzie Kxvi Lil Tyh London on da Track Metro Boomin OG Parker Scribz Riley Smash Spiff Sinatra
21 Savage chronology
Her Loss (2022) American Dream (2024)

American Dream (stylized in lowercase) is the third studio album by British-American rapper 21 Savage, and it serves as the soundtrack to his debut film, titled American Dream: The 21 Savage Story. It was released on January 12, 2024, through Epic Records and Slaughter Gang Entertainment. The album features guest appearances from Travis Scott, Young Thug, Doja Cat, Brent Faiyaz, Lil Durk, Summer Walker, Mariah the Scientist, Burna Boy, and Metro Boomin. The album is a follow-up to his previous solo album, I Am > I Was (2018), and is his first solo album in over 5 years. It succeeds Her Loss (2022), his collaborative album with Drake.

Background

In November 2022, 21 Savage teamed up with Canadian rapper and singer Drake on their collaborative studio album, Her Loss, making 21 Savage's first full-length project since 2020. Following the release of the album, in July 2023, 21 Savage and Drake embarked on a 72-show North America tour, where Drake stated that both he and 21 Savage were working on each of their solo studio albums, referring to American Dream and For All the Dogs (2023). On August 7, 21 Savage yet again hinted at the release of the album, taking to Twitter to state that "it's time", teasing the record. After flying out to London in November 2023, his birth city of which shook the world after being exposed to the internet, 21 Savage headlined his first show in London at The O2 Arena, while he stated that his "album finna drop" and that his fans should "get ready". Following his un-official announcement in December 2023, billboards and banners began to appear, further adding to the promotion of the album and further building its anticipation.

On January 8, 2024, 21 Savage announced that a biopic film about himself, starring 21 Savage, Donald Glover, and Caleb McLaughlin, titled American Dream: The 21 Savage Story would be released on Independence Day. On the same day, Savage posted the film's trailer to his official YouTube channel, previewing a track from the album in the process, while also announcing that the music inspired by the film is available for pre-order. Just a day later, on January 9, 21 Savage took to his social media to post the album's official cover art and announced that it'd be set to release on January 12.

Just days later, on January 10, 21 Savage began to tease features on the album after posting baby pictures of Young Thug, Summer Walker, and Brent Faiyaz. Just a day later, on January 11, 21 Savage again took to his Instagram to post more baby pictures of Lil Durk, Travis Scott, and Mariah the Scientist. On the night of the album's release, 21 Savage previewed the last three features on the album, Burna Boy, Metro Boomin, and Doja Cat. Despite not releasing an official album tracklist prior to the album's release as per usual, the project was released smoothly and on time.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Clash	8/10
HipHopDX	3.5/5

Writing for Clash, Robin Murray began his review by noting that the album "allows 21 Savage space to tell his story". Breaking down the halves of the album, he continued to write that "the first half of the record leans on his rap flair, while the second indulges his softer, R&B inclinations". Concluding his review, Murray wrote that "American Dream is 21 Savage at his most luminescent" and that he is "staying true to himself" as "he’s been able to build something unique". Writing for HipHopDX, Will Schube wrote that "American Dream is 21 Savage at his most deeply intimate, treating the recording booth like a diary, examining his life and career from a 30,000 foot view". He noted that "Savage isn’t bitter on his latest offering, but he knows his worth; his family has worked too long and too hard for him to slip up or be taken advantage of" and that "he’s stuck between trying to be good, trying to honor the effort and sacrifices his mother made, and being drawn back to his crew, back to the deals and the cash and everything that came with it", noting that "humanity is what makes this record succeed".

Track listing

American Dream track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"American Dream"	Ruben Bailey Sterling White Isaiah Brown Billie Calvin	Spiff Sinatra ibmixing	1:03
2.	"All of Me"	Shéyaa Abraham-Joseph White Raphael Oliveira Khaya Gilika Yakki Davis Jalen Jackson Jared Brown	Spiff Sinatra	3:18
3.	"Redrum"	Abraham-Joseph London Holmes	London on da Track	4:30
4.	"N.H.I.E." (with Doja Cat)	Abraham-Joseph Amala Dlamini Anthony Jefferies Douglas Ford Kurtis McKenzie Michael Orabiyi Jonah Stevens	McKenzie Scribz Riley Jonah	2:23
5.	"Sneaky"	Abraham-Joseph Edward Cooper III	Coupe	3:21
6.	"Pop Ur Shit" (with Young Thug and Metro Boomin)	Abraham-Joseph Jeffery Williams Leland Wayne Allen Ritter	Metro Boomin Ritter	3:13
7.	"Letter to My Brudda"	Abraham-Joseph Kavi Iybarger Park Min Geon Tyrese McGriff Paola Barba	Kxvi g06beatz Lil Tyh	2:39
8.	"Dangerous" (with Lil Durk and Metro Boomin)	Abraham-Joseph Durk Banks Wayne Jahshua Brown Jahmal Gwin	Metro Boomin BoogzDaBeast	4:25
9.	"Née-Nah" (with Travis Scott and Metro Boomin)	Abraham-Joseph Jacques Webster Wayne Ford	Metro Boomin	3:40
10.	"See the Real"	Abraham-Joseph Jocelyn Donald Jordan Holt-May Dez Joshua Parker Smash 10 Rock	OG Parker Smash 10 Rock	3:02
11.	"Prove It" (with Summer Walker)	Abraham-Joseph Summer Walker Keith Thomas Tauren Stovall Brown Cooper Tye Gibson Faith Evans Carl Thompson	ibmixing Coupe Tye Beats	3:27
12.	"Should've Wore a Bonnet" (with Brent Faiyaz)	Abraham-Joseph Christopher Wood Ronald LaTour David Patino John Julian Francis Esteban Donald De Grate Joel Hailey Darryl Pearson	Cardo Dpat Johnny Juliano Esta	3:06
13.	"Just Like Me" (with Burna Boy and Metro Boomin)	Abraham-Joseph Damini Ogulu Wayne Michael Mulé Isaac De Boni Gwin Kira Huszar Khadijah Lopez Akeel Henry Jordon Manswell Nevon Sinclair Kevin Ekofo	Metro Boomin FnZ BoogzDaBeast	3:51
14.	"Red Sky"	Abraham-Joseph Carlton Mays Jr.	Honorable C.N.O.T.E.	2:56
15.	"Dark Days" (with Mariah the Scientist)	Abraham-Joseph Mariah Buckles Atia Boggs Ahmar Bailey Jonas Lee Iybarger Yousef Sameh Davis	Kid Hazel Lee Kxvi[a] Sameh[a]	4:55
Total length:				49:49

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer
• "Redrum" features vocals by Usher
• "Letter to My Brudda" features vocals by Paola Barba and 21 Lil Harold
• "Dangerous" features vocals by 21 Lil Harold
• "Red Sky" features uncredited vocals by Tommy Newport
• "Dark Days" features vocals by Atia Boggs

Sample credits

• "All of Me" contains a sample of "Wishing on a Star", by Rose Royce, written by Billie Rae Calvin.
• "Redrum" contains a sample of "Serenata do adeus", by Antônio Carlos Jobim, written by Antônio Carlos Jobim; as well as samples from the "Here's Johnny!" scene from The Shining; and interpolations of "A Lot", written by Shéyaa Abraham-Joseph, Jermaine Cole, Dacoury Natche, Anthony White and Shelia Young, as performed by 21 Savage and J. Cole.
• "Née-Nah" contains a sample of "About Her" by Malcolm McLaren, written by Malcolm McLaren, Rod Argent, and W. C. Handy; and contains a sample of "’Cause I Love You" by Lenny Williams, written by Leonard Williams and Frank Wilson.
• "Prove It" contains a sample of "You Are My Joy (Interlude)" by Faith Evans, written by Faith Evans.
• "Should've Wore a Bonnet" contains a sample of "I Don’t Want to Do Anything", written by DeVante Swing, as performed by Mary J. Blige and K-Ci; and interpolations from an unreleased song, "Hair", written by Durk Banks and Symere Woods, as performed by Lil Durk and Lil Uzi Vert.
• "Just Like Me" contains a sample of "Raw" by Loony, written by Kira Huszar.

Personnel

Credits and personnel adapted from Tidal.

Musicians

• 21 Savage – vocals
• Heather Carmillia Joseph – additional vocals (1, 15)
• Spiff Sinatra – keyboards (1, 2), drums (1, 2)
• James Owens Jr. – keyboards (1)
• Isaiah Brown – keyboards (1), strings (1)
• Rose Royce – additional vocals (2)
• Noc – drums (2)
• Jalen Jackson – keyboards (2)
• Usher – additional vocals (3)
• Nineteen85 – keyboards (4)
• Peter Lee Johnson – strings (6)
• 21 Lil Harold – additional vocals (7, 8)
• Paola Barba – additional vocals (7)
• Higher Learning – choir (13)
• Atia Boggs – additional vocals (15)

Technical

• Mike Bozzi – mastering
• Miles Walker – mixing (1–5, 12, 15)
• Isaiah Brown – mixing (5, 11), recording (1-5, 7-15), engineering assistance (1)
• Ethan Stevens – mixing (6, 8, 9, 13), recording (6, 8, 9, 13)
• Alex Tumay – mixing (7, 10, 14)
• Patrizio "Teezio" Pigliapoco – mixing (10)
• David "Dos Dias" Bishop – mixing (11), recording (11)
• William “Bilz” Dougan – recording (13)
• Natalie D’Orlando – recording (15)
• Spiff Santra – engineering assistance (1)
• Jared Brown – engineering assistance (2)
• Shawn Peden – engineering assistance (2-5, 7, 8)
• Khaya "Macxsn" Gilika – engineering assistance (2)