There was a time in which the production work of Metro Boomin singlehandedly altered the musical landscape, deftly conjuring spooky trap bangers and handing them out like Halloween candy. Atlanta artist 21 Savage took an immediate liking to Metro's brand of dark banger, his own preference for minimalist horror-film violence making him a well-suited counterpart. Before long the pair dropped Savage Mode, an album many still feel to be 21 Savage's best body of work. Now, days after Metro Boom decried the current state of hip-hop, he's making it abundantly clear that the anticipated Savage Mode 2 is on the way.
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Doubling down on an initial announcement tweet, Metro shared a behind-the-scenes picture of himself and 21 in the studio, presumably wrapping up the sequel. Though we have yet to hear any actual music, a gambler might surmise that the vibe will be either brooding, ominous, menacing, essentially a combination of similar adjectives. While it's unlikely they will look to reinvent the wheel, the crazy thing is that Savage Mode is already a few years old, making the sound almost nostalgic by nature -- expect them to go back to basics on this return trip, and why wouldn't they?
While the announcement of Savage Mode II is exciting in itself, it's equally thrilling to see an inspired Metro Boomin plotting a 2020 takeover. Between this and his upcoming No Auto Durk project with Lil Durk, look for him to make a major splash in this shiny new decade.