21 Savage was the special guest for the season one finale of DeepCut with VicBlends, the YouTube series where celebrities join Vic for a fresh cut and a deep conversation. Of course, he expanded on a lot of different topics concerning his career, goals, personal life, and overall outlook on his fame, position, and personhood. But the sit-down also contained some hot takes and classic rap debates. For one, the "née-nah" MC was asked to rank the following Atlanta artists as lyricists: Future, Lil Baby, JID, Young Thug, and himself. While his take isn't necessarily surprising, it certainly caused a lot of ruckus among online hip-hop fans who have had these musty discussions since LL COOL J called himself the greatest of all time.
"One through five?" 21 Savage asked VicBlends. "I'm number one. Based off of lyrics? Okay, yeah, I'm number one. Lyrics, JID, number two. Thug, number three. Baby, number four. Pluto, number five. Just off of lyrics. Now, if it's off song-making, Pluto would be number one. But just off of lyrics, yeah, I'm number one off lyrics." Many fans found this ironic given that "Surround Sound," a collab between him and his number two pick JID, is a track that many would give to the Dreamville spitter as far as lyrics.
21 Savage's Divisive Atlanta Lyricists Ranking
Still, we can't deny that as a rapper and writer, 21 Savage's dry, blunt, often cold, and instantly recognizable approach to the mic is pretty singular in today's hip-hop landscape. As such, anyone putting him high up on a lyricism list will face some pushback, but for them to face outright rejection would be a gross overreaction. Also, according to Metro Boomin, he's a frustratingly picky collaborator when it comes to beats, so he knows how to make the most out of his pen and voice's approach.
Elsewhere, though, 21 Savage is just enjoying his wind-down for 2024 after an explosive start to the year with his latest album american dream. He hasn't had to handle much hassle in the public eye as of late, apart from some relationship rumors with Saweetie that she swiftly handled. We'll see how 2025 shapes up for 21 and if he'll contribute more reasons as to why he's one of Atlanta's best lyricists.