All 14 songs on 21 Savage’s ‘American Dream’ ranked
14. pop ur shit
“pop ur shit” is by far the worst song on american dream. Despite having Metro Boomin on the production, the beat is boring and doesn’t work well with 21 or Young Thug at all. The hook is absolutely awful, with some of the worst bars on the album, like “It smell like gas, I think somebody poop.” “pop ur shit” is a borderline unlistenable track from 21 Savage.
13. see the real
21’s melodic flow with the forgettable beat makes “see the real” quite a boring song. A lot seems to be missing with this song, and honestly there’s not much to say about it other than that it is not a memorable track on the project.
12. n.h.i.e.
A doja cat collab was unexpected, but not great. Unlike the last two songs mentioned, “n.h.i.e.” isn’t a bad song by any means, it’s just a bit underwhelming. The beat has a bit of groove to it, but it’s nothing special, and neither is 21’s hook.
11. should’ve wore a bonnet
The idea of a Brent Fiayaz and 21 collab is much better than the execution. Brent’s vocals are great, but the beat is an absolute mess. It’s honestly hard to even figure out what’s going on with the instrumental. It’s always nice to hear Brent’s smooth vocals, but it would be nicer to hear them over a better instrumental.
10. just like me
Metro Boomin’s beat is alright, and Burna Boy’s hook is pretty good, but overall, “just like me” is nothing standout. 21’s rapping on the track is a little boring, and the song overall is not very memorable. Metro Boomin most definitely has better beats on american dream.
9. sneaky
The beat on “sneaky” is amazing, but 21’s rapping is some of the worst on the album. His flow is slow and lazy, and lyrically his rapping is nothing special either. On top of that, the hook is not captivating and quite boring. “sneaky” would place lower, but the beat is one of the best on the whole project. It’s a shame that a great beat was matched with some pretty lack-luster rapping.
8. all of me
Similar to sneaky, “all of me” is carried by the production. However, unlike the hard hitting beat on “sneaky”, all of me is more soulful and groovy. The rapping performance on this song though is an improving over 21’s performance on “sneaky,” allowing “all of me” to place higher on the list.
7. dark days
“dark days” serves as a solid closer to american dream. Lyrically, this is easily one of the best songs on the album, and it’s great to hear 21 being vulnerable. Instrumentally, the beat is nothing crazy, but Mariah the Scientist’s beautiful vocals are a great addition to the track. Overall, “dark days” is a great way to send of the project.
6. prove it
Despite some of 21’s awful bars in the second verse, “prove it” is still a great song. The beautiful beat and the heavenly vocals from Summer Walker make this an enjoyable listen. Summer Walker absolutely kills it on the hook, making her appearance one of the best features on american dream.
5. red sky
“red sky” has one of the hardest beats on the whole project, along with some of 21’s best rapping. Unlike his lazy rapping on other songs, 21 Savage sounds cold-blooded on this track. The transitions between 21’s verse and the beautifully sung hook is one of the best moments on the album. It’s unfortunate how there are not more songs like this throughout the project.
4. redrum
The most popular song on the album is also one of the best. It’s undeniable that the beat drop at the beginning of the song is absolutely amazing. The vocal sample in the instrumental is hauntingly beautiful and it adds so much to the beat. The hook isn’t exceptional, but it’s not bad by any means. Of all the songs that could have been hits, redrum is one of the best choices.
3. née-nah
The top three songs were so difficult to rank because it feels like the top three are significantly better than any of the other songs on the project. The amazing Travis Scott and Metro Boomin collaboration happens to place three, but it is almost just as good as the number one and two songs. Travis’s feature on nee-nah is one of his better features in recent memory: his flow is extremely catchy, and he sounds fantastic without autotune. The beat from Metro Boomin is also a massive highlight, and very catchy as well. 21 is probably the weakest link of the three, but his verse is still solid, and doesn’t make the track worse by any means.
2. dangerous
It should be no surprise that another Metro Boomin produced song places in the top three. Not only is the beat insanely captivating, but Lil Durk’s verse has so much energy and personality, making this probably his best feature to date. 21’s performance is also one of his best on the album, with two of his best verses and one of his better hooks.
1. letter to my brudda
“letter to my brudda” is a genuinely beautiful song. Like “dark days”, 21’s vulnerable side is shown, but “letter to my brudda” is a much better track, with the gorgeous background vocals and touchy lyrics. 21 mentions the death of his best friend Johnny who was killed many years ago, and he talks about how he has to “keep the past behind” him so that he can continue to improve and succeed. Not only is ths the best song on the album, but it’s most definitely one of 21’s best songs to come out of any of his solo projects.
