21 Savage, Metro Boomin Pay Tribute to Past Generations on 'Savage Mode 2'

The new 21 Savage album features narration from Morgan Freeman.

At midnight on Friday, 21 Savage and Metro Boomin dropped Savage Mode 2, the sequel to their critically-acclaimed 2016 project. The track features guest appearances from Drake, Young Thug, and Young Nudy. The dynamic duo announced the album's release date with a horror film-inspired trailer narrated by Morgan Freeman.

Freeman graces the album's intro, as well as interludes throughout the project.

"Great men with great ideals can be separated by hundreds or even thousands of miles and still be in the same place," he says, opening the album. "They can be years or even generations apart in age, and yet, somehow, find themselves on the exact same page."

Fittingly, the project honors many different generations. The album artwork is a direct homage to the Pen & Pixel album covers of Cash Money and No Limit's famous runs of the late 1990s and early 2000s. "Steppin on Niggas" samples Rodney O and Joe Cooley's "Everlasting Bass." The closing moments of "Many Men" samples the 50 Cent track of the same name.

The project is 21 Savage's first full-length release since 2018's I Am > I Was, which earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. The album peaked at the number-one spot on Billboard's Top 200 and R&B/Hip-Hop album charts.

Savage Mode 2 is a return to form for both artists. With the exception of Offset's Father of 4 album, the St. Louis native has focused his efforts more on R&B projects recently. Earlier this year, Metro Boomin co-produced four tracks for The Weeknd's After Hours album. In 2019, he produced tracks on James Blake and Solange albums.