Savage Mode
Savage Mode is a collaborative extended play by American rapper 21 Savage and record producer Metro Boomin, consisting of six tracks entirely produced by the latter and released independently on July 15, 2016.[1][2] The project debuted at number 44 on the US Billboard 200 chart before peaking at number 28, driven by streaming and digital sales in the trap genre.[3] It received gold certification from the RIAA on May 10, 2017, for 500,000 equivalent units, reflecting its commercial breakthrough for 21 Savage amid his rising profile in Atlanta's hip-hop scene.[4] Standout singles included "No Heart," noted for its aggressive delivery on street survival, and "X" featuring Future, which achieved platinum status by the RIAA for over one million units sold or streamed.[3] Critically, Savage Mode distinguished itself through 21 Savage's deadpan narration of violence and Metro Boomin's brooding, synth-heavy beats, cementing their partnership and influencing subsequent trap productions.[2]Background
Development and recording
21 Savage began rapping in 2013 following the death of a friend in a shootout on his 21st birthday, marking a pivot from street activities to music subsidized initially by drug sales for studio time.[5] By early 2016, he had released two independent mixtapes to regional acclaim in Atlanta: The Slaughter Tape in May 2015 and Slaughter King in December 2015, establishing his gritty trap style rooted in East Atlanta experiences.[6] The collaboration with Metro Boomin originated in Atlanta's studio scene, where the producer encountered Savage through mutual friends prior to the latter's official music releases. During casual interactions, including at a video shoot, Savage expressed interest in rapping and requested beats from Metro, who obliged and recognized Savage's distinctive vocal potential amid frequent pitches from local talents. Metro Boomin, an established figure in Atlanta's trap production by 2016 with credits for artists like Future and Migos, proposed Savage Mode as a targeted project to highlight Savage's unfiltered, menacing delivery over sparse, atmospheric dark beats, diverging from more layered productions.[7] Recording occurred primarily in Atlanta studios throughout early 2016, yielding the 32-minute extended play released on July 15. Sessions evolved organically from these initial encounters, emphasizing spontaneity to preserve authentic street narratives on violence, drugs, and survival without excessive refinement or effects. Metro crafted simple, moody instrumentals—often featuring ominous synths and heavy 808s—while Savage insisted on keeping them "clean" to let his raw, restrained flow dominate, creating a gully, ambient trap sound. As Metro noted, "those motherfuckers clean. The simple, moody, dark beats — that created the proper bed. His voice just different."[7]Musical content
Style and production
Savage Mode employs a trap production framework dominated by Metro Boomin, who handled all beats on the nine-track extended play released on July 15, 2016.[1] His contributions feature sleek, brooding soundscapes with eerie, understated elements that evoke a grim urban tension, distinguishing the project through coldhearted, sinister instrumentation rather than ornate arrangements.[2][8] The beats emphasize minimalism with heavy 808 bass lines, haunting synth layers, and sparse hi-hat programming, creating plodding yet bouncy rhythms rooted in Atlanta's trap heritage.[8] This approach draws from Southern rap pioneers such as Gucci Mane, incorporating fat, low-end driven patterns and restrained percussion that prioritize atmospheric menace over melodic flourishes.[9] Metro's signature tags, like "If Young Metro don't trust you, I'm gon' shoot you," further anchor the tracks in early 2010s trap aesthetics.[1] In contrast to contemporaneous pop-rap trends favoring polished hooks and upbeat samples, Savage Mode opts for unadorned, bleak sonics that amplify a sense of decay and hostility, with Metro's cohesive minimalism enhancing the raw trap blueprint without extraneous effects.[8][2] This production philosophy fosters cinematic depth, where sparse elements build suspenseful voids suited to deliberate flows, solidifying the mixtape's position as a stark exemplar of gritty Southern trap.[2]Themes and lyrics
The lyrics of Savage Mode revolve around central motifs of violence, survival, drug dealing, and retribution, drawn directly from 21 Savage's recounted experiences in Atlanta's Zone 6 neighborhood, where he engaged in robberies, drug sales, and gang conflicts from a young age.[7] In the title track, for instance, he describes poverty—such as hiding cash in a mattress—and drug consumption like sipping lean as catalysts that "turned me to a savage," framing these elements as formative pressures in street life without deeper reflection.[10] Retribution appears through explicit threats, including references to "toe-taggin'" or body-bagging adversaries amid betrayal, reflecting claimed real events like surviving being shot six times.[10][7] 21 Savage presents the "savage" persona as an adaptive stance born from scant opportunities, boasting enterprises like selling cocaine, crack cocaine, and "bricks" of drugs as paths to wealth when legitimate avenues were absent, while rapping itself began post-shooting simply because "there wasn’t shit else to do."[7] This characterization includes disdain for weakness, illustrated in anecdotes of beating peers in youth detention to avoid appearing soft, underscoring a code of unyielding toughness amid survival demands.[7] The delivery remains deadpan and flat, prioritizing raw recounting over emotional variance or introspection.[2] Influenced by gangsta rap lineages, the content asserts individual agency through chaotic narratives, employing stark imagery of guns encountered by age eight, backstabbing turning one savage, and excess in criminal gains, all to depict unfiltered navigation of Zone 6's hazards.[7][10][2]Track listing
Savage Mode comprises nine tracks released on July 15, 2016, with production primarily handled by Metro Boomin and no prominent samples or interpolations beyond standard trap instrumentation.[1][11]| No. | Title | Featuring | Length | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "No Heart" | 3:55 | Southside[1] | |
| 2 | "X" | Future | 3:14 | Metro Boomin[1] |
| 3 | "Savage Mode" | 4:18 | Metro Boomin[1] | |
| 4 | "No Advance" | 3:03 | Metro Boomin[1] | |
| 5 | "Fallin'" | 3:42 | Metro Boomin[1] | |
| 6 | "Shot Down" | 2:32 | Metro Boomin[1] | |
| 7 | "Feel It" | 3:47 | Metro Boomin[1] | |
| 8 | "Don't Come Back" | 4:02 | Metro Boomin[1] | |
| 9 | "Fuck It" | 3:52 | Metro Boomin[1] |
Release and promotion
Announcement and rollout
On July 5, 2016, 21 Savage announced the release date and cover artwork for Savage Mode via social media, setting the project for digital availability on July 15.[12] This followed earlier hints from Metro Boomin in late 2015 about a potential collaboration with the emerging Atlanta rapper.[13] The rollout relied heavily on organic hype generated through Metro Boomin's social media teasers and 21 Savage's grassroots momentum from local freestyles and his prior mixtape Slaughter King, which had garnered attention in Atlanta's underground scene without mainstream radio support.[13] Distributed digitally through Epic Records while maintaining a mixtape-like independent ethos, Savage Mode launched exclusively on streaming platforms like SoundCloud and for purchase on iTunes, reflecting the era's shift toward digital-first dissemination amid rising streaming dominance.[13] No initial physical copies or extensive merchandise tie-ins were emphasized, prioritizing immediate online accessibility over traditional retail channels.[14]Singles and marketing
"X" featuring Future was released as the lead single on July 14, 2016, one day before Savage Mode's debut, and amassed early buzz through streaming platforms like YouTube and SoundCloud alongside club rotations in Atlanta's trap venues.[15] The track, produced solely by Metro Boomin, benefited from Future's established presence in the Southern rap scene, driving initial listens without formal radio airplay campaigns.[3] "No Heart," produced by Metro Boomin and Southside, followed as a promotional single on October 19, 2016, supported by a music video released two days earlier that showcased 21 Savage in his East Atlanta surroundings, contributing to its organic virality via user shares and algorithmic recommendations.[16] The video's low-production style, emphasizing unpolished street imagery over scripted storytelling, aligned with the EP's aesthetic and amplified engagement in hip-hop communities.[17] Promotion leaned on interpersonal networks in Atlanta's trap ecosystem, with shoutouts from collaborators like Future and diffusion through local DJs and social media rather than paid media buys. Managers Meezy and Kei, drawing from prior experience in street-level marketing with artists like 2 Chainz, prioritized authentic endorsements and platform-driven discovery over manufactured hype, enabling word-of-mouth propagation that propelled the project independently before Epic Records distribution.[17] This approach reflected a bootstrapped model, where fan interactions and peer validations in the underground scene supplanted traditional advertising expenditures.[18]Commercial performance
Chart positions
Savage Mode entered the US Billboard 200 at number 44 before peaking at number 23, with a total of 42 weeks on the chart.[19] Its performance was primarily driven by US consumption, reflecting the project's appeal within the trap subgenre. Internationally, charting was limited, reaching a peak of number 29 on the German Albums Top 50 for one week.[19]| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | 23 |
| German Albums Top 50 | 29 |