Following the huge success of collab album ‘Her Loss’, 21 would join Drake on tour throughout 2023, teasing his solo return whilst reaching new heights commercially. In November, he would embark on his first solo tour across Europe, headlining his first show at the O2 in London where he would tell his fans to “get ready” as his “album finna drop”.
Photos by Rougi @roug_i
By late 2023, billboards would be spotted in Atlanta showing a graphic of the American flag with 21 stars, confirming that the official rollout is starting.
On January 7, Savage would reveal a promotional movie poster on his IG for “AMERICAN DREAM THE 21 SAVAGE STORY”. One day later, the Official Trailer titled ‘american dream: the 21 savage story’ would be uploaded announcing a biopic film starring himself, Donald Glover and Caleb McLaughlin with “music inspired by the film” coming this Friday. 21 would reveal the Cover Art for his 3rd solo album ‘american dream’ on January 9th. Matching the same aesthetic as the cover, Savage would reveal the features for the project through posting baby pictures of featured artists up until release. These being: Young Thug, Brent Faiyaz, Summer Walker, Lil Durk, Travis Scott, Mariah The Scientist, Burna Boy, Metro Boomin & Doja Cat.
The album would release on January 12 2024 alongside the music video for ‘redrum’, being the lead single - ‘redrum’ would also be the biggest hit from the project. The title is a nod to the word “murder” backwards an acknowledgment to the UK Drill term, whilst simultaneously paying homage to the 1980 horror classic, The Shining. An infamous scene from the movie is sampled for the outro of the track, further conveying the murderous theme. 21 returns to England for the music video which was shot in Brixton, London and showcases the contrast of tourist friendly sights with the more authentic reality. The fast paced banger matches the sick visuals consisting of photography match ups, fixed camera shots and fast transitions. Despite time constraints when filming, ‘redrum’ was a perfect video brought to life by Director Danny Seth & Editor Anders Mills of Trim Editing for the London-born, Atlanta-raised rapper.
After making fun of these typical rollouts during the ‘Her Loss’ era, Savage would go on to perform ‘Live on SNL’ with Brent Faiyaz & Summer Walker for tracks ‘redrum’, ‘should’ve worn a bonnet’ & ‘prove it’. ‘should’ve worn a bonnet’ would be the second Official Music Video from the album. The fire visuals directed by HidjiWorld, bring the 90s vibe for 21 & Brent, once again perfectly matching the track.
read the RELOAD REVIEW of 21 Savage's 'american dream' in RELOAD MAGAZINE ISSUE 3