Though it’s been four years since 21 Savage delivered an album where he was the solo-credited vocal lead—Savage Mode II—it’s been six since 21 has had more focus on concepts with I Am > I Was. Still, as he maneuvers through this new album, American Dream, it’s encapsulating a story about 21 Savage’s ascension to success without completely placating who he is lyrically and thematically. Yet, it treads familiar territory, despite some freshness to it; unfortunately, it is unbalanced, sometimes becoming too of a bore as 21 Savage brings little juice to some introspections. I was a fan of I Am > I Was; American Dream, slightly less as it establishes a plot progression within his life via a concept album that isn’t all cohesive, with the occasional jumps in narratives and loose pivots to characteristics that carry little weight (love). American Dream succeeds when the focus is on his life, his influences, and the musical outcome from growing up around the music and scarce corners for slangin’, etc; when he escapes this focus, the album loses traction, delivering something mildly memorable.

Opening with an intro via 21 Savage’s mother, she establishes a starting point for listeners/fans to begin this journey with 21 Savage, but through it, it becomes mildly forgettable as what works in for many tracks early on falters after. It’s why tracks like “n.h.i.e” and “should’ve wore a bonnet” rarely move the needle as the delivery for its concepts causes a bore that makes you slightly yearn for a less conceptual 21 Savage, and more so someone with the grit, grime, alla the Savage Mode tapes without relegating to rapping about being blindsided in a relationship—or the unexpected—yet, it doesn’t offer much to build off from, instead a mini stop-gap for 21 Savage to deliver something relative to his personality without emphasizing its importance. You hear that detachment through the apropos style in his lyrics when flexing or rapping about certain aspects of life, like crime and death, and his aspirations to succeed. The consistency tapers, but sometimes the mild detachments speak more to 21 Savage’s persona in rap louder than introspective works—not all, but there is a difference heard when “neé-nah” has more fizzle than “prove it.”

American Dream isn’t messy, though contextually inconsistent, as the narratives are looser and seem to jumble what context we get here and there. It doesn’t have a direct path, instead offering an intro that sets the table for different variations of 21 Savage’s personality to take shape with whatever he wants to deliver—most of the time, the lyrics offer some refreshing notes through rhyme schemes and flows—it can waver however, as when the music treads familiarity, the creativity can start lacking. It’s especially so when he manipulates meaning with his reflections on content involving violence, monetary riches, more bragging, etc., like “Red Sky” and “Just Like Me,” which isn’t the reflective social commentary one would expect based on the title. The content treads content about love and relationships; however, its ethos within the concept behind 21 Savage’s “American Dream” feels like a wasted opportunity. I’m not harping on these types as much as some of the other redundancies, but there is an imbalance that tips more favorably to the first eight of nine tracks.

After the promising intro by 21 Savage’s mother, 21 Savage delivers a quick onslaught of fantastic, lightly standard 21 Savage tracks that go modestly above the fray to give us some unique production to elevate the cadences of 21 Savage’s lyrics. Some of the loud notables come from “redrum,” which incorporates a lavish orchestration, sampling the Brazilian song “Serenata do Adeus” and amplified to give a sense of gritty class with its incorporation in the production’s percussion. The production can take unique directions, like the use of these wicked strings on the beat for “pop your shit,” adding to its atmospheric textures or the amplified percussion on the hard-hitting and encapsulating “Dangerous,” where 21 Savage and Lil Durk match verses with harsh candor, giving us one of the best collabs on the album. The same can be said about the toned-down and fresh Travis Scott verse that uses little autotune, giving us what feels like more wall-breaking than anything. It’s one of the more unique features that has something to say, and gives more credence to its flow within its construction, thematically.

In this tremendous run of tracks, there is a solid Young Thug verse, and an underwhelming Doja Cat feature, where she delivers the same dribble as her album without creativity, similarly matching the output 21 has on it. It’s a blemish in a run that is otherwise forgetful, but as it starts to a downward spiral near the end where even some of the milder production can save from its mediocrity. Tracks like “Sneaky” and “Dangerous” don’t necessarily move the needle like others, but the delivery of 21 Savage and Lil Durk in the latter elevate it more. As it comes to an end, American Dream isn’t up to par with some of 21 Savage’s best work, but there is enough to recommend eight of the nine tracks that start the album, as they come with such virtuosity that it’s close to captivating. It isn’t so from front to back, but at least 21 Savage came in with a different approach and nothing left to do but commend the effort and hope it gets better from here on, as he has a lot left in the tank, and the excitement for more releases remains.