Last year, the chart fortunes of rap music were a big conversation point. It was the year of hip-hop’s much-marketed 50th anniversary, but we got through most of the year before any rap singles or albums went to #1 on the Billboard charts. It doesn’t seem like that’ll be an issue this year. Jack Harlow’s “Lovin On Me” is back on top of the Hot 100 after the Christmas-song deluge, and now the A-list rap records have started to show up. This morning, we’ve got new ones from 21 Savage and Kid Cudi.

It’s been a while since we got a proper 21 Savage album. In the past few years, Savage has released a couple of collaborative records: Savage Mode II with Metro Boomin in 2020, Her Loss with Drake in 2022. But the new american dream is 21 Savage’s first solo album since 2018’s I Am > I Was. As such, the album gets into personal subjects like Savage’s immigration status and family background. Most of the time, though, it’s just Savage rapping hard over big, cinematic beats. Savage announced the album earlier this week with the trailer for a presumably-fake biopic, with both Donald Glover and Caleb McLaughlin playing Savage.

If you like blockbuster-level rap music, this one demands your attention. It’s remarkable that a rapper as focused and limited as 21 Savage ever made it to the top tier of stardom, but he’s really developed as an artist over the years. Savage tends to work best in a guest-verse capacity, and nobody needs to hear him doing love songs, as he does toward the end of american dream. But when he’s talking about violence over lush production, he sounds spectacular.

The new album features appearances from many of Savage’s peers, including Doja Cat, Travis Scott, Lil Durk, Burna Boy, Summer Walker, Brent Faiyaz, Mariah The Scientist, and the currently-incarcerated Young Thug. It’s also got production from people like London On Da Track, Cardo, and Savage’s old ally Metro Boomin. Notably, the record does not feature Drake, Savage’s frequent collaborator and recent tourmate. Stream the album below.

american dream is out now on Slaughter Gang/Epic.