Guest blogger Daniel continues his countdown of the year’s top albums…
Best Albums of 2022 – #7
Heroes & Villains – Metro Boomin
It’s almost impossible to tie my feelings on this album apart from its unparalleled rollout. In announcing the title and themes of the record, Boomin was able to recruit Morgan Freeman and Lakeith Stanfield for its reveal video. Of course, I was already hooked.
Few people have made as much of an impact on the rap industry in the past decade as Metro who has been an unsung hero on many of the biggest rap records that casual fans have probably heard passively.
For ardent rap fans, Metro is their savior. He’s one of the few who earns the right to stamp his producer tag at the beginning or end of songs carrying his inimitable production. My favorite use of his tag comes on a song by an artist whose well chronicled struggles with mental health have now channeled themselves into a dark, dangerous place. I will not use his name not out of fear, but out of resistance to giving him any more relevance in light of his recent unacceptable behavior.
However, much like he who must not be named, Metro Boomin has the ability to seamlessly do what all great producers strive for. He is able to bring out stellar performances from the rappers and singers that lend their talents to his tracks. There’s so much crisp vocal production that takes certain artists’ iconic delivery to new heights. I played ‘Superhero’ back upon first listen just to hear Future’s pitch perfect delivery of “ain’t no facadin’, ain’t no fugazi” again. Young Thug’s vibrato drawl on ‘Metro Spider’ ain’t no fugazi either as his shaky voice commands on the chorus specifically on the line “caught up with your wifey and one night her.”
This album feels effortless. Metro brings his signature production throughout, but his style morphs to fit the mood and themes of both the featured artist and the subject matter being tackled, maybe never more impressively than on ‘Walk Em Down’ where he provides a perfect 21 Savage backdrop which he glides over. From here, the song undergoes a complete beat switch and essentially introduces Mustafa to the world with beautiful, lush production that I’ve never heard come out of Metro quite like this.
However, the magnum opus of this record is the album’s closer and today’s SOTD ‘Feel the Fiyaaaah.’ Here ASAP Rocky turns in what I would argue is one of the best performances of his career as he switches flows finding captivating pockets within this soul-sampling driving beat (‘Feel the Fire’ by Peabo Bryson, with Thundercat playing exemplary bass lines on top if you were curious). However, it’s when the late, great Takeoff comes in for his second verse that this song and this album go to another level. Borrowing a technique from Rocky himself on the song ‘Peso,’ Takeoff cheekily goes through the alphabet on his verse. This moment feels like a celebration of what rap can be at its best.
Takeoff will not be forgotten. Not if other titans of the industry have anything to do with it. He won’t be another statistic and it truly is only in this genre that spaces are provided for black men who have been killed to have an opportunity to make an impact with a proud permanent recording. Not a shaky video cam depicting the all too common tragedy, but a confident, swagger driven verse that his fans can rap along to at the top of their lungs where his spirit can live on. Pretty heartwarming that it starts, “Mama told me, ‘Go and get it.'” You got it, Takeoff. Rest in power while we remember you with passion.
Why we greedy like wolves?
Adam, Eve with the fruit
Why we need new new? (Ah, ah)
Only got two seats (Ah, ah), why we need new coupe?
Only got two feet (Yeah, yeah), why we need new shoes?
Papa need new shoe, baby need new shoes
I’ma need new shoes, Birkenstock, fifty Gs new shoes
Metro got this shitboomin’ (Boomin’)
On the E like Q
Pearly Jesus pieces, what would Jesus do?
[Verse 1: A$AP Rocky]
Rocky, why they wanna be like you?
Metro, why they wanna be like you?
Hello, why they wanna be like you? (Ayy, ayy, ayy)
Magazine like you (Ayy, ayy, ayy)
GQ, yeah, I’m G like Q (Ayy, ayy, ayy)
Shittin’ on ’em, smell like P like U (You ain’t know, there he go)
Switch it on ’em, we about to make a move (You ain’t know? There he go)
Got a green light too (You ain’t know? There he go)
On a G like five (You ain’t know? There he go)
Watch it, green like slime (You ain’t know? There he go)
I might G like slide (You ain’t know? There he go)
She want me right now (You ain’t know? There he go)
Hands up, show your diamonds (You ain’t know? There he go)
Have a dance-off (You ain’t know? There he go, bling)
Show yo’ weapon, have a standoff (You ain’t know? There he go, frrp, frrp)
Pussy poppin’ on her handstand with her pants off
[Verse 2: Takeoff]
Mama told me, “Go and get it” (Mama)
I was tryna get a ticket (Get it)
Commas, commas, it’s some digits (Digits)
Been thinkin’ ’bout it for a minute (Yessir)
You lookin’ at a lieutenant (Lieutenant)
Ice and igloo on a pendant (Ice)
She couldn’t even finish her sentence
Everyday, money get printed (Frrp)
We the one they wanna be (Be)
Like the letter after A (Ayy)
I bought my bitch a new C (Chanel)
Then I took her to the D (Let’s go)
Said she wanna take a E (Okay)
Don’t go nowhere without my F&N (Brrt)
No Givenchy, I’m a G (G)
They don’t want smoke or the heat (Ha)
I just count, stackin’ like Money Mitch (Mitch)
Name a nigga not me (I’ll wait)
Out the country pushin’ P (Push)
It’s quiet right now in the streets (Shh)
Trick or treat? (Why?)
‘Cause I had bought her a V (Skrrt)
Why wouldn’t I when you got money to spend?
No sleep (Nah), X out the Z’s
[Verse 3: A$AP Rocky]
Corner store, marketplace (What?)
The corner store how it start (Uh)
High roller, high stakes (Yeah)
Cluckin’ chicken (Yeah), gotta watch out for the pork (Yeah, yeah, uh)
That’s the most important part (Yeah, uh)
Started out, we was only makin’ art (Yeah, uh)
Gotta say it from your heart (Yeah)
Most of you niggas lack that, get backstabbed
Bodybag, toe tag, worst body parts in the cast
Smash that, Glock and gloves, mask that
Shorty asked my Apple Pay and CashApp (Hol’ up)
[Chorus: A$AP Rocky]
Why we greedy like wolves?
Adam, Eve with the fruit
Why we need new new?
Only got two seats, why we need new coupe?
Only got two feet, why we need new shoes?
Papa need new shoe, baby need new shoes
I’ma need new shoes, Birkenstock, fifty Gs, new shoes
Metro got this shit boomin’ (Boomin’)
On the E like Q
Pearly Jesus pieces, what would Jesus do?
Meet Me In Montauk 
Okay, today’s song and your review shine a light on how out of touch I am with the current music scene, as I’ve never heard of this artist or frankly anyone else you mentioned except for he who shall not be mentioned.
Much like Dana, I would benefit greatly from footnotes throughout today’s entry. That said, I appreciate the glimpse into a portion of the musical world about which I know next to nothing.
When I listen, I try to hear the song through our guest commenter’s ears, but I find that’s a bit more challenging than I expected. I don’t really hear the difference between the performances in the second and third verses, much the way those completely unfamiliar with listening to an orchestral performance are unable to distinguish between various instruments.
As much as I am clearly not the intended audience for this genre of music, today’s entry does make me want to learn more about this “Takeoff” fellow and whatever led to his early death.
I am also fascinated by the notion of an album connected to the producer rather than any individual artist. Has Jack Antonoff or Phil Ramone ever done such a thing or is it purely a feature of rap music? Quincy Jones? Thriller belongs to him as much as Michael Jackson, but we think of it as a MJ album. Lots to contemplate today. Thanks for that, Daniel.
Supplying a footnote of my own here… Takeoff was part of the group Migos, which includes his cousins, one of whom, Offset, is married to Cardi B. So many threads coming together in my pop culture brain! He was tragically killed. He was only 28 years old! 😦
https://abc13.com/who-was-takeoff-is-migos-rapper-killed-houston-shooting/12405415/
Guest blogger here putting back on my occasional commenter hat to provide some footnotes. Metro Boomin is a producer who has been steadily making a name for himself ever since 2015 producing songs for popular rap artists most notably Drake. His rise to fame was synchronous with other artist from this musical world such as 21 Savage, Migos (the rap group Takeoff belonged too), and Gucci Mane.
Metro is honestly one of the few producers with enough acclaim in the rap industry to be able to release an album like this. Many rap producers release collab albums with individual artist such as Snoop Dogg’s debut album “Doggystyle” that was entirely produced by Dr. Dre. However, it’s in some ways an even more impressive feat to be the featured artist who is able to recruit multiple features throughout your album. This Metro Boomin’s second album of this kind and throughout these 14 tracks he enlists various popular rappers like the aforementioned Future, Young Thug, and A$AP Rocky, but also some household names like The Weeknd. The second verse from Takeoff I was commending more on the impact of its placement as the final song following his passing rather than the quality of the verse itself.
Although Jack Antonoff nor Phil Ramone have ever released an album featuring their production alongside guest artist, Quincy Jones is a great analogy! He released many albums as sole producer enlisting the help of legendary musicians and vocalists like Herbie Hancock or Ella Fitzgerald respectively!
Thank you for this! Going to seek out Quincy Jones’ albums with multiple collaborators to get a better sense of the evolution of this type of producer driven album. 🙂
I remember 1989’s Back on the Block as one of Jones’ more successful albums featuring multiple contributors.
I must say ditto to Dana’s comment. However I am enjoying all the energy going on in your reviews! And thank you for not mentioning he who shall not be mentioned
I, too, am much less familiar with this world/artists/genre, but I’ve loved getting to know more about it through your recommendations. There’s a lot of complexity to the writing happening in so many of these tracks – and examining delivery on top of it is especially fascinating.
Although I don’t always naturally click in with all of your favorites, I always like learning more and learning about the layers that inform why you love these artists and producers so much.