The first and last major rap albums of 2025 both came from Atlanta superstars. Lil Baby kicked off the year with WHAM. Now, 21 Savage closes it with his fourth studio album, What Happened to the Streets?
Unlike his 2024 standout American Dreamin’, which carried a political undercurrent, 21’s new album feels lower stakes. In many ways, it’s a traditional 21 Savage record—driven by his dead-serious delivery over goth and trap-influenced, horror-movie-style production. Guest appearances are all the collaborators you come to expect: Young Nudy, Drake, Latto, and Metro Boomin.
But look closer, and deeper ideas emerge. If there is a central theme, it’s reflecting on the aftermath of the YSL trial. It's not always explicit, but 21 is clearly grappling with a city and hip-hop scene that has fractured in recent years, with bickering amongst Young Thug, Gunna, Lil Baby, and others.
For the album's cover, 21 worked with UK-based Nigerian artist Slawn. The artwork references Kerry James Marshall’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self, a title that doubles as commentary on Atlanta itself.
So what was 21 trying to accomplish with this album? Does it hold a candle to his last? Here are some initial takeaways from 21 Savage’s What Happened to the Streets?
"WHERE YOU FROM" Continues 21’s Streak of Great Opening Songs
“a lot.” “runnin.” “all of me.” 21 Savage’s opening tracks usually bang, and on What Happened to the Streets? he keeps that tradition alive with “WHERE YOU FROM,” one of the strongest songs on the album.
Southside and Wheezy supply a sinister, ominous beat for Savage to talk his shit. Most of the track is classic 21: he raps about growing up in Atlanta’s Zone 6, how much money it would take for him to retire from rap—a cool $1 billion— and even threatens to break chronically-online rappers’ iPhones and MacBooks.
He also finds ways to touch on current events. He addresses the tension between Metro Boomin and Drake, who both appear on the album. The feud naturally places 21 in the middle, but he stays neutral, rapping, “Pussy don’t ask me ’bout Metro or Drake / Play with it or get shot in the face.” —Antonio Johri
“CUP FULL” Most Clearly Exemplifies the Album’s Thematic Focus
Several tracks on the album open with monologues from fellow Atlanta artists. On “CUP FULL,” Young Thug takes center stage, getting surprisingly introspective about the lack of emotional maturity he has today. Thug says:
“I think the way we grew up, our childhood, our parents worried about way stronger things than those types of feelings. Those types of emotions, we don’t know how to cope with agony. We cope with bad things by doing drugs, sippin’ syrup, smoking weed, poppin’ Percs, doin’ ecstasy.”
In the verses, 21 Savage doesn’t follow Thug’s introspective lead, sticking instead to his usual themes, spitting lines like “Stick hit his ass in the arm, now that nigga got a cast on.”
But the chorus sees him wrestling more thoughtfully and vividly, rapping “Back seat of the Phantom with a sawed-off / Pourin’ up syrup till I nod off.”
Beneath the braggadocio, 21 Savage highlights a lifestyle pushed to extremes, mirroring the risky coping mechanisms Thug described. —Antonio Johri
Drake and 21 Savage Connect Again…and it’s Not Their Best
Drake and 21 have become unexpected kindred spirits after a run of features and their 2022 joint album, Her Loss. “MR RECOUP” might be their strangest collaboration yet. The beat is the real star: skeletal, with snapping drums, a slow, plodding Dr. Dre–style piano, and a twisted synth line.
The off-kilter beat dominates, and Drake and 21 don’t quite find the right pocket, despite some decent lines. Drizzy mainly focuses on name-dropping his upcoming project, Iceman, and calling himself “Mr. Recoup,” possibly referencing how he consistently recoups his label deals.
The track isn’t bad, but it doesn’t reach the heights of songs on Her Loss. —Antonio Johri
Lil Baby and 21 Savage Both Went Crazy on "ATLANTA TEARS”
It’s no secret that Lil Baby and 21 Savage have had bad blood in the past. However, that seems to be mostly behind them. They’ve collaborated twice so far this year. Earlier, 21 appeared on Lil Baby’s WHAM standout, “Outfit”, and their latest collaboration, “ATLANTA TEARS”, is even better.
Both songs follow a similar structure, consisting mainly of two extended verses. The biggest difference is that the rapping and production on “ATLANTA TEARS” are more introspective. On this track, both artists deliver verse-of-the-year-worthy performances. Regardless of what Akademiks might say, it’s hard to call who has the better verse. 21 captures the album’s essence with lines like:
“If it wasn't all my accolades and niggas makin' rats cool/Lil' boy, you know I would drench you/Internet nerds tryna tell us how the street feel.” —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
"I WISH" is Both Touching and Terrible at the Same Time
What are the rules on sampling an R. Kelly song? 21 Savage borrows heavily from “I Wish,” Kelly’s early-2000s tribute to his mother, using the beat and a version of the hook.
The song sounds a bit too schmaltzy to be fully effective, even though there are moments of strong rapping from 21. What’s interesting is that he doesn’t try to alter his style or force emotion into the track; the power comes from his straightforward, unemotional delivery and the vividness of his verses, where he reflects on alternative outcomes for some of his friends. At one point, he raps:
“PnB, we love you, wish you got that chicken to go
Can’t believe I seen Rich Homie Quan on a shirt
I wish Juice Wrld never even took that Perc."
The Album is a Slight Step Down From 'American Dream'
At this point, you know what you’re getting with a 21 Savage album: the delivery, the production. There is comfort in staying in a groove and attacking, but we’re at the point where 21 should start showing more wrinkles.
What Happened to the Streets? feels like a step down from American Dream, which featured similar 21 Savage flourishes but with a higher level of sophistication. The first half of the album is especially uneven. Tracks like “HA” and “POP IT,” a by-the-numbers duet with Latto, feel too stale to stand out. (To be fair, “DOG SHIT” with Glorilla demonstrates much stronger chemistry between the two.)
The second half of the album is where things pick up. There are fewer attempts at commercial anthems, and most songs lean on soulful production, with highlights including “ATLANTA TEARS,” “HALFTIME INTERLUDE,” and “CODE OF HONOR.”
Even with these highs, this is ultimately, for better or worse, a 21 Savage album. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo